For unwanted mortgage sales calls from legitimate businesses, register your number with the National Do Not Call Registry. For scam calls and other unwanted calls that still come through, use your phone’s or carrier’s call-blocking and labeling tools. These measures do different jobs: the Registry tells covered telemarketers not to call, while blocking tools try to filter or identify calls. Neither guarantees a quiet phone, so using both is the practical approach.
This guidance applies to U.S. consumers. A call about a mortgage or loan is not automatically legitimate or illegal; the caller, purpose, method, consent and business relationship can matter. The best next step depends on what you want to address: reducing covered sales calls, screening calls that reach you, or reporting a suspicious contact.
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What each option does—and what it cannot do
| Question | Do Not Call Registry | Phone, carrier or device blocking |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Tells covered telemarketers not to call a registered number. | Filters or labels calls using available phone, carrier, app or device options. |
| Best fit | Reducing covered sales calls from businesses that follow telemarketing rules. | Reducing or identifying unwanted calls, including scam calls the Registry cannot stop. |
| What it cannot guarantee | It does not block calls or prevent scammers from making illegal calls. | Some calls may not be flagged or blocked; a label can identify a call without stopping it. |
| Where it applies | Home and cell numbers can be registered. | Options vary for cell phones, VoIP home phones and traditional landlines. |
| Cost and timing | Registration is free. Allow up to 31 days for covered sellers to reflect a new registration. | Features and effort vary by phone and service; check the current settings or provider information. |
The Federal Trade Commission describes the Registry as a list that tells registered telemarketers which numbers not to call; it does not block calls. That distinction is why registration may reduce certain lawful sales calls without silencing every caller. Filters work at the phone or service level instead, and their performance is not guaranteed.
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Think of the Registry as a rule directed at covered telemarketers, not a switch that rejects a call as it arrives. Think of filtering as a technical screening layer, not an instruction to businesses about whether they may call. One may help reduce covered sales calls; the other may flag or stop calls that reach your line. They are complementary, not competing versions of the same tool.
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There are also two different outcomes people often group together as “blocking.” A tool may label a call as potential spam and leave the choice to you, or it may silence or block a call. A label can help you decide whether to answer, but it does not necessarily prevent an interruption. A blocked call may not ring through, but filtering systems can miss unwanted calls and may not identify every caller correctly. Check what a feature actually does before relying on it.
Which tool should you use for mortgage calls?
If a real company is making unwanted sales calls
Register the number. The Registry is intended to reduce most covered sales calls from legitimate businesses that follow the law. A company that calls despite registration is not automatically breaking the rules: FTC telemarketing guidance describes coverage and exemptions, and a specific call may depend on its purpose and method, consent, and any existing business relationship. Registration alone does not settle every legal question about a particular call.
Registration is most useful when your goal is to opt out of covered telemarketing from companies that observe the rules. It is not a guarantee that all mortgage-related outreach will stop. A call might not fall within the Registry’s coverage, or the caller might ignore the law. The Registry does not investigate a caller in real time or prevent that caller’s number from appearing on your phone.
If the caller claims you have a loan application
Do not assume the caller is genuine because they mention an application, mortgage or loan. In an August 2024 alert, the FTC warned about calls claiming a consumer’s supposed loan application was on hold even though that person had not applied. The agency described reports of repeated calls. This is a warning about a reported scam pattern, not evidence that every unsolicited mortgage call is fraudulent.
Do not give personal information to an unknown business just because the caller seems to know something about you. The FTC also advises consumers not to press a key to unsubscribe from these unwanted loan calls. Use call filtering, register the number and report unwanted calls instead. A caller’s reference to a loan application is a claim, not verification that an application exists or that the caller represents a lender.
If the call is unwanted but its status is unclear
Use both tools: keep the number registered and turn on available call filtering or caller labeling. A mortgage-related subject does not establish who is calling or whether the call is lawful. If you did not initiate the contact, avoid sharing sensitive details with an unknown caller; you can independently contact a business using contact information you already trust rather than relying on details supplied during the call.
It is reasonable to separate the immediate decision from the legal question. You do not need to decide during a call whether the caller has violated a rule. You can decline to provide information, end the conversation, use your phone’s available screening tools, and report the unwanted contact. If you want to assess the call later, retain the basic details rather than calling back just to investigate.
