Handling
Annoying Telephone Calls
WHAT
ARE THE LAWS?
Massachusetts
General Laws, Chapter 269, Section 14a, provides:
"whoever
telephones another person, or causes any person to be telephoned
to, repeatedly, for the sole purpose of harassing, annoying, or
molesting such person or his family, whether or not conversation
ensues, or whoever telephones a person of the female sex, or repeatedly
telephones a person of the male sex, and uses indecent or obscene
language to such person, shall be punished by a fine of not more
than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than
three months, or both."
Federal Law
also prohibits the making of obscene or harassing calls in interstate
or foreign communications.
HARASSING
AND OBSCENE PHONE CALLS
Crank callers
are generally interested in seeking attention or a reaction from
those receiving annoying or obscene calls, including shock and anger.
Here are six suggestions to help discourage these calls:
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* KNOW
WITH WHOM YOU ARE SPEAKING
Ask who
is calling. Ask what number the caller is trying to reach.
Never give out your name and number to strangers.
* DON'T
TALK
Remember,
all these callers want is an audience. Don't give them the
satisfaction of talking. Being clever, or express concern
for the caller's mental health; either will only encourage
the caller.
* HANG
UP
Hang up
immediately if the caller doesn't respond when you answer.
Hang up at the first utterance of an obscene word. Hang up
if the person calling does not make the identification to
your satisfaction. Do not slam the receiver down or admit
to the caller that you are annoyed. Just hang up. Even if
the calls persist, be consistent and hang up without reaction
each time. Consider screening your calls.
* PREVENTING
REPEAT CALLS
If calls
are repeated, use your voice mail or answering machine to
screen calls. Save any annoying or obscene messages left.
* MAKE
NOTES
Make written
notes of times, dates, what was said, accents, and/or background
noises you hear before you hang up.
* CALL
PUBLIC SAFETY
If, at
any time, you are threatened over the phone, call Public Safety,
x2304 or EMERGENCY 1-911. Give a complete and
thorough report of the incident. It helps to know if the call(s)
originated on campus or off campus, the time(s) of the call(s),
and a description of the caller and conversation. Save a copy
of any voice mail or answering machine messages. *Don't keep
the caller on the line longer to gather information; hang
up as soon as you notice the call is not legitimate and report
what you do know about the caller based on the brief call.
If the
caller threatens physical harm or violence, report them to
Public Safety immediately.
* CALL
THE TELEPHONE BUSINESS OFFICE
If these
annoyance and/or obscene calls persist, call the Telephone
Business Office, x2828. They can help you change your number
to a non-published number, as well as provide other assistance.
If you
recognize the type of call as annoying or harassing and follow
the first three steps as outlined here, most likely the last
two will be unnecessary. By simply hanging up you usually
stop the annoying caller.
* USE
CARE WHEN PLACING ADS
When posting
information in the newspaper, or on electronic media, be cautious
about the identifying information you post. Use your post
office box or email address for responses rather than listing
your name and/or phone number. Do not include your residence
hall information.
* CONSIDER
WHAT INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE ON YOUR OUTGOING MESSAGES
If you
use voice mail or an answering machine, limit the information
you provide on your outgoing message. Do not release your
name and your phone number; if the caller was calling randomly,
s/he now has your name and number and can use these to try
to convince you s/he knows you. Also, do not alert the caller
that you are not home. Try instead a message like: "I'm
glad you called; please leave your name and number,"
or "Your call is important to me; please leave your name
and number and I'll get back to you." Don't list information
such as schedules, roommate name(s) or other information on
your message.
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AVOIDING
TELEMARKETING FRAUD
Beware if an
unknown caller:
| Says
you won a prize but asks you to send money first |
Offers
to have someone pick up a payment from your home |
| Says
you have to act right away |
Says
he or she is a law enforcement officer who will help you --
for a fee |
| Instructs
you to wire money |
|
Never give out
personal information, financial information or credit card numbers
during unsolicited telephone calls from people you don't know.
Don't assume
a friendly voice belongs to a friend.
Con artists
can claim you have won a prize and ask for a credit card number
for "proper identification;" Tell such callers to notify
you by mail of your win.
Some organizations
and charities solicit for funds by telephone. If you are interested
in supporting a specific cause, ask them to send you additional
details and a pledge card by mail.
Notify Public
Safety if you receive what seems to be a fraudulent call. Be prepared
to give us as much information about the call as possible - the
name of the company the person claims to work for, his/her name,
the information s/he was seeking, description of the caller's voice,
etc. If you believe you are a victim of fraud, call toll free 1-877-987-2738,
or complete the Know
Fraud online complaint form.
Check all unsolicited
offers with your Better Business Bureau.
Check out the
government's U.S. Consumer
Know Fraud web page for more information.
HANDLING
REPEATED CALLS
Keep a log
of all annoying telephone calls you receive and notify the Department
of Public Safety and the Telephone Business Office if they persist.
Consider having your number be unlisted or changed if calls continue.
ANNOYING
TELEPHONE CALL LOG SHEET
When you receive
a number of annoying telephone calls, keep a log to assist Public
Safety in investigating the calls. Include the date and time, a
description of the caller, a description of the conversation (if
any), whether the call seemed to originate from on or off campus,
and any other information that may help identify the caller.
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