Note from the PRIVACY Forum Moderator:The following information has been provided to the PRIVACY Forum by thePrivacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC).  In some cases, the items have beenreformatted locally for online presentation.  Index descriptions forFTP/listserv/gopher access have been chosen locally.  Other than suchformatting and index descriptions, all information below in this file is theresponsibility of the PRC, and any questions regarding that informationshould be directed to the PRC at:Phone:  619-298-3396 (800-773-7748 Calif. only)Fax:    619-260-4753E-mail: prc@teetot.acusd.edu..-------------------------------------------------------------------------Privacy Rights ClearinghouseFact Sheet #3    How to Put an End to Unwanted or Harassing Phone CallsObscene or harassing phone calls can be one of the most stressfuland  frightening  invasions of privacy a person experiences.  Andunwanted  phone calls, while a minor problem when  compared  withthreatening   calls,   can  still  be  a   major   inconvenience.Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help put an  end  tothese unwelcome intrusions.Harassing CallsWhat makes a phone call harassing?When  someone calls and uses obscene or threatening language,  oreven  heavy  breathing  or  silence to intimidate  you,  you  arereceiving  a harassing call. It is against the law in  Californiato make obscene or threatening calls.How often do I have to get these calls to make it harassment?Just  one unwelcome call can be harassing; but usually your localphone company will not take action unless the calls are frequent.However, if a call specifically threatens you or your family withbodily  harm,  the  phone company will generally  take  immediateaction.Who should I contact when I get harassing calls?Different phone companies in California have varying policies  onwhether  to  call the phone company or the police first.  PacificBell  recommends that you first call the phone company's businessoffice and explain the problem. A representative will connect youwith the Pacific Bell "annoyance desk." Other phone companies mayrequire you to file a formal complaint with local law enforcementbefore  they  will deal with the matter. To find  out  what  yourlocal phone company's policy is, contact the business office  andask for assistance.What  can  my local phone company do if I am receiving  harassingcalls?If  the calls are frequent or particularly threatening, the phonecompany can set up a "trap." With a trap the phone company  triesto  determine the telephone number from which the harassing callsoriginate based on the date and time the call came in.  You  mustkeep  a  log  noting  the time and date the harassing  calls  arereceived. Traps are usually set up for no more than two weeks.A new phone company service called Call Trace may also be able tohelp track down harassing calls. With Call Trace when you receivea  harassing call you enter a code on your phone and the call  isautomatically traced. This is easier than using a trap since  thecustomer  does not have to keep a phone log. However, Call  Tracetechnology currently works only within the local calling area.There are fees for Call Trace, and it is not yet available in allareas of California. If the most effective way of determining thenumber  of  a  harassing  caller is with Call  Trace,  the  phonecompany's annoyance desk may provide this service for no charge.The  information  collected from Call Trace or  from  a  trap  isturned  over to law enforcement personnel, not the customer.  Lawenforcement officers try to put a stop to the harassing calls  byeither  warning or arresting the harasser. With both  Call  Traceand  a  trap,  your phone conversations are not  listened  to  orrecorded by the phone company.Is  the  phone company always able to solve harassing phone  callproblems?No. If the person making the calls uses a phone booth or multiplephone  numbers,  the phone company and law enforcement  officialsmay  never get sufficient identification to take further  action.In cases like these, changing your phone number might help. Also,you  might  want  to  get an unlisted or unpublished  number.  Inaddition,  the tips listed below for discouraging unwanted  callsmay be of assistance.Is  there anything I can do to stop harassing calls without goingto the phone company?Yes.  First,  simply  hang up on the caller.  Do  not  engage  inconversation.  If that does not work, Pacific Bell suggests  thatyou put a message like this on your answering machine:     I'm  sorry I/we can't come to the phone right  now  but     you  must leave a message. I/we are receiving annoyance     calls and Pacific Bell has a trap on this line. If  you     do  not  leave a message I/we will assume that you  are     the annoyance caller and this call will be traced.If  you answer the phone and the harassing caller is on the line,Pacific  Bell suggests that you say: Operator, this is the  call.Then hang up. Or say the word trap, what time it is and the date;then hang up.Other Unwanted CallsWhat can I do to stop other kinds of unwanted calls?Sometimes  calls  are  annoying but are  not  serious  enough  toinvolve  law enforcement as is necessary with either  a  trap  orCall  Trace. These might include telemarketing sales calls, wrongnumbers, overly aggresive bill collectors and prank calls.  Thereare several steps you can take to discourage such unwanted calls.1.    An  answering  machine is one of the  best  ways  to  limitunwanted  calls.  Available for as little as  $50,  an  answeringmachine tapes messages when you are not available and can also beused  to  screen your calls. Similar to an answering  machine,  avoice  mail  service or an answering service can also  discourageunwanted calls.Another  product on the market is an attachment to the  telephonecalled  an  "inbound call blocker." It allows only those  callerswho  enter a special numeric code onto their touch-tone phone  toring  through to your number. This device is highly effective  inpreventing unwanted calls. However, you must be certain  to  givethe code to everyone you want to talk to. Even so, you could missimportant calls from unexpected sources, like emergency services.2.   