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- Go to DoNotCall.gov and follow the FTC’s registration steps, or register by phone from the number you want to add. The FTC FAQ provides completion details and current timing.
- Allow up to 31 days. A newly registered number may take that long to take effect for covered sellers, so calls during the interval do not necessarily show that registration failed.
- Keep the registration current by keeping the number. The FTC says registration does not expire unless the number is disconnected and reassigned or the consumer asks to remove it.
- Register cell numbers too. The Registry is not limited to residential landlines; cell numbers may be registered as well.
There is no registration fee. Be wary of anyone charging to add a number to the federal Registry; use the FTC’s official registration channel. Registration addresses the number you submit, so if you want more than one number listed, check the FTC’s instructions for completing registration for each one.
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After registering, give the full 31-day period before judging whether covered sellers have had time to reflect the change. The waiting period is not a promise that every call will stop at the end of it. It applies to the Registry’s effect on covered telemarketers, not to scammers or other callers outside its reach. If unwanted calls continue, filtering and reporting remain useful steps.
How to turn on call filtering
The exact menu names and features depend on the phone, operating system, carrier and service. The FTC points consumers toward phone-specific and service-specific blocking or labeling options, but does not rank carriers or products. Check the current settings or support information for your particular service instead of assuming a feature exists or works the same way across providers.
- Cell phone: Review the device’s call settings and the carrier’s available spam-filtering or caller-labeling options. Enable the features you want, then check whether they block calls, merely label them, or offer both behaviors.
- VoIP home phone: Ask the service provider what call screening, blocking or labeling controls are available for that service.
- Traditional landline: Check with the phone provider about its options. A call-blocking device is another category the FTC recognizes; confirm compatibility with your line before buying. A device does not replace Registry registration and should not be treated as a reliable way to stop spoofed or scam calls.
Filtering can reduce interruptions, but a blocked or labeled call is not proof of the caller’s identity. Conversely, a call that is not flagged is not proof that it is safe. Treat labels as a screening aid, not a substitute for judgment.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteBefore choosing a feature, consider what problem you want it to solve. If you mainly want fewer calls to ring, look for a blocking or silencing function and confirm how it handles calls it identifies as spam. If you mainly want more information before answering, a caller label may help, but it may not stop the phone from ringing. The available options and their behavior depend on the service and device, so verify the details with your provider or in your phone’s current settings.
For a traditional landline, a generic landline call-blocking device is one possible category to investigate, not a guaranteed fix. Check compatibility with your particular line and phone before buying. The FTC recognizes blocking devices among landline options but does not endorse a specific model. A device is not a substitute for registering your number, and no device should be assumed to reliably stop spoofed or scam calls.
There is no verified carrier-by-carrier comparison here, so it would be misleading to say one carrier is best at blocking mortgage calls. Ask your own service provider what options are currently available, whether a feature blocks or labels, and whether any cost or setup requirement applies. Availability and settings may change, so use current provider information rather than relying on a general description of another person’s service.
A practical response to a suspicious loan call
- Pause rather than disclose. If an unfamiliar caller says a loan application is on hold, do not provide personal or financial details simply because the caller knows or claims to know something about you.
- Do not press a key to unsubscribe from the unwanted loan call. The FTC’s August 2024 warning specifically advises against pressing a key to unsubscribe in this context.
- End the call if you do not want to continue. You do not have to resolve the caller’s claim while speaking with them. If you need to verify a possible application, contact the relevant business independently using information you already trust.
- Use your available screening tools. Turn on phone or carrier filtering or labeling, understanding that the feature may label without blocking and may not catch every call.
- Report the contact and keep useful details. Record the displayed caller ID number, any callback number, the date and time, and what the caller said. Note whether you had actually applied for a loan if that is relevant.
These steps are useful whether the call is a scam or simply unwanted. They avoid treating a caller’s statement as proof, while still allowing you to report the contact and reduce future interruptions. Reporting does not itself block the caller, and filtering does not replace reporting.
Report unwanted calls as well as filtering them
The FTC asks consumers to report unwanted calls. Reports can help enforcement and call-blocking efforts, though reporting does not itself block the caller. When possible, keep the details that help describe the incident:
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- The caller ID number shown on your phone.
