Do not answer this number, or any other number you do not recognize. Just picking up the phone can put you at risk for scams. Scammers will note that your number is "live" and either sell the list to another scammer, or try to use social engineering to get you to give up your personal information. The NPR article that sfritz referenced in the comments is a good reference to learn how these people operate. If someone legit wants to talk to you, you will either a) already have their number saved and know who it is, or b) they will leave a message. Please share this information with seniors and other vulnerable parties who might fall victim to these scams.
Very disheartening that I got this call this morning on my cell phone. I have only given out my cell number to very few people/outfits. This is only the first, maybe second, 'scammer' call I've received on my cell. Unfortunately, my simple flip phone doesn't have a blocking feature. Of course, I don't answer unknown callers/numbers so I'll just have to wait and see if they continue. If I get one more call, I'll report to the DNC web site because, far as I know, no one is exempt from calling cell phones; correct me if I'm wrong.
Don't know how to tell you this Dave, but the DNC center is a complete joke. I wouldn't waste your time if I were you. Only way to deal with pond scum like these callers are is to flip the tables on them. Tell them you are VERY interested, then see how much of their time you can waste:) Once you get them to think you're interested, I recommend putting them on hold during your conversation as many times as you can get away with, etc. Tell them you want to get your spouse, someone is at the door, anything you can think of to put them on hold. These monkey spanks are generally not the brightest bulbs in the box and easy to torment right back. Do a bing search for the comedian who pretended to be a detective at a crime scene to a telemarketer for some great ideas. Best of luck.
Put the blame where it really lay's, with the criminals and illegal telemarketers.
The DNC works just fine. It is for telemarketers only and honest business does indeed abide by it. It is the criminals (which includes illegal telemarketers), frauds and scammers that do not. However, the Fed. DNC does not cover some survey's, Political or Charities. You would need to check your states DNC laws to see if these are under your states DNC laws. The fact remains that they are not automatic call blockers though and can not protect you from the calls that are criminal, illegal or fraudulent.
Do consider getting a call blocking device or phone.. You can google them and many are around $40.00 or so.If its a cell phone, some already have call blocking, if not, there are free apps on the web that will work for some. You can google this. If you have a smart phone, there is a free app called call control. Iphones appear to have apps also. Another one is called Mr. Number.