Whether your phone rings a hundred times a day because you’ve got stalkers, debtors or someone else’s old number, you undoubtedly want the ringing to stop. There are several ways that you can stop harassing phone calls and they’re all free! Here are five ways to protect yourself from these annoying telephone calls:
Reverse Phone Lookup
The next time an unrecognizable number flashes across your caller ID, write it down and look it up! Turn your computer on and type the number into your search engine. This is the easiest way to find out who’s calling you. If the number isn’t a part of your search engine’s database, sign onto a site like whitepages.com and look up the number that way. It won’t cost you a dime and can be done relatively quickly.
Call Control
This free application is a must have for anyone with a cell phone. When someone calls you with an unrecognizable number, hit the “lookup” icon and the app will find the number for you if it’s in the app’s database. If the number is in the database, the app will tell you who is calling almost immediately. Once you know who is calling you can block them if you choose to do so.
Contact Your Phone Company
If you still have a landline phone and are receiving harassing calls, contact your phone company. Your local telephone company can put a “trap” on your line if the calls you are receiving are considered harassing. You will have to keep a log of the days and times that the phone calls are received, and you will not receive the information of the person calling you. Instead, the information will be turned over to local law enforcement who will take the necessary action.
Turn on Privacy Manager
Another option for your landline is privacy manager. When someone calls your phone from a number that is “restricted,” “private,” “anonymous,” “unavailable” or “out of area,” they must first dial a code to get through. When your phone rings and you answer, you will have the option of accepting or rejecting the call. You can also send the call to voicemail or send a pre-recorded message to put your number on the “do not call” list of the company.
Call the Police
If you are receiving phone calls that are threatening in nature, your first and only option is to call the police. Threatening phone calls, and texts in many states, are illegal and should be dealt with by law enforcement. The police will give you instructions for dealing with these types of calls!
While not every method of stopping harassing phone calls will tell you who is calling, they will all make the calls stop. If you are receiving harassing phone calls from anonymous sources, follow the preceding five tips to get the calls to stop. No one has to tolerate threats or harassment of any nature!
