Many phone companies allow you to block up to five numbers for free. These blocks usually expire after three months. If you need to block more than five numbers, you may need to pay a monthly fee. This will also let you block the abusive numbers on a long-term basis. In the event that you have received an obscene or harassing phone, you can trace this call by dialing *57 on the phone that received the call. The call will then be automatically traced.
Anonymous call rejection will reject all numbers that conceal their number. Anyone calling from a number that blocks their number from appearing on your caller ID will not be able to reach you from that number. If someone calls you who is on your rejection list, they will get a message stating you are not accepting phone calls. This will make sure that their number is unable to call you. [3] X Research source
When making an online purchase, don’t include your phone number along with your personal information. It’s possible that your phone information could be leaked from the online purchaser and given to other parties. You can also keep your phone number out of telephone directories if you have a land-line. By calling your phone company, they should be able to keep your number out of forthcoming telephone directories. Avoid sharing any financial information with unsolicited callers. Financial institutions will not call you requesting such information—if they have called you, then they already have this information on file. Always be wary of sharing any identifying information that could provide a criminal access to your personal information.
When you change your number, only give out your new number to close friends and family. If you don’t know who is calling you, you want to be careful not to give your new number to the person calling you with abusive phone calls. Additionally, give out your number to as few businesses as possible. Since your number can always be leaked to third parties, you want to limit the places your number winds up.
When you’re at school, only share your phone number with your immediate friends. Make sure they don’t share it around to others. Your school should have a policies and procedures manual. See what it says about proper and safe technology use.
You’ll want to record the time, date, duration, and details of any abusive phone calls. You can keep these in a written log or an electronic file that you can access easily. Your record of abusive phone calls will be useful when getting phone numbers blocked by the phone company. Additionally, if the phone calls are threatening, these details will be valuable to police.
Never respond to any abusive text messages. The person sending the messages wants a response, so don’t give it to them. Abusive text messages are often recorded by your phone company and are easy to track on your phone records. However, save all the abusive messages in your phone as well.
If you are documenting the abusive phone call, write down any important information or things that are said. You can use this for later when reporting abusive phone calls. You do not have to listen to endless abuse from the phone call. It may be a good idea to hang up if you are feeling frightened or particularly scared by the abuse.
As soon as you receive any abusive phone calls, call your phone company immediately. You should be able to tell them exactly what was said and any other information you have from the phone call. If your phone company doesn’t have a department for abusive phone calls, they should have a customer complaint line. This line should have some representatives that can help you prevent abusive phone calls in the future.
If you call your phone company first, they may recommend speaking to the police depending on the abuse. While not all abusive phone calls can be reported to the police, your phone company should have a good idea whether or not you should report the abusive phone call. Depending on the abuse, you may be able to file charges against the person calling. At the very least, it’s always a good idea for the police to have a record of abusive phone calls. Always assume that any threat received has merit. While this may be the style of someone’s personal communication; you should always consider each and every action, threat and abusive language as volatile. Report all threats to law enforcement. Do not avoid reporting abusive or threatening phone calls. If your life is at stake, or the life of another, you should consider this as an urgent matter. If possible, try recording the phone call and provide it to the authorities when they arrive on the scene. Try keeping the caller on the line until law enforcement arrives. Be certain to record the precise wording of any threats uttered.
Abusive phone calls are not usually stopped by ignoring them. Even if people calling may only want a response, they likely will not quit if you simply ignore them. Even if you’re not ignoring the abusive phone calls, that does not mean you have to engage with the calls. You can simply write down the calls and report them to the appropriate authorities. When calls are received from a known perpetrator, time may be of the essence. A known caller has an advantage, since they have some sort of connection to you. Having a connection may not ensure that they have your home address, but if this is the case, create yourself a plan of action until the authorities arrive upon the scene.
Your teachers and principals need to know if any abusive texts are happening at school. They want everyone to feel safe and comfortable at school. Abusive text messages can be a big problem for teens. Since the people sending the messages don’t see the person they’re abusing, they can often be even more vicious and mean. [10] X Research source
You should never blame yourself for abusive texts or phone calls. It’s never your fault and is always wrong. Abusive calls or texts can lead to depression and anxiety for teens. Don’t let this behavior continue; tell your parents so they can do something about it.
