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                  Captured & Re-Typed By Demon Phreaker


     HOW TO PUT AN END TO UNWANTED OR HARASSING PHONE CALLS

 Obscene or harassing phone calls can be one of the most stressful and 
 frightening invasions of privacy a person experiences. And unwanted phone 
 calls, while a minor problem when compared with threatening calls, can still 
 be a major inconvenience. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help
 put an end to these unwelcome intrusions.  
  
 *Harassing Calls* 
  
 *What makes a phone call harassing?* 
  
 When someone calls and uses obscene or threatening language, or even heavy 
 breathing or silence to intimidate you, you are receiving a harassing call.
 //It is against the law in California to make obscene or threatening calls//

 (California Penal Code section 653m).
  
 *How often do I have to get these calls to make it harassment?*
 
 Just one unwelcome call can be harassing; but usually your local phone 
 company will not take action unless the calls are frequent. However, if a 
 call specifically threatens you or your family with bodily harm, the phone
 company will generally take immediate action.  
          
 *Who should I contact when I get harassing calls?* 
   
 Different phone companies in California have varying policies on whether to 
 call the phone company or the police first. Pacific Bell recommends that you
 first call the phone company's business office and explain the problem.
 A representative will connect you with the Pacific Bell "annoyance desk."
 Other phone companies may require you to file a formal complaint with local
 law enforcement before they will deal with the matter. To find out what your  
 local phone company's policy is, contact the business office and ask for 
 assistance.  
   
 *What can my local phone company do if I am receiving harassing calls?*

 
 If the calls are frequent or particularly threatening, the phone company can 
 set up a "trap." The trap allows the phone company to determine the 
 telephone number from which the harassing calls originate based on the date
 and time of the call. You must keep a log noting the time and date the
 harassing calls are received. Traps are usually set up for no more than two 
 weeks.   
   
 A new phone company service called *Call Trace* may also be able to help 
 track down harassing calls. With Call Trace when you receive a harassing 
 call you enter a code on your phone and the call is automatically traced.
 This is easier than using a trap since the customer does not have to keep
 a phone log. However, Call Trace technology currently works only within 
 the local calling area.   
    
 There are fees for Call Trace, and it is not yet available in all areas of 
 California. In situations where the phone company would ordinarily use a 
 trap you will not be charged if the phone company suggests that Call Trace 
 be used as an alternative. The information collected from Call Trace or from 
 a trap is turned over to law enforcement personnel, not the customer.
 Law enforcement officers try to stop the harassing calls by either warning 
 or arresting the harasser. With both Call Trace and a trap, your phone
 conversations are not listened to or recorded by  the phone company.   
    

 *Is the phone company always able to solve harassing phone call problems?*  


 No. If the person making the calls uses a phone booth or multiple phone 
 numbers, the phone company and law enforcement officials may 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. In addition, the tips listed below for 
 discouraging unwanted calls may be of assistance.  
 
   
 * Anything I can do to stop harassment without going to the phone company ?* 
 
   
 Yes. First, simply hang up on the caller. Do not engage in conversation.
 If that does not work, Pacific Bell suggests that you 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 Calls* 
  
 *What can I do to stop other kinds of unwanted calls?* 
    
 Sometimes calls are annoying but are not serious enough to involve law 
 enforcement as is necessary with either a trap or Call Trace.
 These might include telemarketing sales calls, wrong numbers, overly 
 aggresive  bill collectors and prank calls. There are several steps you 
 can take to discourage such unwanted calls. 
   
 1. An *answering machine* is one of the best ways to limit unwanted calls.
 Available for as little as $50, an answering machine tapes messages when
 you are not available and can also be used to screen your calls. Similar to 
 an answering machine, a *voice* mail service or an *answering service* 
 can also  discourage unwanted calls.    
 Another product on the market is an attachment to the telephone called an
 *"inbound call blocker."* It allows only those callers who enter a special 
 numeric code onto their touch-tone phone to ring through to your number.
 This device is highly effective in preventing unwanted calls.
 However, you must be certain to give the code to everyone you want to talk 
 to. Even so, you could miss important calls from unexpected sources,
 like emergency services. 
   
 2. In some parts of California, new *Custom Calling* services are now 
 available from the local phone company which can help limit unwelcome calls.
 However, before you sign up, look carefully at the services to be certain 
 they will work in your situation and are worth the monthly fee.  


 *Note:* These new options are available only in some areas of the 
 state, currently the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. It will 
 be several years before the necessary equipment is installed 
 throughout California. Until then, these Custom Calling services 
 will work only in local calling areas.  

          *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 long distance 
     calls from outside your service area.  
   
     *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.  
 
     *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 you 
 answer is with a Custom Calling service called *Priority Ringing* 
 (Pacific Bell) or *VIP Ring* (GTE). With this option you program 
 your phone to give two different rings. The special ring can be 
 programmed either for calls you want to accept or for calls you 
 do not want to answer.  
  
 There are ways callers can get around Priority Ringing when it is 
 used as a screening device. If you program your phone for calls 
 you wish to avoid, the person calling could switch phone lines 
 and avoid the distinctive ring. In the opposite case, if you 
 program calls you want to take, you run the risk of missing an 
 important call dialed from a pay phone or another unknown number. 
 Also, as with the other Custom Calling services, this option does 
 not 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 Public 
 Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved in June 1992. However, both 
 Pacific Bell and GTE have decided not to offer the service at 
 this time. 
  
 With Caller ID, customers who pay a monthly fee and purchase a 
 display device can see the *number* of the person calling before 
 picking up the phone. While some people believe Caller ID would 
 help reduce harassing or unwelcome calls, others raise strong 
 privacy concerns about the technology since subscribers to the 
 service can capture callers' phone numbers without their consent.  
  
 To answer these privacy concerns, the Public Utilities Commission 
 has required the phone companies to offer extensive 
 number-blocking options. Because of this and other CPUC 
 requirements, phone companies in California have decided not to 
 offer Caller ID. Phone companies in other states do provide 
 Caller ID to their customers. However, these parties currently 
 are unable to view your number if you call them from within 
 California. 
  
 *For further information*

   
 For more information on these and other privacy-related issues, contact the
 *Privacy Rights Clearinghouse* hotline at (800) 773-7748.  


 The Clearinghouse offers several free fact sheets, including one 
 on *telemarketing* that provides tips on reducing the number of 
 telephone sales calls you receive (Fact Sheet No. 5, 
 "Telemarketing: Whatever Happened to a Quiet Evening at Home?"). 
 Another fact sheet suggests ways to protect personal information 
 from stalkers ("Are You Being Stalked? Tips for Protection").  
  
 Your *local phone company* also has useful privacy information. 
 Call the business office of the phone company which serves your 
 area and ask for more information. 
 
 The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse is a nonprofit consumer education service 
 funded by the California Public Utilities Commission through its 
 Telecommunications Education Trust. It is administered by the
 University of San Diego School of Law's Center for Public Interest Law.
 
 
 
 This copyrighted document may be copied and distributed for nonprofit,
 educational purposes only. The text of this document may not be
 altered without express authorization of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. 
 This fact sheet should be used as an information source and not as
 legal advice. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse materials are designed
 primarily for California residents. Laws in other states may vary.
 
 ====================================================================== 
 Privacy Rights Clearinghouse          In California:    800-773-7748 
 Center for Public Interest Law        Outside Calif:    619-298-3396  
 5998 Alcala Park                      fax:              619-298-5681 
 San Diego, CA  92110                  e-mail:           prc@acusd.edu 
 ====================================================================== 

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