- A callback number the caller provided, if there was one.
- The date and time of the call.
- What the caller claimed, such as a loan application being on hold, and whether you had actually applied.
Use the FTC’s stated reporting channels. Do not call back a suspicious number merely to investigate it, and do not provide personal or financial information to an unknown caller. If the caller leaves a callback number, record it as part of what happened; do not assume that calling it is a safe way to verify the caller’s identity.
Reporting and blocking serve different purposes. Blocking or labeling is intended to affect what happens on your phone. A report gives the FTC information about an unwanted call and may contribute to enforcement and call-blocking efforts. Neither step guarantees that the particular caller will stop, but using both addresses the immediate interruption and provides information about the contact.
What FTC registration and complaint figures mean
The FTC reported more than 258 million active Registry registrations and over 2.6 million Do Not Call complaints in fiscal year 2025. The agency says the complaint totals are based on unverified consumer reports, not survey data. They are not a count of mortgage calls and should not be read as an estimate of how common mortgage-call scams are.
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Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Bottom line: use both for different reasons
Register your home or cell number if you want to reduce covered sales calls from companies that follow telemarketing rules. Use your phone, carrier or compatible landline options to filter or identify calls that still reach you, including scam calls the Registry cannot stop. Keep expectations realistic: registration is free but may take up to 31 days to take effect, and filtering can miss calls or label without blocking. For a suspicious loan claim, do not give information to an unknown caller; use trusted contact details to verify anything important, and report the unwanted call.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Do Not Call Registry block mortgage calls?
No. The Registry tells covered telemarketers not to call a registered number; it does not technically block calls from reaching your phone. Use phone, carrier or device filtering to screen calls that still come through.
Should I register or turn on carrier spam blocking?
If you want to reduce covered sales calls from legitimate businesses that follow telemarketing rules, register. If you want calls flagged or blocked at the phone or service level, turn on the available filtering or labeling features. Using both is the practical approach because they address different problems.
How long does Do Not Call registration take to work?
A new registration may take up to 31 days to take effect for covered sellers. The FTC says registration does not expire unless the number is disconnected and reassigned or you ask to remove it.
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Is it free to register my cell number?
Yes. Registration is free, and cell numbers as well as home numbers may be registered. Use DoNotCall.gov or register by phone from the number you want to add.
Why am I still getting calls after registering?
The Registry is not a call-blocking service, and it is aimed at covered telemarketers. Scammers may ignore the law, and some calls may fall outside coverage or involve fact-specific exemptions. Filtering can help with calls that still reach you, but it is not foolproof.
A caller says my mortgage application is on hold. What should I do?
Do not assume the caller is genuine or share personal information just because they mention an application. The FTC warned in August 2024 about calls claiming a loan application was on hold even when the person had not applied. Do not press a key to unsubscribe; use available filtering, report the unwanted call and verify any important claim through contact information you already trust.
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Does a spam label mean a mortgage call is a scam—or that an unflagged call is safe?
No. A label is a screening aid, not proof of identity or legality. Likewise, a call that is not labeled or blocked is not proof that it is safe.
Can I buy a device to block calls on a landline?
A landline call-blocking device is one option to investigate, but check that it is compatible with your particular line before buying. The FTC recognizes blocking devices among landline options but does not endorse a specific product, and a device does not replace Registry registration or reliably stop spoofed and scam calls.
What details should I keep when reporting an unwanted call?
Record the caller ID number, any callback number the caller gave you, the date and time, and what the caller claimed. For a loan-application call, it may also help to note whether you had actually applied.
Do FTC complaint totals show how many mortgage scam calls happen?
No. The FTC reported over 2.6 million Do Not Call complaints in fiscal year 2025, but says the total is based on unverified consumer reports, not survey data. It is not a count of mortgage calls or an estimate of how common mortgage-call scams are.
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Use the Registry and call filtering together: registration is a free opt-out for covered telemarketers, while phone, carrier or compatible device tools may flag or block calls that still reach you. Neither is a guarantee. If an unknown caller claims to know about a loan application, do not share sensitive information or press a key to unsubscribe; verify independently and report the unwanted call.
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