HomeMy Public PortalAboutAnnoying and Harassing Phone CallsWATERTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT 'S
DETECTIVE DIVISION f = Z
(617)-972-6545
EdwardP. Deveau Annoying/Harassing Telephone Calls MichaelP. Lawn
Chief of Police Detective Lieutenant
How to track, or at least reduce, annoying calls
If you are plagued by mysterious hang-up calls, there
are several ways to fight back.
To trace a call, when someone hangs up on the other
line, you hang up, too. Then pick up the phone and
dial *57. Stay on the line and a voice will tell you if
the call was traceable. Telemarketer's computers are
generally not traceable.
If the call was traceable, a voice will tell you that
(without giving you the phone number) and record its
finding. If the call is traced, you will be charged
$3.25. If it is not traced, there is no charge.
To pursue the identity of the caller, you must call your
local police department and ask them to file a
complaint in your name. The police will give you a file
number which you give to Verizon's annoyance call
bureau. Then, each time you get the annoying call,
hang up and dial *57.
Within a 30-day period, if the phone company traces
three calls to the same phone number, it will tell
police, who will notify you. For more information
about this option, call Verizon's annoyance call
bureau at (800) 640-2043.
You can also buy a caller ID box, which displays the
phone number (and sometimes the name) of each
caller, unless the number is blocked. Most electronic
stores that sell telephone equipment offer this box,
which costs between $20 and $100. The box is used
in conjunction with Verizon's caller ID service, which
costs between $4.95 and $5.95 a month. Some
Verizon promotions offer the box for free.
You can also call *69 after the hang-up, which
automatically dials the phone number of the last
caller. This costs 50¢ for each successful activation
and the maximum monthly charge is $4.50. If you
want unlimited monthly use, it costs $2.25 a month.
Another strategy is to reduce the number of
telemarketing firms that call you. In Massachusetts
you can do it three ways:
■ By federal law, when a telemarketer calls, you can
tell them you want to be removed from their list. If
they call you back, they face penalties in small claims
court.
■ Write the Telephone Preference Service, Direct
Marketing Association, PO Box 9014, Farmingdale,
N.Y. 11735-9014. (The association says most
national telemarketers check this list.) Give them your
name, address, and phone number with area code.
■ Verizon keeps a statewide auto dialers' exclusion
list, which businesses are expected to check.
(However, this year, only one business has asked for it
and last year only three did.) To get on this list, give
your name, address, and phone number to Verizon,
CRC, (Customer Response Center), 350 Granite St.,
Braintree, MA 02184 or call (800) 555-5000.
Article by Patricia Wen re printed from the Boston Globe
Watertown Police Department 34 John "Sonny" Whooley Way Watertown, Massachusetts 02472