This guide will explain exactly how to stop telemarketers calling your home or office. Are you sick of unwanted sales phone calls? This step-by-step guide explains the three best ways to stop telemarketers from contacting you.

• Never give out any personal information including your name, address, credit card details, etc over the phone.

• If you believe that a finacial institution is contacting you, tell them that you will call them back. Look on the back of your credit or ATM card and call the toll free number listed there.

• Changing your phone number, asking your phone company to make it private, and never giving your phone number out to anyone other than friends and family is the easiest way to avoid telemarketing calls.

Telemarketing is a somewhat unsavory practice that is utilized by a large number of companies, organizations and political groups. Whenever you fill out a contest form, enter your phone number on an untrustworthy website, or even simply list your phone number in public phone books, you put yourself at risk of receiving telemarketing calls.

Telemarketing companies make money by placing phone calls to the largest number of people possible. Often, telemarketing representatives are paid "per pitch" or for every time they successfully make make a sale. As a result, many telemarketers are direct to the point where they can be rude and annoying.

There are 3 ways to stop telemarketers from contacting you. This guide explains how to stop telemarketers from calling and gives you ideas about how to avoid new telemarketers from obtaining your telephone number.

1. Answer the phone. Telemarketers or automated dialing machines will continue to call until they talk with someone.
2. Once you identify that the person is performing a telephone solicitation, say clearly, and with a slightly increased volume "PLEASE STOP TALKING".
3. Immediately follow this request with, "Could I please have the name of the company you work for and your employee identification number?"
4. If the sales person does not immediately reply with this information say again "PLEASE STOP TALKING to answer my question".
5. Write this information down along with the date and time. If you receive a large number of telemarketing phone calls, it may be beneficial to keep a notebook beside your telephone(s).

1. Immediately and quickly tell the telemarketer that you "never make purchases over the phone" and then say "please take me off of your call list and never call me again".
2. Note that it is important to ask to be removed from the telemarketing list. Sometimes, this alone is an effective way of deterring large scale telemarketing shops from calling you.

1. If the same telemarketing company calls you again, tell them that you have already requested not to be called and to again, please take your name off of the list.
2. Record the date and time of this second telemarketing call.
3. The third time that a telemarketing company contacts you after requesting that you not be contacted is often considered harassment and can be referred to your telephone company and the local authorities as outlined in step 3.

1. Visit the National Do Not Call Registry online at http://www.donotcall.gov
2. Input your Area Code, Phone Numbers and e-mail address for confirmation.
3. The National Do Not Call Registry will confirm your e-mail address.
4. Note: The National Do Not Call Registry is optional. Some telemarketing and direct sales companies voluntarily use the do not call list. Many companies have found that the people on this list will never be interested in products that are marketed over the phone and rely on this list to save time and money.

After the 3rd unsolicited phone call, it may be within your rights to file official complaints.

1. Have your log book ready with the dates, times and brief transcription of what was said.
2. First, contact your phone company. In many states, harassing phone calls can be completely blocked. Even if the caller-id does not show an incoming number, the phone company can identify and route harassing calls to a pre-recorded message. This message usually says something to the affect of, "The party you are trying to reach does not want to be contacted at this time. Please hang up now".
3. Some people choose to change their phone number. Asking your phone company for a number that has not been previously assigned and for it to be marked "private" to keep it out of public directories is the most effective way to quickly stop telemarketing calls.
4. If this message is received by automated computerized dialers, your phone number may be automatically removed.
5. If you continue to receive phone calls from the same telemarketing company, contact your local authorities and the Better Business Bureau in your area. Report the details of your harassment log book and ask for action to be taken.