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Harassing Cell Phone Calls

MacFan782040

MacFan782040

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 1, 2003
1,073
811
I have some problem that I can't seem to get rid of.

Ever since around April or May, I've been receiving these blocked numbers to my Verizon cell phone. I used to pick up, thinking it was just a regular call, only to have the person on the other end hang up. Eventually I caught on, and I didn't pick up from then on.

Now, they are still going on, day after day after day, I get them at the strangest times. 2AM. 3PM. 3AM. ect ect. I never pick up... they usually call in strands of 3 or more times in a row.

Last month, it coencided with my car getting egged. I was here at college eating lunch with some friends, and I got a call...not looking at the caller ID, I picked up, and they said something like "go look at your car"... and that was it. I didn't think anything of it until I went home the next day and saw the damage done.

Now, they are really starting to piss me off. I've tried calling Verizon Wireless before, and they basically said they can't do anything except change my number. I don't want to do that, given the number of people I would have to update.

It is definitly somebody who is still in high school, that apparently doesn't like me. It's not one of my friends.

Anyway, just the sheer fact that they would go such great lengths to piss me off like this. I get calls almost everyday, they have to block their number, call me at the wee hours at night, ect. Today, they left me a message in a computerized voice. I mean... comon!! Who goes THAT far??????

Basically, I don't know what to do... I want to somehow get the police involved, but I feel they won't be able to do anything. I've tried *67, *69, every star that's out there-- I am stuck right now. I want to file a complaint to somebody and have them trace the number. I just don't know how.

Any input, suggestions, or anything like that would be nice. Keep in mind I don't know if these calls are coming from a cell phone or landline. Thanks.
 
The police can find out who is calling you by contacting the wireless company. If they are calling you that often it should be VERY easy to figure out who it is that is harassing you.

Hickman
 
police cannot do anything unless you feel your life is being threaten. it isn't illegal to call someone and hang up. however, I did read an article in 2600 (Hacker magazine) that some states have laws that say you have call someone with the intent of communicating. it was designed to curtail war dialing. (FYI: war dialing is calling a set of phone numbers to find a modem dial in) might be of some use to you, but you would have to look into it. although it just might be for data calls only, and the law would more than likely be arcane at this point in time. the application that law can probably be applied to today is people random calling until the get a fax machine and send them spam.

my guess is you are screwed...

however, the car egging you can report as to the police. that is probably illegal. What I would do is I would call the police non-emergency line and explain to the dispatcher your situation and ask him or her your options. the plus side of this is if this illegal they would get the phone records. all this considered they probably wouldn't do anything because you didn't call them right away and make a report.
 
superbovine said:
police cannot do anything unless you feel your life is being threaten. it isn't illegal to call someone and hang up. however, I did read an article in 2600 (Hacker magazine) that some states have laws that say you have call someone with the intent of communicating. it was designed to curtail war dialing. (FYI: war dialing is calling a set of phone numbers to find a modem dial in) might be of some use to you, but you would have to look into it. although it just might be for data calls only, and the law would more than likely be arcane at this point in time. the application that law can probably be applied to today is people random calling until the get a fax machine and send them spam.

my guess is you are screwed...

however, the car egging you can report as to the police. that is probably illegal. What I would do is I would call the police non-emergency line and explain to the dispatcher your situation and ask him or her your options. the plus side of this is if this illegal they would get the phone records. all this considered they probably wouldn't do anything because you didn't call them right away and make a report.
Click to expand...

I thought it was a won't do anything. The egging was the best bet to get the police involved since that involves actual property damage. Misdemeanor harassment which they probably could get the phone records over isn't usually worth investigating.

I guess one option would be to sue a John Doe for harassment, figure out actual costs to you(to sue for). Then get a subpoena for the phone records. Thats a hell of a lot of work to do on your own, or a lot of lawyer money.
 
MongoTheGeek said:
I thought it was a won't do anything. The egging was the best bet to get the police involved since that involves actual property damage. Misdemeanor harassment which they probably could get the phone records over isn't usually worth investigating.

I guess one option would be to sue a John Doe for harassment, figure out actual costs to you(to sue for). Then get a subpoena for the phone records. Thats a hell of a lot of work to do on your own, or a lot of lawyer money.
Click to expand...

Mongo's got the right idea. This is surely harassment. File a police report about everything that has happened to date. They'll probably ask you to keep track of when the person calls from then on (maybe not because it should be on your phone bill). After a while the police should take the info about when they called and match it up with phone company records to find the actual number. Sure they may have better things to do, but you pay their salaries via taxes. If they won't help you, keep calling and complaining until they do. File a complaint if they refuse to help.

