What is meant by 'consent' and how long after registering you can expect to notice a reduction in calls.

How long before I stop receiving unsolicited marketing calls or faxes?

If you have registered your number/s for the first time, it may take up to 30 days for marketers to recognise your registration and stop calling and faxing your number/s.

If you have re-registered your number/s, marketers will continue to recognise your registration and not call or send faxes to your number/s.

What if I still receive unsolicited marketing calls or faxes after 30 days?

If you are still receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls or marketing faxes after 30 days, you can lodge a complaint.

Will registering my number stop all unsolicited marketing calls and faxes?

No, registration won't stop all unsolicited marketing calls and faxes. Some public interest organisations, such as registered charities, political parties and educational institutions, can still contact numbers on the register. This ensures these organisations can continue to provide valuable services to the community.

If you have an existing relationship with a organisation, it can still contact you. For example, it may be reasonable to expect to receive a telemarketing call (or fax) from a financial institution, utility, service provider or telephone carrier if you have an existing account. Companies can also call if you’ve given express consent for them to do so, for example, by completing a web form requesting contact.

You can request a organisation to stop calling you and/or faxing at any time.

What is consent?

Telemarketing calls or marketing faxes can be made if you consent to receiving them, or where consent can be reasonably inferred from business or other relationships.

Express consent is where a person has clearly agreed or requested to receive marketing calls or faxes from a particular organisation. Examples of express consent include indicating acceptance on a form (whether in writing or online) or verbally agreeing to receive future telemarketing calls. Express content:

will be taken to last for a period of three months from the date it was given, unless the consent was given for a specific period of time

may be ongoing in that it can be given for an indefinite period.

Inferred consent is where a person has an established business relationship with an organisation and consent to receive marketing calls or faxes can be reasonably inferred from that relationship. For example, it would be reasonable for a person to receive a call from their electricity supplier asking if they are interested in switching their gas account to the same company.

What is not consent?

You have not provided either express or inferred consent if:

you accepted marketing calls/faxes from a organisation in the past

your number is publicly available—for example, being listed in the telephone directory or on an internet site.

How can I withdraw consent?

You can opt out of or withdraw your consent to at any time. This is best done by contacting the organisation in question in writing so there is a record of the request.

If you continue to receive unsolicited telemarketing calls or marketing faxes from the organisation after you have requested that they cease, you can lodge a complaint by calling 1300 792 958 or completing the online form.

Can market and social researchers call or fax numbers on the Do Not Call Register?

Yes, market and social researchers are permitted to call or fax numbers on the Do Not Call Register to conduct opinion polling and standard questionnaire-based research.

However, if such calls or faxes include a commercial-type purpose, even if it is not the primary or sole purpose of the call or fax, it will fall within the definition of a ‘telemarketing call’ or ‘marketing fax’ and can’t be made or sent to a number on the register.

Other calls or faxes you may continue to receive

Many unwanted calls or faxes are not considered telemarketing calls or marketing faxes. These include calls and faxes related to:

debt collection

product recall

fault verification

appointment rescheduling

appointment reminder

payments

solicited calls relating to orders, requests or customer enquiries.

The most effective way to stop these unwanted calls is to request contact the organisation responsible for making them and request that they stop.

Will having my number on the register stop scam calls?

Registering your number with the Do Not Call Register will not prevent you from receiving phone calls or faxes related to scams.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) administers consumer protection provisions under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 that are directly relevant to scams and provides a SCAMwatch service.

The best way to protect yourself from scams is to simply hang up on the caller. You should never give an unsolicited caller any personal or financial information, access to your computer or your credit card details.

There are several common scams that you should protect yourself against.

Online Technical Support Scam

Consumers worldwide have received calls advising them that their computer has been infected with a virus. Callers can be very convincing and often provide a website and/or a contact phone number that connects to a business so that they appear legitimate.

Contact from an organisation claiming that you have a virus or technical fault on your computer should be regarded with caution. Consumers who receive these calls should hang up the phone without engaging with the caller.

Some hoaxes specifically target the Do Not Call Register:

Release of telemarketing numbers

A viral e-mail has been circulating for some time that suggests mobile telephone numbers will be released to telemarketing companies. This e-mail appears to have originated in the USA and does not apply to Australia’s Do Not Call Register. The Australian Register has strong privacy mechanisms in place and numbers are never provided directly to telemarketers.

DNC Registration Scam

Some organisations make calls requesting a fee for registering numbers with the Do Not Call Register. Registration is free. The Do Not Call Register does not contact people ask them whether they wish to register their number.

You may register your number, for free, by completing the online registration form or by calling 1300 792 958 between 8.30 am and 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday.