A particular annoyance: automated robocalls that get you on the line before looping in a human telemarketer. Such calls frequently use "spoofed" lines that hide their origin or make it look as if the call is from someone you know.

It's not people's imagination that telemarketers are stepping up their game.

"We're definitely seeing an uptick in consumer complaints," acknowledged Lois Greisman, associate director of the FTC's division of marketing practices, which oversees enforcement of the do-not-call list.

In 2011, she said, the agency received about 2.6 million complaints about do-not-call violations. Last year, that number jumped 54 percent to almost 4 million.

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