INDIANAPOLIS | Region residents don't mind answering phone calls, even when there is a telemarketer on the other end.

According to a new state report, Northwest Indiana has the lowest percentage of residents signed up on Indiana's Do Not Call list. Barely one-third of telephone owners in the region have registered with the Indiana attorney general's office for the free service intended to halt telephone solicitations.

The South Bend/Elkhart area leads the state in participation on the list with 83 percent of telephone numbers registered. The Lafayette area has 77 percent participation.

But in the combined area of Lake, Porter, Newton, Jasper and LaPorte counties, which have an estimated 417,000 telephone lines, only 159,000 numbers have been registered, about 38 percent. Statewide, approximately 60 percent of telephone numbers are on the list.

Molly Butters, spokeswoman for Attorney General Greg Zoeller, said their analysis shows Hoosiers living near the state's borders tend to register less than Hoosiers living in the central portion of Indiana.

"They're just not getting the message," Butters said.

Hoosiers can sign up for the list by calling (888) 834-9969 or registering online at http://www.indianaconsumer.com. Technically only residential home telephone numbers are eligible for the list, but the list contains many cellular telephone numbers for phones that are also used in a person's home.

Telemarketers are required to purchase the list for $750 every year. Updates of new phone numbers added to the list are sent to telephone solicitors every three months. Charities, newspapers, and licensed insurance and real estate agents are exempt from the solicitation ban.

Zoeller said Hoosiers should consider signing up because the list can also act as an early-warning system to stop potential frauds.

"If you receive an unwanted call from a solicitor even though your number is registered, that is a big red flag they may not be doing business legitimately because they are willing to violate Indiana telephone privacy laws," Zoeller said.

The attorney general also recommends that Hoosiers who have signed up for the national Do Not Call list sign up for the Indiana list as well. The Indiana program has tighter restrictions than the national list, he said, and fines collected from companies charged with violations of the Indiana list are used to support consumer protection programs in the state.