Wednesday, April 23, 2014

We Need Help with a Big Telephone Problem...

that is getting worse.

Today alone, my husband received 28 phone calls. Many of them were from different numbers, but they all seem to have originated from the same person. 

If you answer the call, he asks for John, and he doesn't want to accept your answer - that no one named John lives here. My husband got so frustrated that after the 4th or 5th call, he started saying that John was dead. That seemed to escalate the number of calls. 

I answered one, thinking it may be a person who is trying to collect money from a guy named John, who had given a phony number. That has happened before. But when I told the guy that we have had this number for 30 years, and that no one named John has lived here; he said something in a foreign language and I heard a child in the background making noise. Then he hung up.

I cannot for the life of me fathom why anyone gets a kick out of harassing people for no apparent reason. If you call the number that has just appeared on your called ID, you get a message saying it is no longer in service. Within 5 minutes, he will call again, and the caller ID shows a different number. 

What can we do to stop this???

15 comments:

Shiny Rod said...

you can block the number. different services vary so you may need to call your service provider.

Anonymous said...

That does sound like a nightmare. I wish I had some advice. If it's a landline I would alert the telephone company, and give them all the numbers he has used. I would stop picking up calls from numbers I don't recognize. Good luck with this.

Nancy said...



Judy,

Once in a great while I will get a strange call like the one you describe. I will answer twice and if it is the same both times and it's apparently a crank call, the next time the phone rings, I answer in a very official voice.

"Verizon Telephone Security Office
what is the nature of your call?"

They hang up immediately thinking the call will be traced by the Telephone Company and they do not call back. Try this and see if it scares them away.

Unknown said...

Clark Howard - the guy on radio, has a free service for advice on this kind of stuff. On your computer, go to clarkhoward.com and look for the the 800 # for his advice line. A volunteer will answer or call you back. They are very helpful.

kenju said...

Thanks, Tom/Jen. I will do that now.

Anonymous said...

Totally bizarre. I'd definitely call your provider.

Pat said...

All I can suggest when you are really desperate is unplug the phone, tell your family and switch your mobile on.

Star said...

Do you have caller ID. Perhaps if you just do not answer they will give up.

Arkansas Patti said...

I like Shiny's and Nancy's solution. This is just too weird.

MissDazey said...

We have started screening calls more and more, leaving the answering machine on is something we have never done regularly until year ago. I will check the hints here, thanks for them everyone.

Celia said...

Very strange. Curious to hear what Clark Howard's advice line recommends.

Granny Annie said...

These days you have to rely on caller ID. Only answer calls that you know either by the name that shows or a number you can identify. If you don't know the number, let them leave a message and if they don't leave a message, never call the number back. There is a scam where they call and let the phone ring one time and hang up. Then if you call back it is a call that will cost you big bucks. Our land line is never answered. Friends and family know to call cell phone only unless it is an emergency and then they have to start leaving a message if they want me to pick up. On top of all that our home phone number is one digit off from the local Family Dollar store. lol

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Getting here pretty late, dear Judy....And I have no suggestions, but I thought Nancy and Tom's were very very good ones to try. If that happened to me, I would try both of these things---PLUS. I like Nancy's, in particular....! Let us know, my dear.

Gilly said...

Oh Judy, that is a nightmare! I hope some of these answers will be helpful. Its totally different over here in the UK, I think we can get an intercept on our line, but an answerphone is a good help.

Good luck!

Ginnie said...

Wow, Judy, I've never heard anything like this. Have you called the phone company? Please let us know how you settle it.