We cannot live without the phone because this is the most effective and easiest means of communication. Unfortunately there are some people who use the phone to harass other people for various offensive reasons. If you are a victim of this harassment you need to know how to handle phone harassment and secure your safety and privacy Credit One Bank.
Screening and recorded calls. The use of answering machine to handle phone harassment will protect you and help you screen calls before you pick up the phone. You have the option not to answer unwanted calls. Messages will be logged and recorded and it will continue to record conversion even if you pick up the phone unless answering machine will be turned off. This will be an advantage, having recorded messages, especially if the phone harassment includes malicious messages which you could use as evidence.
Non-verbal response. One of the best ways to handle harassing phone calls is not to respond at all. If you received unwanted calls just hang up. Do not slam the receiver or make an angry comment. Your caller wants to annoy you and if you give that satisfaction to them they will keep calling you. Another response to handle phone harassment is make a response impossible to hear prompting the anonymous caller’s ear closer to the receiver then place a portable air horn to the mouthpiece of the receiver where you normally speak and release the horn noise. This will give the unwanted caller pain in the eardrums and will have second thoughts about calling again.
Keep personal information private. Do not give personal information to anyone you don’t know over the phone. You will find it hard to handle phone harassment if the caller has access to personal information about you. If the caller represent him/herself as someone from your bank and ask for your account number and other information for verification, do not fall into this trap. Banks do not ask such information over the phone unless you are the one who called and asking for verification. Children and house helper must be informed on how to handle phone harassment and trained not to give information to anonymous callers. Just get the caller’s number and inform them that you will call back.
Check your home security and routines. You don’t know if your anonymous caller lives just across the street or a few blocks away waiting for you to be off-guard. The fact that you are receiving phone harassment could be a sign someone out there has malicious intentions for you and your family. Consider changing your routines either at home or when you go out. If your moves are predictable the easier you will be followed and tracked.
Report to the police. You have to treat and handle phone harassment seriously. There are violent crimes that stems from just a simple unwanted call. Be vigilant, the world is not as safe as before. Criminals, rapist and sex offenders are increasing in numbers and it’s scary if one of them has access to you even through phones. Police have procedures on how to handle phone harassment and you have to inform them about the unwanted calls you are receiving.
Caller Identification. Caller ID is another way to handle phone harassment. Incoming phone numbers and caller names will appear on your phone and you can screen and answer only those numbers you recognize. Caller ID can also capture the phone number of your anonymous caller and you can use this to track down and get information about the person calling you to handle phone harassment. If your anonymous caller use special code for his/her number not to appear on your caller ID, your phone company can help you trace the unwanted caller’s number to handle phone harassment.
