By Chuck Bentley

I have recently had a barrage of calls on my mobile phone that appear to be from a local number on my caller ID but turn out to be a recording that makes it sound like I must push a button to have their service right now! I had three from the same company in less than 24 hours.

Telemarketers are increasingly targeting mobile phone numbers for politicians, donations, and slick sales gimmicks. Here is what you need to do to stop, or at least minimize, those annoying calls.

Many people are giving up their landlines entirely, and telemarketers know this. Additionally, even people who still have landlines are more likely to answer their mobile phone because the mobile phone is generally within arm’s reach 24/7.

There are two easy ways to add you mobile phone number to the Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call registry:

Go to the FTC website, DoNotCall.gov, or call directly 1-888-382-1222.

If you continue to receive telemarketing calls on your cell phone after joining the Do Not Call list, you can block those specific numbers and even file a complaint against the companies with the Federal Trade Commission.

Good stewardship is avoiding the things that waste our time. I have a policy not to make commitments over the phone to organizations that I know nothing about, so I prefer to block these robo-calls. That does not mean that it will stop all the calls. Honest companies will abide by the law, but be careful not to get tricked by a dishonest company that violates your Do Not Call request.

Originally posted 8/10/2015.