What to do about middle of the night calls?

[robinsmommy]

LSS - we moved to our current town 2 years ago and got a new number, and not long after we got that number we starting getting phone calls in the middle (like midnight to 3 am) of the night. I got the number blocked, BUT blocks expire I guess - we got another one last night at 2:30am in the morning.

I am really sick of this. DH suffers chronic insomnia and doesn't need this. I SURE don't need this either.

We do have caller ID, what shows up is an an acronym for something - googled the letters and got nothing, it is a cell phone #.

I guess the simple answer would be to reblock the number and put it on my to-do calendar every year, but why should I have to do that? It seems really trivial to call the police on this one, but it begins to be tempting.

Part of me is worried that the guy likes to bother people, and by calling police, calling him back to complain or whatever, I would just be making him happy and providing incentive to do more of the same.

I seem to remember getting a collection call for the person who had the number before us, but it seems like that shouldn't be an issue in the middle of the night or for this long after we got the number. I do remember telling them that we were new to the number.....

What to do about this loser?

[BabyMine]

Can you just turn the ringer off? Just have people call your cell after a certain time.

[Indianamom2]

Oh that's annoying!

When we first moved here, we kept getting middle-of-the-night calls, sometimes multiples times in a row because - get this- someone was trying repeatedly to fax something to our number (we don't have a fax)!

All we would hear was that annoying fax noise, so we couldn't even call them back and tell them it was a wrong number.

It eventually stopped...but it was incredibly annoying.

[LMPC]

Does the person know that the number belongs to someone else now?

[minnie-zb]

We went through this after we moved and had a new number. We would get international calls in the wee hours of the morning from their friends and family. And creditors during the day. Slowly it stopped, but it was annoying.

If you are only getting a call from one number I would answer and talk with them. They might not realize the person no longer has the number.

Get a phone for your room which can be turned off.

[twowhat?]

I turn off the ringer on our landline phones at night. Everyone knows to call my cell in an emergency.

[robinsmommy]

If I recall, I called them before and complained about it - that's why I'm a little reluctant to confront them again. I think they enjoy the game, and enjoy it more when they know it makes us unhappy.

I can't remember the rules the phone company laid out for me, but I think there have to be three traced calls for me to file a complaint. Like I'm going to remember to dial *69 or whatever in the middle of the night!

[LMPC]

If I recall, I called them before and complained about it - that's why I'm a little reluctant to confront them again. I think they enjoy the game, and enjoy it more when they know it makes us unhappy.

I can't remember the rules the phone company laid out for me, but I think there have to be three traced calls for me to file a complaint. Like I'm going to remember to dial *69 or whatever in the middle of the night!

If this was happening to me, this is what I would do. I'm not saying it's what you should do, just what I would do (especially since it's going on for so long). The next time it happens, I would *69 the number, write it down with the specifics (time, etc), and then call them. I would tell them again that I do not know them and that I want them to stop calling me. I would tell them that if they call 2 more times, I can file a complaint with the cops.

Also you can see if it's the same number you had blocked from before. GL, this sounds like a total PITA!

[robinsmommy]

I guess it is *57, and since it traces the last incoming call, I can do that in the morning first thing.

Ah, got my paperwork out - the jerk changed his number, which is why the call got thru.

I'll put another call in to Qwest's Annoyance Call Bureau. What a waste of time.

As far as the ringer/cellphone thing, I don't keep my cellphone in the bedroom. I'd never remember to grab it every am.

[vonfirmath]

I seem to remember getting a collection call for the person who had the number before us, but it seems like that shouldn't be an issue in the middle of the night or for this long after we got the number. I do remember telling them that we were new to the number.....


We are STILL getting calls for folks who used to have our number and it is nearly 2 years later!

[infomama]

Try your phone company. Ours (ATT) has a division called "The Annoyance Bureau"...they will be able to guide you.
ETA---I see you are already working with them. Hope the calls stop soon!

[wendibird22]

Oh that's annoying!

When we first moved here, we kept getting middle-of-the-night calls, sometimes multiples times in a row because - get this- someone was trying repeatedly to fax something to our number (we don't have a fax)!

All we would hear was that annoying fax noise, so we couldn't even call them back and tell them it was a wrong number.

It eventually stopped...but it was incredibly annoying.

