Phone Harassment

If you receive this type of call, you will feel uneasy. Your instincts will kick-in and you begin to think to yourself, "Who is this person? Why is he or she calling me? What does he or she want? There is something wrong with this line of questioning." You can do the following:

• Stop the conversation and simply hang up.
• Ask him or her for a reference (i.e. professor’s or company’s phone #, etc.)
• More than likely, he or she will hang-up. If not, check their reference to determine if they are legitimate.
• You may decide to call the person back if they are legitimate

Generally, crank callers are seeking attention or reaction from those receiving the calls – either shock, anger or exasperation.  The following are other crime prevention tips you can apply:

• When the person will not identify him/herself, if the person remains silent, or at the first obscene word or lewd remark, simply HANG UP. 
• Don’t talk to the person and don’t slam the receiver.  Don’t give the caller the satisfaction he/she is seeking.
• Be cautious of divulging any personal information to anyone on the phone. 
• KNOW who is calling and if in doubt, get a name and number from them and verify it in the directory before calling back.
• If someone calls and asks you what number they have reached, ask them instead what number they have dialed.  This may be a crank caller who dialed at random or is perhaps "checking out" the residence. 
• Attempt to find out how much they know about you, without giving away any information, so that you can include this in your report to the police.  It could potentially be more serious than a simple "crank" call if the caller knows details about you he or she should not know.
• Young children should be properly instructed on the importance of never revealing information to unknown callers.  Have them take the caller’s name and call back number.
• Women can use their first initial in the directory to minimize the chance of an obscene phone call.
• If you are having problems with annoying phone calls, you may choose to have an unlisted phone number.
• Any information on the caller you can provide is very helpful to the police. 
• If you do not recognize the caller’s voice, you may be able to supply some information describing the caller, for instance, the approximate age; whether it is a male or female; is he/she is intoxicated; can you detect an accent or speech impediment; and background noise. 
• Also, be sure to make note of the time and date of the call and brief comment on the nature of the call.

Excerpts RCW 9.61.230:

A person who makes annoying, obscene or threatening phone calls is guilty of committing a crime.  It is against the law to use profane, lewd, lascivious, indecent, or obscene words or language over the phone to harass people.  It is also against the law to harass someone over the phone by calling anonymously, repeatedly or at an extremely inconvenient hour, whether or not conversation ensues.  And, of course, threatening to inflict injury on the person (receiving the call) or their property or any member of his/her family/household is illegal as well

More Info

Contact the telephone company for information on "Caller ID" and "Call Trace" features.

(Information from Qwest)

Call Trace

With Call Trace, you can receive assistance from Qwest or your local police department if you receive harassing or obscene phone calls.  This service is available to most customers on a pay per use basis.

To Use Call Trace

• Lift the receiver and press *57 (or dial 1157 on a rotary phone) immediately after hanging up from the call.
• Follow the recorded instructions to take appropriate action.
• The telephone number of the caller will be recorded by Qwest.  Deterrent action can be taken by Qwest or your local law enforcement agency after 3 calls from the same number are identified.
• You will not be given the name or the telephone number of the person who called you.
• If it becomes a life threatening situation, contact the police immediately.

If you receive a phone call of this nature at your home, call the local police.  If you receive a call while on campus or from someone stating to have an affiliation with the UWT, call the University of Washington Tacoma Safety Department at 253-692-4416 or #333 from a campus phone.

At anytime, whether you make a police report or not, you may contact the University Of Washington Tacoma Safety Department, to discuss other tips and suggestions for increasing your personal safety, or email Lt. Wheeler at Kw2@u.washington.edu

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