Tap Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 (edited) I have had 2 prank calls the past two nights. What is the best way to get someone to back off if he calls again? Just hang up? I edited out the details so he can't search for what he said and find me on the internet. It was pretty innocuous, but I think he is just getting started. Edited September 17, 2012 by Tap, tap, tap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serene Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 a coach's whistle. . . blown REALLY loud. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessicalb Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 You could find or make a silent ringtone and set his number to that. Then you don't hear when he calls. If you get a lot of obnoxious calls, set your default ringer to silent and set custom rings for the people you want to hear from. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 a coach's whistle. . . blown REALLY loud. :D I don't think my family will like that too much. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 a foghorn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Write down the dates and time, and what was said. Just hang up, and if it happens again tonight call your police department tomorrow. With times they can find the call, and it is probably a teen. The police can show up, and let mom and dad know what they are up to. You are educating them about actions and consequences:D Or, like the pp said, coaches whistle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Do you have caller ID? If not, just screen any calls from 'private' numbers. If you do have caller ID call the police and give them the number and then press charges. That is harassment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Do you have caller ID? If not, just screen any calls from 'private' numbers. If you do have caller ID call the police and give them the number and then press charges. That is harassment. blocked/unlisted "private caller" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 blocked/unlisted "private caller" You can get your phone to not accept blocked/private numbers. It goes to a message saying you don't accept those calls and what the dialer needs to do to unblock the number Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 You can get your phone to not accept blocked/private numbers. It goes to a message saying you don't accept those calls and what the dialer needs to do to unblock the number Maybe I will try this for a few nights. I will just need to remember to turn it back on during the day (we get business calls that I have to be able to accept). I just looked on Vonage and it is a simple process to turn off/on again. That way if he just grabs a different phone, he will still be blocked. I know there are ways around this, but lets hope he isn't that tech savy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 I have had 2 prank calls the past two nights. What is the best way to get someone to back off if he calls again? Just hang up? I edited out the details so he can't search for what he said and find me on the internet. It was pretty innocuous, but I think he is just getting started. Airhorn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Write down the dates and time, and what was said. Just hang up, and if it happens again tonight call your police department tomorrow. With times they can find the call, and it is probably a teen. The police can show up, and let mom and dad know what they are up to. You are educating them about actions and consequences:D Or, like the pp said, coaches whistle. So far he hasn't said anything lewd, so there isn't anything to report. He is just annoying me at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 blocked/unlisted "private caller" I don't answer any calls from numbers I don't recognize, including "private" numbers. They can leave a message and then I'll decide whether to call them back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 blocked/unlisted "private caller" don't pick those up! Anyone important will leave a message. IF he leaves a message then you have something to give the police who can bypass the blocked information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 don't pick those up! Anyone important will leave a message. IF he leaves a message then you have something to give the police who can bypass the blocked information. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 a coach's whistle. . . blown REALLY loud. :D :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliums Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 You can try dialing *69 immediately after they call you and it should call them back. This worked for us although it was several years ago. Boy was the crank caller surprised when I called him back. Link describes it also: http://m.infobarrel.com/How_to_Find_a_Private_Caller_Without_a_Number Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 We had a wee hours of the morning prank caller awhile ago. We needed to leave the ringer on in case someone connected with DH's work would call, so that wasn't an option. My solution was to have the phone close at hand when we went to bed. If it rang, took a quick look at the caller ID, if it was a masked number, turned on the cordless phone, then turned it off again without saying hello or listening at all. It took away the attention aspect. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 You can try dialing *69 immediately after they call you and it should call them back. This worked for us although it was several years ago. Boy was the crank caller surprised when I called him back. Really? We had so many crank callers when I was a kid, from the stupid kid sort to the dirty old men variety, and I honestly haven't gotten one in years. *69 has solved that problem, even before people had caller ID. I guess some people are too young or dumb to know about it, but that is pretty surprising. I would report this person to the police. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I agree with what the others have written, including reporting it to the police. However, I thought I'd chime in anyway with what I did quite a number of years ago when I got crank calls - both the annoying kind and the lewd kind. As a Christian, I interrupted their monologue and began telling them the gospel. With one exception, it worked. The exception was sometimes lewd but predominately a "breather", a constant caller, and always when dh wasn't home, even when his schedule would change with no rhyme or reason. That caller obviously knew when I was alone - we reported it and had our number changed. Before long, we actually learned who that particular caller was; it was a very sad case and it ended badly (for him, by his own choice). Since the internet is too public, I don't want to tell the details. All the other callers stopped when they realized that, not only were they *seemingly* not upsetting me, but they were hearing the gospel message pleasantly presented each and every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeslieAnneLevine Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I think it's best to hang up immediately, the second you realize it might be a prank call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I just don't answer the phone if I don't know who it is (or if I don't want to talk to the person). Do you have caller id? Or an answering machine? Because if not, this is there I'd start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Call your phone provider and ask them how to trace calls. There is a certain number you can dial immediately (* or # something) after the call. You may get charged a small amount, and the phone company will turn the number over to police. This is how it works from my phone provider anyway. Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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