How to cope with abusive phone calls

abusive phone callsMobile phones are a great modern convenience, so receiving repeated advertiser cold calls or the odd prank call are small nuisances that most of us don’t mind. However, when these unwanted phone calls happen every day and you start finding them annoying, harassing or perhaps even life threatening, it’s time to take action and protect your privacy. Here are some measures that will help you block abusive calls and feel safe again.

A few quick settings can reduce spam phone calls dramatically

In the age of telemarketing, robocalls are more common than ever before. According to a recent FTC report, there were a total of 4.5 robocalls complaints – without counting the ones made by actual people. Taking advantage of accessible Internet access, auto-dialing and text-to-speech tools, many marketers choose the unprofessional option and resort to spammy practices to gain more customers.

No matter how private you try to be, you probably give your phone number to businesses, who either sell them to their advertising partners or have their databases breached. Fortunately, the first solution against abusive phone calls is right on your mobile phone, a few taps away. Whether you’re bothered by marketing calls or abusive calls from an ex-partner, both iOS and Android have settings that allow you to block calls.

You can block one single caller specifically, or you can choose to block all incoming unknown calls or incoming calls from phone numbers you don’t have in your contacts. Some websites have lists of numbers that are frequently reported as spam and you can block those in advance.

Tell advertisers you don’t want to be contacted

Every one of us has probably had to turn down obnoxious salespeople on the phone, but did you know that most countries have legislation that forbids them from contacting you if you are against this? In the US, for example, you can register up to three phone numbers at once in the National Do Not Call Registry. If your phone number is there and a company still calls you, you are allowed to file a legal complaint against them. Legislation varies from country to country, but, in general, the calls are recorded, so if you tell them you do not want to be contacted again, they should remove you from their database. Of course, not all advertisers respect the law or their client’s privacy, which is why some calls might still get through and that is when you will need to take more extensive measures.

Try to find out who is calling you

Although marketing calls are the most common form of abusive phone calls, there are also cases when someone you know is contacting you repeatedly as a prank or to harass you. An ex-spouse, an angry employee, an unstable coworker or even a stalker can find out your phone number and call you repeatedly despite you telling them to stop.

If you are in this situation, the first thing you’ll need to do is try and find out who is calling. You can do that with a reverse phone lookup tool, if they refuse to reveal their identity. Once you find out, try to reject any kind of conflict with them over the phone. In many cases, abusive calls come from people with whom you have a personal history, so you may be tempted to lose your calm.

Experts recommend asking them politely to stop and then ignoring all further calls or texts. Do not engage in conversations with them, threaten or yell at them, because this will only encourage them.

Document abusive phone calls

When you’re dealing with abusive or harassing phone calls, you shouldn’t panic, because the caller usually stops trying after a while. However, if you feel that there might be something more to it and that at one point you might have to prove in court that you were harassed, it’s a good idea to document these calls. Write down the numbers you received calls from and take screenshots of your phone log or message log, if you receive texts as well. If recording phone calls is legal and can be used as evidence in your country, you can try and do that as well.

When to call the police or change your phone number

If the caller who is bothering you is very persistent can keeps on contacting you from other numbers after you block them, it’s best to change your number and share it only with close friends and family for a while. However, should the caller make serious threats to you and your family, the wise thing to do is involve the police as well. Most callers make empty threats just to get your attention, but it’s better to be safe than sorry and let the police know that someone is verbally harassing you.

Shift Frequency © 2018 – How to cope with abusive phone calls

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