Guide
Robocalls for the previous owner of your number?
You changed your phone number — and now automated calls and prerecorded messages keep coming for a stranger. Here's why, and what you can do about it.
Getting robocalls meant for someone else? You may be owed $500–$1,500 per call.
If your recycled phone number is getting prerecorded voice messages or auto-dialed calls for the previous owner, the TCPA may entitle you to statutory damages — even though the caller was originally targeting someone else.
- $500 per call in statutory damages, up to $1,500 for willful violations.
- Free eligibility review — no cost, no obligation.
- No win, no fee representation available through Javitch Law Office.
Why am I getting calls for someone else?
Phone numbers are a limited resource, so carriers recycle them. When a previous customer cancels or changes their line, that number goes back into a pool and is eventually reassigned — often to you. Any company, debt collector, or marketer that had the old owner on an automated calling list keeps dialing the same number, not realizing it now belongs to someone new.
The result: prerecorded voice messages, auto-dialer calls, and spam texts meant for a person you've never heard of, landing on your phone — sometimes several times a day.
Is this actually legal?
Often, no. The federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) generally prohibits prerecorded and auto-dialed calls to a cell phone without the current subscriber's prior express consent. Since the number was reassigned to you, you never gave consent — so many of these calls can violate the law, even though the caller was originally targeting someone else.
How much can a robocall be worth?
The TCPA sets statutory damages of $500 per violating call or text, which a court can increase to $1,500 for willful or knowing violations. When you're getting multiple illegal calls a week, the potential value adds up quickly.
How to stop the robocalls
- Don't confirm the old owner's identity. Never say "yes, this is [name]" or share their information.
- Ask to be removed and note it. Tell the caller the number was reassigned and request removal — then record the date and time.
- Register with the National Do Not Call list at donotcall.gov.
- Use call-blocking tools from your carrier or phone settings to screen suspected spam.
- Keep everything. Save voicemails, screenshots, and your call log — this is the evidence that supports a claim.
Who's usually behind these calls?
Callers to reassigned numbers tend to fall into a few categories, and several of them are frequent TCPA violators:
- Debt collectors chasing the previous owner's balances — the single most common source of wrong-number robocalls.
- Banks and lenders with automated payment reminders and fraud alerts tied to the old account holder.
- Telemarketers and lead generators working from purchased calling lists that were never scrubbed for reassigned numbers.
- Health insurers, pharmacies, and appointment services sending prerecorded notifications meant for the prior subscriber.
It doesn't matter that the caller meant to reach someone else. Under the TCPA, what matters is whether you — the current subscriber — consented. If you didn't, the call can be a violation.
The "reassigned numbers database" — and why it doesn't excuse callers
The FCC maintains a Reassigned Numbers Database that callers can check to avoid dialing numbers that changed hands. Callers who query it in good faith may get a limited safe harbor — but many companies never check it at all, and the safe harbor doesn't protect callers who keep dialing after you tell them the number was reassigned. If you've already told them they have the wrong person and the calls continue, that defense is largely off the table.
What your claim could be worth
Damages stack per call, per text, and per caller. A realistic example: three prerecorded calls a week from one debt collector over two months is roughly 24 calls — $12,000 in statutory damages at $500 each, and up to $36,000 if a court finds the violations willful. Multiple companies calling about the same old account can each be separately liable.
Turn the nuisance into a claim
If the calls keep coming despite your requests, you may be entitled to compensation. Our free eligibility review checks whether the robocalls to your recycled number qualify under the TCPA — and if they do, we connect you with attorneys who handle these cases on a no win, no fee basis.
Keep reading
- Robocall lawsuit: how TCPA claims work and what they pay
- Robocall settlements: real payout examples and what drives the numbers
- Debt collector calling your wrong number? Your rights under the TCPA and FDCPA
- Why recycled phone numbers attract so many robocalls
Frequently asked questions
Why do I keep getting robocalls for someone who used to have my number?
Phone numbers are recycled. When the previous owner canceled or changed their number, it went back into a pool and was reassigned to you. Any company that had them on an automated calling list keeps dialing the number — not knowing it now belongs to a new person.
Are robocalls to a reassigned number illegal?
Often, yes. The TCPA requires prior express consent from the current subscriber for auto-dialed and prerecorded calls to a cell phone. Because the number was reassigned to you and you never consented, those calls can violate the TCPA even though the caller was originally targeting someone else.
How much is each illegal robocall worth?
The TCPA sets statutory damages of $500 per violating call or text, which a court can increase to $1,500 per call for willful or knowing violations. Damages stack across calls and across different callers.
What should I not do when they call?
Don't confirm that you're the previous owner and don't share any information about them. Ask them to stop calling and note the date and time. Save voicemails and screenshots — that documentation supports a potential claim.
Do I have to pay anything to check if I have a claim?
No. The eligibility review is free and cases are typically handled on contingency by partnering attorneys, meaning you generally pay nothing unless there is a recovery.
I told them they have the wrong number and they keep calling. Is that worse for them?
Yes. Once you tell a caller the number was reassigned and ask them to stop, continued auto-dialed or prerecorded calls are strong evidence of a willful or knowing TCPA violation — the category courts can penalize at $1,500 per call instead of $500.
Do text messages count too, or just calls?
Texts count. The TCPA treats SMS messages sent with an automated system the same as robocalls, so prerecorded calls, auto-dialed calls, and automated texts to your reassigned number can each carry $500–$1,500 in statutory damages.
What if the calls are from a debt collector looking for the previous owner?
Debt collectors are one of the most common callers to reassigned numbers. The TCPA still applies to their auto-dialed and prerecorded calls, and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) may add separate protections once you've told them they're reaching the wrong person.
How long do I have to file a TCPA claim?
The TCPA has a four-year statute of limitations, so calls from the last four years can generally be included. That said, evidence is easier to gather when it's fresh — save voicemails and call logs now rather than later.
Will I have to go to court?
Usually not. Most TCPA claims over wrong-number robocalls resolve through settlement negotiations before any trial. Your attorney handles the filings and negotiations; your main job is preserving call records and voicemails.