In some parts of California, new Custom Calling services arenow  available from the local phone company which can help  limitunwelcome  calls. However, before you sign up, look carefully  atthe  services to be certain they will work in your situation  andare worth the monthly fee.Note:  These new options are available only in some areas of  thestate, currently the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. It willbe  several  years  before the necessary equipment  is  installedthroughout California. Until then, these Custom Calling  serviceswill work only in local calling areas.o    Call  Block:  Your phone can be programmed to  reject  calls     from selected numbers with a service called Call Block (GTE)     or  Call  Screen (Pacific Bell). Instead of ringing on  your     line, these calls are routed to a recording which tells  the     caller you will not take the call. With Call Block and  Call     Screen, you can also program your telephone to reject  calls     from  the number of the last person who called. This  allows     you to block calls even if you do not know the phone number.     Call  Block and Call Screen are not foolproof ways  to  stop     unwelcome  calls,  however. A determined caller  can  simply     move  to a different phone number to bypass the block. Also,     Call Block and Call Screen do not work on calls from outside     your  service area. Call Block and Call Screen will not stop     these long distance calls.o    Special Call Acceptance: In the flip-side of the Call  Block     idea,  GTE  offers a service called Special Call Acceptance.     With  this  program  you can stop all numbers  from  ringing     except  those you specifically program your phone to accept.     Up  to  12 numbers can be chosen to ring through. All others     are routed to a recorded message.     Special  Call  Acceptance can effectively stop  unwanted  or     even   harassing  phone  calls,  but  it  could  also  delay     important  or emergency calls. For example, a family  member     dialing  from a pay phone would not reach you.  An  operator     can  override the service, but this would cause a  delay  in     receiving  the call. Also, calls from outside  your  service     area  would ring through, so a telemarketer calling you long     distance would not be blocked.o    Call Return: This service allows you to call back the number     of  the  last person who called, even if you are  unable  to     answer  the phone. Even though you can return the call,  you     will not be given the phone number. Some people suggest that     Call  Return  can  be  used  to stop  harassing  callers  by     allowing  you to call the harasser back without knowing  the     phone  number. Use caution with this method of  discouraging     harassing  callers, however, as it could actually  aggravate     the problem.     Privacy  tip:  Do not include your telephone number  on  the     outgoing  message of your answering machine if you  wish  to     keep your number private. By omitting your phone number from     your answering machine's message, you prevent random dialers     and people with Call Return from capturing this information.3.    Another method of limiting the number of unwanted calls youanswer  is with a Custom Calling service called Priority  Ringing(Pacific  Bell) or VIP Ring (GTE). With this option  you  programyour  phone to give two different rings. The special ring can  beprogrammed either for calls you want to accept or for  calls  youdo not want to answer.There are ways callers can get around Priority Ringing when it isused  as a screening device. If you program your phone for  callsyou  wish  to avoid, the person calling could switch phone  linesand  avoid  the distinctive ring. In the opposite  case,  if  youprogram  calls you want to take, you run the risk of  missing  animportant call dialed from a pay phone or another unknown number.Also, as with the other Custom Calling services, this option doesnot work with calls from outside your local calling area.Can I use Caller ID to stop unwanted calls?Caller  ID is a Custom Calling service that the California PublicUtilities  Commission (PUC) approved in June 1992. However,  bothPacific  Bell  and GTE have decided not to offer the  service  atthis time.With  Caller ID, customers who pay a monthly fee and  purchase  adisplay  device  can see the number of the person calling  beforepicking  up the phone. While some people believe Caller ID  wouldhelp  reduce  harassing or unwelcome calls, others  raise  strongprivacy  concerns about the technology since subscribers  to  theservice can capture callers' phone numbers without their consent.To answer these privacy concerns, the Public Utilities Commissionhas  required  the  phone  companies to offer  extensive  number-blocking  options.  Because of this and other  PUC  requirements,phone  companies in California have decided not to  offer  CallerID.For further informationFor  more information on these and other privacy-related  issues,contact  the  Privacy  Rights  Clearinghouse  hotline  at   (800)773-7748.The  Clearinghouse offers a free fact sheet on telemarketing thatprovides tips on reducing the number of telephone sales calls youreceive (Fact Sheet No. 5, "Telemarketing: Whatever Happened to aQuiet Evening at Home?").Your  local  phone  company also has useful privacy  information.Call  the business office of the phone company which serves  yourarea and ask for more information.The  California  law regarding harassing calls can  be  found  inCalifornia Penal Code section 653m.                                               Issued October 1992                                               Revised June 1993