What To Do About Prank Phone Calls

When a useful tool of communication like the telephone is misused for making prank calls, it amounts to harassment. The seemingly innocent activity which started way back in the 70s was regarded as a form of practical joke initially. It soon became a way of intimidating the victim. While most of these callers choose to remain silent after the call is received, others have been known to use threatening or obscene language thereby causing inconvenience for the person receiving the call. The prank phone calls are considered to be illegal according to the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The act of engaging in such calls are considered to be felonies with the offender being penalized with at least 2 years of imprisonment depending on the severity of the crime.

Even a single incident of a prank call can constitute a case of harassment although the phone service providers usually take action only after several such incidents have been reported. The law enforcement agencies, on the other hand, cannot be brought into action unless the case is registered against a specific person.  There are, in fact, a number of ways to put an end to these intimidating prank telephone calls.

Caller ID

The telephone subscribers across America can choose to purchase a caller ID device in order to see and identify the number of the caller. Almost all service providers offer caller IDs for an additional amount. While the identification of the caller number has resulted in  reduction of prank calls, the complaints of violating the privacy have increased as well. The primary concerns have now been addressed to a certain extent by providing various options of telephone number blocking systems.

*69

The call return service is usually known as *69 on basis of the number that needs to be entered for initializing it. The phone service providers provide the facility of returning the call to the last received number without actually knowing the telephone number itself. The utility of this service in discouraging prank callers remains debatable although its effectiveness in returning missed calls remains unparalleled. Most of the service providers charge for every use of *69.

Call Traps

A telephone service provider is authorized to set up a trap for detecting the number of the prank caller. This is usually done once the provider receives a complaint from the subscriber. A specific log noting the date as well as the time of the harassing calls need to be maintained as well. Such traps are generally provided free of charge and is set up for a maximum period of two weeks only.

Call Tracing

A call tracing service is much simpler to use as the subscriber does not have to maintain a log. The call can be traced immediately by entering *57 on the phone. The call trace is limited to the local area of coverage only and may prove to be ineffective in cases of long distance prank calls. The service provider normally charges a fee for the additional facility which can be waived if the method of call trace is suggested as an alternative to the trap.

Changing The Number

The phone service provider will be unable to provide suitable assistance if the person making prank calls uses multiple phone numbers or calls from a public pay phone. Getting an unlisted telephone number might help to overcome the problem while opting for a new number can be considered as a last resort for getting rid of prank phone calls.