Safeguarding yourself against malicious calls

Anyone who has been on the receiving end of malicious calls will know that they can be terrifying. While most people have experienced unsolicited calls of one kind or another at some point in their lives, threatening calls affect only a small minority, with the victims of such harassment often reluctant to report the incidents for fear of reprisal.

Receiving a threatening call is different to receiving an unwanted call from a marketing agency trying to promote a service, or an unsolicited call from a firm which handles personal claims injury. The latter calls are undoubtedly nuisances but rarely do they cause the receiver any real anxiety.

Malicious calls, on the other hand, almost always cause the receiver distress, which is why it is important for victims of such abuse to take action. Whether you receive a threat to your family or harassment pertaining to your personal appearance, reporting such incidents is the first step towards identifying the caller and having them charged with a criminal offence.

What to do about malicious calls

Making abusive calls to strangers or people you know is a criminal offence in the UK. Receivers of malicious calls should in the first instance contact their telephone service provider to report the calls. However, if the threats are serious and immediate, contacting 999 or your local police station at 101 may be more appropriate.

In many cases, the person making the complaint will not know the identity of the malicious caller. This is not a problem since the telephone provider or police handling the complaint can advise the victim of such harassment about ways in which the identity of the unwanted caller can be determined. Once the identity of the caller has been established, criminal charges can be pressed.

Protecting yourself from further telephone threats

Some telephone providers offer features which can help prevent victims of threatening calls from receiving any further calls of abuse. One such feature is anonymous call rejection, which blocks calls from unknown callers. This service can, however, unintentionally block important calls, meaning the phone owner ends up missing calls from people or services they would like to hear from.

Callblocking using a call blocker like those available at http://www.callblocker.co.uk/ is an effective way to screen and reject unsolicited calls. The callblocker can block specific telephone numbers, including international numbers and numbers preceded by a specific area code, as well as calls where the number has been withheld and those followed by an automated message. Typically, callblockers send the caller to a pre-recorded message that requires them to press a number or give their name to continue.

Alternatively, a subscription service which identifies malicious callers for a fee can be used. This service, offered by telephone companies, allows the receiver of threatening calls to call a number immediately after receiving a malicious call. The telephone company then records important meta-data such as start and end times, which is then made available for police use in tracing the caller.

Image attributed to: FreeDigitalPhotos.net/ hin255

Source: http://www.police.uk/contact