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Nuisance Phone Calls

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catpaw

Guest
I'm from TEXAS and have been recieving "hang-up" phones calls for years. There is never anything said during these calls - only silence, and caller ID always lists it as "UNKNOWN." We moved over 300 miles almost 2 years ago into a new area code. We didn't recieve any of these calls for about 2 months when they started again. We rarely recieve more than one in a day, sometimes for several days in a row, sometimes not getting any for a month.

I called the phone company's nuisance bureau, activated the "call trace" feature using *57 to no avail. Apparently these calls come from "out of the area." Duh. :rolleyes:

Tried changing the phone number several times too, also to no avail. The calls start again within 3 days each time we change it, almost as if to prove a point. Our number is always "unpublished," but those are easy to get anyway.

Following the advice of the nuisance bureau, I filed a police complaint, gave the number to the bureau so they could initiate a trace through other phone companies, again to no avail. The bureau says that all companies require a minimum number of these calls per day before they will take action, in my case the other company requires 10 calls per day! :confused:

Is it just me or is this completely unreasonable?

Isn't the company liable for allowing their equipment to be used for such harrasement?

How hard can it be to trace the call? (Sorry, I used to work for a phone company. It's a matter of pushing a few buttons.)

Sorry for the rant, any usefull suggestions are most welcomed.
 
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calatty

Senior Member
The phone company is not liable. If you don't leave a forwarding number when you change your number, it must be someone who knows you very well. You should be able to figure out who it is by changing your number, telling no one what the new number is, and then giving out the number person by person.
 
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MSU0602

Guest
Hey, I really dont think it's a prank but it's telemarketers. I get the samething at my house. The phone rings, it says out of area on it and when you answer it you get no answer. I remember we thought the samething, that somebody was doing it on purpose but then then I saw something on T.V. about it. Your number is in like a computer that automatically calls you. When you pick up the phone the computer will transfer the call to a real person who will try and sell you whatever they are selling. Now for some reason sometimes the computer doesnt transfer you to the live person so all you get is dead air, making you belive someone is calling you and hanging up.

When you traced it that first time and got, "Out of area" it's because it's from a telemarketer and anyone who has caller ID knows that when a telemarketer calls you it comes out 'out of area".

To add some humor to it, you can really mess with the telemarketer by leaving a pause at the end of your answering machine. The computer will think someone is there, send it over to the real person who will go through their whole little speech, then get mad when they realize they just talked to no one for the past 3 minutes, and usually swear or something before they hang up because they just think you hung up on them.

Whether or not I am right about this I do not know, but thats what I remember hearing on T.V. about it and it made sense. If I was you I would sign up for that 'Do not call list" that you can get on to not be called by Telemarketers.

Well thats all I have to say, it's more of an idea as to whats going on, not a for sure answer but hope it helps.
 
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catpaw

Guest
"Unpublished" numbers are readily available on the internet as soon as they are changed for about $30-50, so it is not neccessarily someone who knows me well.

I am on all the "DO NOT CALL" lists that I know of. Texas has it's own "DO NOT CALL" list which I've been on since it's inception last year or the year before.

I doubt it's telemarketers anyway. I've never recieved any such calls since I've been on the "LIST," and this has been going on for far longer than that.

Why wouldn't the company be liable? They are providing the means by which the intrusions and harrasment is occuring, and refusing to provide a means to law enforcement to stop it.

But thanks for the suggestions.
 
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drago

Member
Why wouldn't the company be liable? They are providing the means by which the intrusions and harrasment is occuring, and refusing to provide a means to law enforcement to stop it.
end quote

They are not liable because they are not the proximate cause and they are not being negligent.

Harrassment has two s's, occurring has two r's.
 
C

catpaw

Guest
I'm no lawyer, and obviously a mediocre speller, so what does "proximate cause" mean?

Refusing to provide a means to stop criminal activity when one is so readily and easily availble may or may not be negligent, but it is certainly irresponsible.

Isn't refusing to provide requested information that will prevent a crime in itself a crime?
 

Jeter

Member
Is it just me or is this completely unreasonable?

A*- It's just you

Isn't the company liable for allowing their equipment to be used for such harrasement?

A*- No the phone company is not liable and it is not harassment

How hard can it be to trace the call? (Sorry, I used to work for a phone company. It's a matter of pushing a few buttons.)

A*- Evidently it is too difficult to trace that particular call, so logistics are secondary.

Sorry for the rant, any usefull suggestions are most welcomed.

A*- You have been provided with useful suggestions and you dismiss them.

It's obvious on many levels that you don't know what you're talking about, yet you persist in this debate with your self serving interpretations of the law. If you're so sure about what constitutes criminal action then try to hire a lawyer who doesn't mind filing a frivolous lawsuit and go live happily ever after.
 

drago

Member
catpaw-proximate cause

Proximate cause is the action that sets in motion the machine that ends up causing you damages. The proximate cause here is your harasser dialing your number.

You are frustrated and that is easy to understand but there is no evidence of any criminal activity yet.

When and if there is you will be able to get the help you want.

How about keeping a whistle by the phone and when your caller ID says "unknown" give em a blast instead of "hello".
 

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