FTC Consumer Alert

Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection Division of Consumer & Business Education

Listen Up: Tips to Help Avoid 

Cell Phone Radiation Scams 

Whether you call them cell phones, smart phones or mobile devices, it seems like everyone has one. 

According to the wireless telecommunications industry, the U.S. now has an estimated 300 million 

mobile subscribers, compared to 110 million subscribers a decade ago. The increase in cell phone use 

has generated concern about possible health risks related to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from 

this technology, and a market for shields as possible protection against the radio waves the phones 

emit. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, has some 

practical tips to help you avoid scams and limit your exposure to electromagnetic emissions from your 

cell phone. 

While health studies about any relationship between the emissions from cell phones and health 

problems are ongoing, recent reports from the World Health Organization will no doubt convince 

scam artists that there’s a fast buck to be made. Scam artists follow the headlines to promote products 

that play off the news – and prey on concerned people. 

If you’re looking for ways to limit your exposure to the electromagnetic emissions from your cell 

phone, know that, according to the FTC, there is no scientific proof that so-called shields significantly 

reduce exposure from these electromagnetic emissions. In fact, products that block only the earpiece 

– or another small portion of the phone – are totally ineffective because the entire phone emits 

electromagnetic waves. What’s more, these shields may interfere with the phone’s signal, cause it to 

draw even more power to communicate with the base station, and possibly emit more radiation.

To limit your exposure to cell phone electromagnetic emissions, the FTC suggests that you:

•	 Increase the distance between your phone and your head by using a hands-free device, like an 

earpiece that is wired to the phone, or using the speakerphone feature. 

•	 Consider texting more and limiting your cell phone use to short conversations.

•	 Wait for a good signal. When you have a weak signal, your phone works harder, emitting more 

radiation. Phones also give off more radiation when transmitting than when receiving, so tilt 

the phone away from your head when you’re talking, and bring it back to your ear when you’re 

listening.

•	 A phone's specific absorption rate (SAR) reveals the maximum amount of radiation the human 

body absorbs from the phone while it’s transmitting. SAR testing ensures that the devices sold 

in the U.S. comply with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) SAR exposure limit, 
but the single, worst-case value obtained from this SAR testing is not necessarily representative 

of the absorption during actual use, and therefore it is not recommended for comparisons 

among phones. In short, selecting a lower SAR phone will not reliably ensure lower radiation 

absorption during use. The FCC has more information at Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) For 

Cell Phones: What It Means For You, which can be found at fcc.gov.

For more information on cell phone use and health issues, see the National Cancer Institute’s fact 

sheet, Cell Phones and Cancer Risk at www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/cellphones.

The FTC works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and 

to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or get free 

information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); 

TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Watch a video, How to File a Complaint, at ftc.gov/video to learn more. 

The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database 

and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. 

and abroad.

September 2011

1-877-FTC-HELP FOR THE CONSUMER

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ftc.gov