Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller is urging shoppers taking advantage of on-line sales to add one more item to the list: signing up for Indiana’s Do Not Call registry.

Zoeller said he extended the registration deadline from today to 11 p.m. Monday, Nov. 26, to give Hoosiers more time during the busy holiday to sign-up their cellular and landline phone numbers.

“More than 2 million phone lines are registered on the state’s protected list,” Zoeller said in a statement released on Tuesday. “Signing up will at least fend off legitimate telemarketers from calling or texting you and allow you to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office if you receive an unwanted call.”

The Attorney General’s Office has obtained 50 settlements or judgments since 2009 against robocallers and Do Not Call violators. The total awarded to the state since 2009 is more than $4.8 million and the total collected is more than $670,000.

Consumers who have not previously registered can do so on their landline, cell, VOIP or prepaid wireless numbers at no cost. Zoeller said the updated list will take effect Jan. 1, 2013.

To sign up or to confirm a number is already on the list, visit www.IndianaConsumer.com or call (888) 834-9969. Out-of-state area codes can also be added as long as the billing address is located in Indiana. Consumers do not need to re-register unless their addresses have changed.

Indiana’s Do Not Call registry is updated quarterly on the first of each January, April, July and October.

Zoeller recently launched a new portion of www.IndianaConsumer.com which includes information on robocalls. Consumers can find out what the Attorney General’s Office is doing to combat the calls and what to do if you receive a robocall by visiting www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/2976.htm

In September, Zoeller conducted a series of roundtable discussions with industry experts, elected officials, and consumer groups to find more effective ways to prevent Hoosiers from receiving unwanted calls and text messages. Zoeller recently presented ideas from the roundtables during a key panel at the Federal Trade Commission’s Robocall Summit in Washington, D.C.

Posted 11/21/2012