What to save when you get a robocall

Whether a claim can be pursued often comes down to evidence. Most of it is already on your phone, and most of it disappears if you don't save it.

The checklist

1. Voicemails. Don't delete them. Many phones delete old voicemail automatically, so save or export them (on most phones: share the voicemail and save it as a file, or email it to yourself). A prerecorded voicemail is often the single best piece of evidence.
2. Screenshots of your call history. Capture every call from the number, showing the date and time. Scroll back as far as it goes. Your carrier's online account may show older calls too.
3. Recordings you lawfully have. Only record calls where the law allows it. Some states require everyone on the call to agree. If you're unsure, don't record; the voicemails and call logs are usually enough.
4. Dates and times. A simple running list is fine: date, time, what happened.
5. The caller ID number, and any different callback number the recording gives you.
6. The company name, exactly as the recording or a live agent said it.
7. The name of the person they're looking for. Write it down the way the recording says it. This matters a lot when the calls were meant for someone else.
8. Every time you asked them to stop. Pressing a key to opt out, telling an agent "wrong number," texting STOP, sending an email. Note the date and what you did.
9. Text messages from the same company or number.
10. Letters and emails that show whether you've ever had an account or relationship with the company, or that you haven't.
11. Proof the number is yours. A phone bill showing your name and number, and roughly when you got the number.

A few things not to do

• Don't give the caller personal or account information, and don't pretend to be the person they're looking for.
• Don't delete anything, even after you've told us about it.
• Don't post the voicemails publicly. Keep them for a lawyer.

This page is general information, not legal advice about your situation. What matters, and what the law allows, depends on your facts and your state.