WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ohio ranks among the top five states for reporting unwanted telemarketing calls, according to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) National Do Not Call Registry Data Book for Fiscal Year 2024. The report highlights a steady, significant drop in consumer complaints about unwanted calls, down more than 50% since 2021.
The FTC’s latest data reflects continued success in combating telemarketing abuse. This year, consumer complaints about robocalls decreased to 1.1 million, down from 1.2 million in 2023 and a steep drop from 3.4 million in 2021. The downward trend follows the FTC’s launch of Operation Stop Scam Calls in 2023, the agency’s largest crackdown on illegal telemarketing in its history. In addition, new rules issued this year now ban government and business impersonation scams and expand protections under the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) to safeguard businesses from scam calls.
“Illegal calls remain a scourge, but the FTC’s strategy to pursue upstream players and equip the agency to confront emerging threats is showing clear signs of success,” said Sam Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Levine added that further progress will depend on confronting not only telemarketers but also the firms who profit from these scams.
The report also shows that complaints in most telemarketing categories continued to fall, though calls related to debt reduction increased by over 85% in the past year. Impostor calls remain a major problem, with over 158,000 complaints from consumers reporting scammers misrepresenting themselves as government entities or businesses, often in sectors like energy, solar, and home improvement. The FTC’s new Impersonation Rule targets these misrepresentations, especially in scams where consumers are promised low-cost solar energy or government rebates.
Ohio’s high rate of reporting reflects the vigilance of residents in identifying and combating telemarketing abuse. Alongside Delaware, Arizona, Illinois, and North Carolina, Ohio is among the top states in the nation for reports per 100,000 residents. The number of registered phone numbers in the Do Not Call Registry also increased to more than 253 million, with 4.2 million new sign-ups in 2024 alone.
Ohioans experiencing unwanted calls are encouraged to file complaints at www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222.