Don't ask how I know this.
 
The police will just tell You to change Your number.Thats all they told me when I was getting phone calls
 
report the egging to the police, and let them know that it was prefaced with a phone call... get a report on file, in case it ever happens again.
 
I disagree with others. The Police CAN and WILL find out who's doing it, although they will not tell you (so there's no retaliation) and will pay them a visit. However, if you're able to snag the phone number some how, you can use this app I found some time ago floating around the net called ATT BLITZ. This allows you to send up to as many text messages in a single blitz, maxing out the letters allowable in a text message, to over-run the other person's cell phone.

Have I used it? Maybe... :D

Otherwise, if you don't want the cops involved, I suggest you find out through the mill (people usually brag about stupid crap like this) and pay them a visit with a golf club. Violence, despite what most people think, can be a solution,
 
Thanks guys... I am certian the egging and phone calls are related.

I was checking my call log on Verizon's website yesterday to see the exact times of when they called and stuff-- and then I realized, crap, it doesn't show up because I never pick up. An unanswered call will not show up on my bill... And the time I did pick up (the time when I was eating here at school), it shows up as unlisted.

I did find this website,

http://www.abika.com/Reports/TracePhoneCalls.htm

...but I don't want to pay money for this to find out who it is. I'm thinking, if this technology really exists and is available to me and you, shouldn't the police or Mobile Provider have access to this too?
 
I wont go into details but I have and do this occasionally.

I hate(d) my stepfather. theyve been divorced for a long time now, but I still hate him, especially since I found he had taken all my personal scuba gear when he left.

Anyway when I came across his phone number online, I stored it in my phone. And whenever im bored, Ill reach into my pocket, dial his number, hit mute and keypad lock and put back into my pocket.

There is nothing like psychological warfare.
 
MacFan782040 said:
Thanks guys... I am certian the egging and phone calls are related.

I was checking my call log on Verizon's website yesterday to see the exact times of when they called and stuff-- and then I realized, crap, it doesn't show up because I never pick up. An unanswered call will not show up on my bill... And the time I did pick up (the time when I was eating here at school), it shows up as unlisted.

I did find this website,

http://www.abika.com/Reports/TracePhoneCalls.htm

...but I don't want to pay money for this to find out who it is. I'm thinking, if this technology really exists and is available to me and you, shouldn't the police or Mobile Provider have access to this too?
Click to expand...

The police and Phone providers can certainly tell who's calling you, like I said. However, in order for YOU to find this out from a phone provider, you generally have to ahve a subpeona.

I suggest when this number calls, you pick it up and hang up. Do this a few times, even if it is every day. That way your bill shows it happening. Give me some time, I may know someone who can help.
 
Onizuka said:
The police and Phone providers can certainly tell who's calling you, like I said. However, in order for YOU to find this out from a phone provider, you generally have to ahve a subpeona.

I suggest when this number calls, you pick it up and hang up. Do this a few times, even if it is every day. That way your bill shows it happening. Give me some time, I may know someone who can help.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure the police wouldn't keep your harasser a secret. That wouldn't really make sense. It's likely that they would warn the person when they found them in addition to notifying you. I'm sure you could pursue some form of legal action against them, but it doesn't sound like what you want. You really just want to be left alone and there's a good chance that a talking to from the police will straighten this person up. Well that and the visit to their house with a nice heavy baseball bat. I'd recommend a Sam Bat. It's what all the pros are using these days. ;)
 
have you "wronged" someone in the past? obviously that person knows your cell, address and what car you drive. but yet s/he doesn't exactly know your schedule. can you narrow that person down?

anyways, i've had similar experience before. long story short, i found out that it was my ex by reading my phone bills. even the number was always blocked, it somehow showed on the bills (fwiw, my carrier was cingular).
 
mkubal said:
I'm pretty sure the police wouldn't keep your harasser a secret. That wouldn't really make sense. It's likely that they would warn the person when they found them in addition to notifying you. I'm sure you could pursue some form of legal action against them, but it doesn't sound like what you want. You really just want to be left alone and there's a good chance that a talking to from the police will straighten this person up. Well that and the visit to their house with a nice heavy baseball bat. I'd recommend a Sam Bat. It's what all the pros are using these days. ;)
Click to expand...

legally that have to keep it a secert from you until charges are filed. Reason being is it for both your safety and the safety of the other person. If you found out who it was your likely hood of retalation is very high. You could easily go attack that person yourself risk injury or even death for either one of you. The last thing the police want to do is deal with it getting worse.

Now they will tell you if they found out it was someone nad they paid them a visit or not.
 
:D

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