Harassing Phone Call Tips

Harassing phone calls are very frustrating, and while there is nothing that can be done for an immediate fix when the caller is unknown there are some steps you can take to try to discourage future calls from the subject, and also to involve your telephone company to assist us in solving the problem.

One misperception is that the police department can trace calls. The phone company has that ability, and police agencies need documentation to provide a legal basis for such an investigation.

Some steps you can take if a harassing caller (has called a few times) is staying on the line with you are:

• Trace through *57 (see below);
• Hang up without making any comment. The caller needs some reaction from his victim, so getting upset only encourages him;
• With the suspect on the phone, push the “*” button on the phone and say as if you were talking to the operator, "Operator, this is the call I want  you to trace"; (this will not happen, but the caller won’t know that)
• Change answering machine message to say, "You have reached our answering machine. Due to annoyance calls, the phone company is tracing all incoming calls. If you would like your call returned, please leave your name and number";
• Advise the caller that you have Caller I.D. and will be reporting this call to the police;
• Begin keeping a log of date, time, and nature of calls, for any future report that may be taken.

With caller ID, you can record the identity of the person making the harassing phone calls. Retain this information in case the problem escalates to the point of involving our detectives; they will need to get this information from you.

The following instructions have been provided to us by each phone company to assist us in helping you in handling this issue. This is the same information our 9-1-1 Communications Specialists provide when you call in this type of report. Find your phone company and review the steps you can take to initiate the investigation process.

Verizon (Customer Service – 800-483-3000)

The customer calls Verizon Customer Service. For a fee of $3.50 to $4.50 per month, customer service will enable a “call trap/trace” program on the customer’s landline. The next time the suspect calls, the customer will pick up, dial *57, then follow the automated instructions to “trace” the call. Immediately following, the customer calls the Verizon Unlawful Call Center at 877-872-2348, to report the trap. The Verizon representatives will contact the appropriate detectives when necessary. There is no required police case number before taking this action.

Qwest (Customer Service – 800-582-0655)

The customer can “trace” nuisance or harassing calls by simply picking up when the suspect calls, then dialing *57 and following the automated instructions to “trace” the call. They will then follow up with the Qwest Annoyance Call Bureau at 800-582-0655. The Bureau will answer further questions, but is not able to release the name/information of the suspect making the phone calls to the citizen. That information will be provided to officers at their request for criminal incidents. A citizen is not required to obtain a police case number before taking this action.

Comcast (Customer Service – 877-824-2288)

Comcast offers a free “Anonymous Call Rejection” service to its customers. This service will block any incoming call that registers “private/unavailable/blocked number” on a caller id. To activate this feature simply dial *77. To disable this service, contact Comcast Customer Service. If a customer has a specific phone number they wish to block, Comcast has a free “Call Screening” service that will block up to 12 phone numbers. To activate, dial *60 and enter the desired phone numbers. The citizen is not required to obtain a police case number before taking this action.

AT&T (Customer Service – 800-288-2747)

AT&T offers a free “Anonymous Call Rejection” service to its customers. This service will block any incoming call that registers “private/unavailable/blocked number” on a caller id. To activate this feature simply pick up and dial *77. To disable this service, contact AT&T Customer Service. If a customer has a specific phone number they wish to block, AT&T offers its “Call Screening” service that will block up to 15 phone numbers at $4.50 per month. Call AT&T to activate first, then simply dial *60 and enter the desired phone numbers. The citizen is not required to obtain a police case number before taking this action.

Century Tel (Customer Service – 800-201-4099)

Century Tel offers an “Anonymous Call Rejection” service to its customers. This service will block any incoming call that registers “private/unavailable/blocked number” on a caller id at $1.20 per month. To activate this feature simply pick up and dial *77. To disable this service, contact Century Tel Customer Service. If a customer has a specific phone number they wish to block, Century Tel offers its “Call Screening” service that will block up to 12 phone numbers at $4.50 per month. Call Century Tel Customer Service to activate first, then simply dial *60 and enter the desired phone numbers. The citizen is not required to obtain a police case number before taking this action. If the citizen is wishing to “trace/trap” the call for investigative purposes, Century Tel advises its customers to dial *57, and then contact their local police department to file a report.