. . . to Deal With Harassing Phone Calls

It may be a phone call in the middle of the night with no voice on the other end. Or the voice on the line may be making lewd remarks. Or threats. Whoever it is is anonymous and generally calls again and again.

Harassing or obscene phone calls are the troublesome side of a medium that is generally a convenience.

While it is not known just how many people are plagued with these unwanted interruptions, Pacific Bell reports that about 4,200 such cases in California last year were deemed serious enough to be referred to the company’s security staff.

At that time, people getting the unwanted calls are often told of certain techniques that they can employ to discourage the person at the other end from calling back.

Often at Random

According to Larry Mobbs, media manager for Pacific Bell, some people who make obscene calls dial numbers at random and are unlikely to call the same number twice--unless the person answering the phone unwittingly provides the caller with his or her number. Some people actually invite recurring calls by answering the caller who asks: “What number is this?” or “What number did I get?”

Mobbs advises never answering that question. Instead, ask: “What number do you want?” “Never talk to anybody unless you wish to speak to him,” he says. “If you get a telephone call and the person asks, ‘Who is this?’ we suggest that you never give out your name. Ask instead: ‘Who are you calling?’ ”

As soon as someone realizes he or she is receiving a harassing or obscene phone call, Mobbs says: “Just hang up the receiver gently. You don’t want to show that you are irritated in any sense. For many of these people, it is the fear and anger you show that they are seeking.” This cold shoulder approach tends to bore many harassing callers. A sizable percentage will stop calling within several days, he says.

But if the calls persist, Mobbs suggests that the victim keep a log of the abusive calls. According to Les Ledbetter, security manager-investigations for General Telephone, a log is desirable if the customer and phone company decide the calls are serious enough to warrant placing a trap on the phone to trace the source of the calls.

Match Log With Trap

Calls recorded in the log can be matched with those found by the trap and turned over to the police.

A trap is different from a wiretap device, Ledbetter explains, because the content of the call is not monitored; only its point of origin is recorded. (By law, the phone company is prohibited from listening in on calls.) Although traps are not completely effective, there is some degree of success. General Telephone averages 300-350 a month.

Willingness to cooperate with the police as well as the phone company is a prerequisite to putting a trap on a customer’s phone, Ledbetter says. Telephone harassment is a misdemeanor violation of the California Penal Code Section 653M. Ledbetter says he has seen people go to jail for this misdemeanor. A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

ich is punishable by up to six months in jail.

Even if police are unable to compile enough evidence to convict a suspect of making harassing calls, they can have a “deterrent interview” with the suspect. This lets the suspected caller know that he or she is under suspicion. The noisome calls often stop after such an interview.

Unlisted Number

Ledbetter says getting a new, unlisted phone number is often the easiest way of getting rid of unwanted callers. Both Pacific Telephone and General Telephone will change a customer’s number free if he or she is a victim of long-term harassing phone calls.

There is no definite point at which to report harassing phone calls.

“It depends on the tone and frequency of the calls,” Mobbs says.

And, according to Larry Cox, public affairs officer, General Telephone, there is no typical profile of the type of person who makes harassing phone calls.

“The ones from adults are more frightening because often times you can tell there is someone unbalanced at the other end,” he says.

Pacific Bell has a page of guidelines on what to do about troublesome phone calls in the front of its phone books. Both telephone companies ask people getting harassing calls to call their local telephone company business office.