What is an illegal robocall?

The plain-English definition

A robocall is any call that uses automation instead of a live person. Two kinds count: a call placed by an autodialer (software that dials numbers from a list on its own) and a call that plays a prerecorded or artificial voice, meaning a recording or a computer-generated voice. A text sent the same way counts too.

What makes a robocall illegal is the lack of permission. Under the TCPA, the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, a company generally can’t send automated marketing to your cell phone unless you gave written permission first. No permission, plus automation, plus marketing to your cell, usually equals a violation. And separately, any automated call that continues after you’ve clearly said stop is illegal regardless of what came before.

Common examples of illegal robocalls

These are the ones people get every day:

• The auto warranty call. A recording warning your car’s warranty is expiring, for a car or warranty you never had.
• Spam marketing blasts. Recorded or auto-dialed pitches for solar panels, health plans, loans, or “you’ve won” offers you never signed up for.
• Wrong-number debt calls. Automated calls about a debt that isn’t yours, aimed at the person who used to have your number.
• Calls after you said stop. Any automated call or text that keeps coming after you asked to be removed.
• Spoofed-number robocalls. Automated marketing that hides behind a fake or local-looking caller ID.

If one of these sounds like your phone, you’re likely looking at exactly the kind of call the law was built to stop.

What is NOT an illegal robocall

Being honest about the limits matters, because not every annoying call is a violation. A call is generally legal when it’s a live person dialing you by hand (even a pushy telemarketer dialing manually is a different question), when you gave written permission to receive automated marketing from that company, or when it’s a genuinely informational or expected message, like certain account alerts, appointment reminders, or emergency notices.

Some automated calls also carry their own narrow allowances, like specific informational or non-marketing categories. The dividing lines are automation, consent, and purpose: an automated marketing call to your cell with no written consent is the textbook violation, while a call you agreed to or a hand-dialed informational call usually isn’t.

Why it’s worth money, and what to do

Congress put a price tag on these calls so ordinary people could fight back. Each illegal robocall is worth $500, and if the caller did it willfully, for example by continuing to call after you said stop, that rises to $1,500. The amounts stack, so a caller that hits you over and over builds your claim, not just your frustration. And you keep the money; this is your claim, not a government fine.

If your phone keeps lighting up with automated calls you never asked for, a free review with Max Morgan, Esq. will tell you honestly whether they’re illegal and what they’re worth. If there’s a case, he works on contingency. No fee unless you recover. Want to check first? See how do I know if a robocall is illegal or do I qualify.

Related: Is a robocall illegal? · What is a robocall? · Prerecorded call violations · Do I qualify?