I got back from Canberra this afternoon. A little while after getting home the land-line phone rings. The phone is right next to me so I pick it up pretty quickly, but whoever it is on the other end hangs up as soon as I say "Hello".
Two hours later, it happens again.
An hour after that, the phone rings and I let it ring out so I can *10# the number. (The Australian equivalent of *69, but it only works if you don't answer the call). Whoever is calling, it's from a blocked number. Soon after I finish finding this out the phone rings again, and I pick it up again but say nothing. There's some indistinct background noise (sounds like a public place?) and then the phone is hung up again.
...it just happened again...
I'm intrigued. I'm pretty sure I wasn't in Paris Hilton's address book. I don't give out my home number much (I use my mobile exclusively), and I can't really think of a reason a complete stranger would ring and hang up four times in an afternoon. Of the people who know my home phone number, the only one who's pissed off at me wouldn't stoop to anything quite so childish.
It doesn't bother me. I don't use the land-line at all, so I'll just leave it off the hook for a week. But I must say my curiosity is piqued.
In the US, you can ask the phone company to track prank calls. You call the phone company immediately after receiving a prank call. After three such calls, the phone company will contact the caller (but without telling you their identity or phone number).
I used to receive screeching fax calls at 4:00 AM. Turns out it was a some computer at some Washington DC Study of Aging Institute. <:) strange?!
I had the exact same thing happen to me last week about 8.30am or so. Soon as I said anything. it hung up and would ring again. It did it so many times I ended up leaving the phone off the hook for an hour or so. I haven't had any calls since then.
Perhaps its a war dialler? There was some noise on the line, but it sounded more like a noisy line than a call from a phone booth.
Chris: I checked with my phone company - filled in the requisite web form - but I was left with very little faith that anything would in fact be done about it.
Dave: Nope, the background noise was definitely organic. Either there were other people around, or a TV on in the background.
Not fun. :-/
Time to install asterix? :-)
The phone company just told me there is nothing that can be done if the phone line is blocked and they do not stay on the line long enough to be traced. The only option is to get a new phone line and make it private.
Chris and Charles: how long do they have to be on the phone to be tracked? can you still find a way to track them if they are only on for a couple of seconds? what if they block their call but you keep them on the line for a while? or vise-versa?
I run a small, at home business with my wife and we are getting old so we don't need the troubles we have been facing with prank calls. I would give anything to stop it, please tell me what to do. thank you.
Chris and Charles: how long do they have to be on the phone to be tracked? can you still find a way to track them if they are only on for a couple of seconds? what if they block their call but you keep them on the line for a while? or vise-versa?
I run a small, at home business with my wife and we are getting old so we don't need the troubles we have been facing with prank calls. I would give anything to stop it, please tell me what to do. thank you.
Barry: Call your telco.
Telstra were particularly helpful to me in the end - a day after I filed my complaint, their prank calls department got back to me and offered to set up monitoring on my line so that I could have individual calls traced and reported. By then I wasn't getting the prank calls any more, but if it's an ongoing problem it's well worth contacting your telephone company.
For anyone who's still looking for a solution to annoying prank calls please go to the website thc.com.
The Hacker's Choice is actually a great opportunity to find solutions to many such problems.
I recently had a situation with a prank caller who was harrassing one of my business lines. With help from the Hacker's Choice Website I was able to reverse the pranks, locking up the original phone callers phone lines, causing what is known as a "sting", making it unable for them to make an outgoing call or receive a call until the telephone company actually came out to investigate their "turn" box in the back of their building.
Considering in the U.S. it typically takes 4 weeks for the average phone company to respond to such a request, I now have a sufficient means of defense, and ultimately, offense.
Respectfully,
Jahoby White
Jahoby, I cant find anything on prank calling on the THC site. I, too would like to put an end to this prank calling that can sometimes get very annoying.
Great information here. Just what I needed to complete my essay. Thanks. In my opinion the internet is the key to success!
what are the concequences for a prank call
some of you guys sound like your getting hit by a fax machine. a lot of buisnesses and fax spammers operate at night, the machines are automatic, and hang up if you awnser and your not a fax. if you don't have a fax machine, hook one up, and see if you get some ish. if so unsubscribe. might be prankers too, who knows. peace
I got a prank call last night- I was asleep- I heard the phone ring and picked it up with a hello- the voice was familar- I felt comfy with it- he asked how I had been doing with a warm caring voice- like he was my brother- but he was not my brother! I said who is this?! he said Dr.Phil. Then he said do you resent your children? I said what?! He said you're divorced right? Do you resent your children? I hung up at that point realizing a "joke" was being played on me. Ha Ha not- it was a spooky feeling and I did not feel better at all until this morning when I got online and found this website which explained it all. Or at least most of it. http://www.ebaumsworld.com/morepranks.shtml
This still does not explain why they called me -how they got my private unlisted cell number or how they knew I was divorced and had children!
Hello this is happening to me and i am in australia.
the number is blocked but i am a very busy person and i cant leave the phone disengaged.
plz plz plz help me cause its killing my parents
i have a telstra phoneline and *69 dont work
We are having an English class and our opinion about prank calls is that in Brazil,usually the prank calls are made by children and they are not dangerous;They call to the police and fire stations too.
Most of the time the calls are made from public phones!
hiiiiiiiiiiiii
We are Brazilian,we´re having an English class and our opinion about prank calls is that just idiot people do it...Because it disturbs people that can be doing anything important to them.
But sometimes i like to make prank calls.
Bye Bye!!!
I did like talking to you.
We're having an English class and our opinion about prank calls is that is idiot.
Here in Brazil who make prank calls usually are young people and kids.
Sometimes, the person calls you and tells you're gonna die, but this is a big lie, they just do it to make you afraid.
It happened in my city with the principal of my school, the person said to her that she had to give some money to him, or they would kill her family.
Hi man... We are having a English class and our opinion about prank calls is that is it ridiculous....
But I undersdand your case... I really hate them... it's soooo idiot.... but... I do it.. It's my job... I receive to do that
LoL.. just kidding... we must do a social club to kill the people who annoy us...
Pleasseeee send me an e-mail...
kostelinha_1@hotmail.com
ok I just receieved several prank calls. One after the other on my cell phone. How can I stop the pranks on my cell phone...my company's website has nothing that can help me on it. Someone help me please.
Ok well I thought I would do some searching. I know there is a way to block "blocked" calls from coming through but dont know it. Its 12:31pm. ITs started at 8:18am, 8:24am, 10:18am, 10:23am, 12:18am, 12:20pm... The macine picks up and they hang up before it gets too words out.... Its getting on my nerves first time too, started noticing the pattern and waiting for it to happen again around 2....
I keep getting calls from this guy where my phone rings and then, if I pick up, I hear music, and then the phone ringing, and then he picks up. Is there a way to make someone's phone call your phone?
Just know that in this day and age most stuff is recorded and I tell ya big brother is out there. Ok theres alot of eye balling to do. But just remmeber this. Just like we are trying to get up the career ladder and big brother people are hoping for that big hookie pookie crime to come into there lap. If they crack it. Who knows. MAybe they will go from big bro junior to big bro senior. Its dog eat dog. Watch out homies.
there was this one time at band camp when they put a flute in my ding dong and it hurt...
Some one keeps calling me on a mobile number what can i do to find info on them