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How to stop unwanted calls in Australia
By the StoryCheck team · 7 min read · Published
To stop unwanted calls in Australia, put your number on the Do Not Call Register, which is free and permanent, switch on your phone's unknown-caller screening and your carrier's scam warnings, and complain to ACMA about telemarketers who break the rules. The register cuts most lawful telemarketing within about 30 days, but it does nothing about scammers, so scam calls and texts need screening, blocking and reporting to Scamwatch instead.
Which kind of unwanted call are you getting?
| What is happening | Example | What stops it |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing from a business | Energy, solar or phone plan offers | The Do Not Call Register, and asking them to stop |
| Calls from an exempt organisation | A registered charity, a registered political party, a government body, or a school or uni you attend or went to | Asking them directly to take you off their list |
| Scam calls | Fake bank, NBN or myGov callers | Screening, carrier warnings and hanging up. The register cannot help. |
| Marketing texts | Sale alerts you never agreed to | Unsubscribe if the business is genuine, or forward the text to ACMA on 0429 999 888 |
| Scam texts | Unpaid toll or parcel links | Delete without tapping, and report to Scamwatch |
| Harassment | Repeated abusive or silent calls | A trace through your carrier, and the police |
How does the Do Not Call Register work?
- 1
Register your number
Go to donotcall.gov.au or call 1300 792 958. You can register mobile and home numbers, and fax lines. Business numbers cannot be registered unless they are used mainly for faxing.
- 2
Allow about 30 days
Telemarketers can rely on a check of their call list against the register that is up to 30 days old, and the register says you should notice fewer calls after 30 days. Registration is free and never expires, so there is nothing to renew.
- 3
Know who can still call
Registered charities, registered political parties, government bodies and schools or universities where you are or were a student can still call a registered number. They must still follow the calling rules below.
- 4
Complain about breaches
If a business keeps calling after 30 days, lodge a complaint through the register's website or on 1300 792 958, with the date, the time and the company's name.
Every telemarketer, exempt or not, has to follow the industry standard. Calls are only allowed between 9am and 8pm on weekdays and 9am and 5pm on Saturdays, never on Sundays or national public holidays, and research calls have slightly different hours. Callers must say who they are and why they are calling, end the call when you ask, and display a number: the register's own guidance says that if it shows as private, they are breaking the rules.
Scammers also pretend to call from the Do Not Call Register, asking for card details to enrol or renew your number. The register never contacts you about renewing and never asks for bank details.
How do you block scam calls on your phone?
- iPhone: go to Settings, then Apps, then Phone, and set Screen Unknown Callers to Ask Reason for Calling or Silence. Silenced calls go straight to voicemail.
- Android with the Google Phone app: under Caller ID and spam, turn on Filter spam calls, and under Blocked numbers, turn on Unknown to block private numbers.
- WhatsApp: go to Settings, then Privacy, then Calls, and turn on Silence unknown callers.
- Your carrier: Telstra's Scam Protect labels suspicious calls with warnings such as Warning: Potential Fraud, and TPG shows Warning Suspected Scam on some calls. Behind the scenes, telcos blocked 2.9 billion scam calls between December 2020 and March 2026, and more than 1.1 billion scam texts between July 2022 and March 2026, under ACMA's anti-scam rules.
Never press a key to be taken off a list during an automated call. Any response tells the caller your number reaches a real person. For withheld numbers in particular, see what you can find out about a private number.
How do you stop spam and scam texts?
Under the Spam Act 2003, a business needs your consent before it sends marketing texts, must identify itself and must include a way to unsubscribe. With a genuine business you recognise, unsubscribing works and is the quickest fix. With anything that looks like a scam, do not reply at all, not even with STOP, because a reply confirms your number is live.
Forward spam texts to ACMA on 0429 999 888 (standard message charges apply) and report scam texts to Scamwatch. Since 1 July 2026, texts sent under an organisation's name must use a registered sender ID, and unregistered ones arrive labelled 'Unverified', grouped in a single thread. The label does not cover texts from ordinary mobile numbers or apps like WhatsApp, iMessage and Messenger, which is where many scams now arrive. Our guides to toll text scams and Australia Post texts show the most common ones.
Where do you report unwanted calls and texts?
| Problem | Report to | How |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing to a registered number, or outside the allowed hours | ACMA, through the Do Not Call Register | donotcall.gov.au or 1300 792 958 |
| Spam text | ACMA | Forward the text to 0429 999 888 |
| Spam email | ACMA | Forward it to report@submit.spam.acma.gov.au |
| Scam call or text | Scamwatch, run by the National Anti-Scam Centre | scamwatch.gov.au |
| You have lost money | Your bank, first | Call straight away, on the number printed on your card |
| You shared identity details | IDCARE | 1800 595 160 |
| Threats or harassment | Police | 000 in an emergency, otherwise 131 444 |
What changes in 2026 and 2027?
Two new layers of protection are arriving. The SMS Sender ID Register went live on 1 July 2026, and telcos face court-ordered penalties of up to $250,000 for each breach of its rules. Under the Scams Prevention Framework, passed by Parliament in February 2025, banks, telcos and digital platforms, including social media, search and instant messaging services, have been designated for regulation. They must belong to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority from 1 September 2026, and from 31 March 2027 most of their obligations to prevent, detect, disrupt, report and respond to scams apply, with fines of up to $50 million. From that date AFCA will also handle eligible scam complaints a business has not resolved.
Until then, the practical advice does not change: register your number, screen what you do not recognise, and never act on a call or text you did not expect without checking it through a number you found yourself. If an unknown number keeps ringing, who keeps calling me explains how to read the pattern, and a reverse lookup shows the line type, a possible name and scam signals in about 60 seconds.
Common questions
Does the Do Not Call Register stop scam calls?
No. It applies to legitimate telemarketers, and scammers ignore it. To cut scam calls, use your phone's unknown-caller screening, your carrier's scam warnings and blocking, and report scams to Scamwatch.
How long does the Do Not Call Register take to work?
The register says you should notice fewer telemarketing calls after 30 days, because telemarketers can rely on a check of the register that is up to 30 days old. Registration is free and permanent.
Why am I still getting calls after registering?
Either the caller is exempt, such as a registered charity or political party, or it is a scammer who ignores the register, or you have given that business permission to call, for example when signing up for something. Exempt organisations must still keep to the calling hours and stop when you ask.
What times can telemarketers call in Australia?
Between 9am and 8pm on weekdays and 9am and 5pm on Saturdays. They cannot call on Sundays or national public holidays. Research calls have slightly different hours, including Sundays from 9am to 5pm.
Can I put my business number on the Do Not Call Register?
No. Only mobile, home and fax numbers can be registered, and business numbers are excluded unless they are used mainly for faxing.
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