Same exact thing happened here. I did *69 to get the #, looked it up online, and found out it belonged to some dental supply company. I guess they fax all the dental offices with ads so that when they arrive in the a.m. the ad is waiting for them. I had them remove my # from their list. I have no idea how it ended up on the list because I've never been a dentist and I don't play one on tv.

Personally, I would do whatever it takes to make the calls stop. Could you have your # changed?

[robinsmommy]

Great, oh great - I finally figured it out - they're either calling from the prison or the mental hospital. Really. They have the same address. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

What do I do now?

[infomama]

Oh man. I would call the facility and see if they can assist.

[MamaMolly]

Great, oh great - I finally figured it out - they're either calling from the prison or the mental hospital. Really. They have the same address. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

What do I do now?

Oh gross. Creepy and gross. What does the phone company have to say? I'd tell them about the location, it sounds like extenuating circumstances to me!

[LMPC]

Great, oh great - I finally figured it out - they're either calling from the prison or the mental hospital. Really. They have the same address. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

What do I do now?

I would call the facility and speak with someone about it. They might be able to help you out without involving the police or your phone company. I wouldn't jump to conclusions, though...maybe it's just a bored resident who has insomnia.

[BabyMine]

Great, oh great - I finally figured it out - they're either calling from the prison or the mental hospital. Really. They have the same address. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

What do I do now?

There were scams here that had to do with people calling from prisons.
http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/jail_phone_scams.php
http://800notes.com/news/_BcUJEfhXQDVJwjMguY9Kw

I remember recieving a couple calls from a Miami prison. I either didn't answer or hung up when I realized who it was. It stopped after awhile.

[robinsmommy]

It's from the developmentally disabled area, and they aren't supposed to have access to a phone at night. I've got a call in to them, but what if the guy with control of the phone(supervisor) is the one making the calls?

Ack. I'll just put a call in to the number anyways and see if that helps. After I talk to the supervisor of that area, I'll just block out the whole prefix, hopefully that deals with it no matter what.

At least it wasn't the prison!

[LMPC]

I also got calls from a prison when we first moved to NJ. They were always collect calls. Some guy saying "Hi, this is [Steve]." He was always polite when he left the request message. So after about 6 of these types of calls, I finally accepted the charges and explained to him that we had just received this number and he was calling the wrong person. He was very apologetic and said he hope that if I did have a boyfriend or husband that he hadn't gotten the wrong idea! :ROTFLMAO: Yeah, no worries, mate! He was extremely polite and never called again.

Just putting this out there as an alternative to the stalker or scam scenario.

[TwinFoxes]

I guess it is *57, and since it traces the last incoming call, I can do that in the morning first thing.

Ah, got my paperwork out - the jerk changed his number, which is why the call got thru.



It could be two different people. Just because it's happening again doesn't mean it's the same person, people misremember, or write down the wrong number, or are given the wrong number.


Great, oh great - I finally figured it out - they're either calling from the prison or the mental hospital. Really. They have the same address. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

What do I do now?

I'm with everyone else, call the facility. This makes me think that maybe it's NOT the same person, because you can't call into a prison and talk to a random inmate who picks up the phone. (I'm assuming you don't think it's an employee?)

Honestly, our landline ringer is always off. People who need to reach me have my cell phone number. I keep the landline for 911 use, or power outages/disaster preparedness. I'd rather remember my cell phone, than get middle of the night phone calls. We wouldn't get the same number over and over, but no matter what, it seemed like every month or so, we'd get a wrong number calling. For some reason, it doesn't happen at all with my cell.

[infomama]

Funny story. We had an elderly neighbor who was getting annoying calls at odd hours and she could not get them to stop for the life of her. She would plead with him...stop calling, please!!! The calls persisted. Her solution??

She blew an air horn into the receiver when the guy called.
That did the trick.

[robinsmommy]

As far as the cell phone goes - I got an iPhone for xmas - the person who had the number before me was a young male college student. I STILL get calls from chicks looking for him, almost 3 months later - maybe they're thinking that if they keep calling they'll get FLAVIO, not his girlfriend?!?!?

So the cell phone REALLY isn't an option. And yes, his name REALLY is FLAVIO. And he got sexts with pix, too, until I had my computer geek BIL block photos on texts. I am extremely grateful that my girls didn't see any of the pictures, and I have starting turning it to airplane mode before I hand it over, just in case, because the 8 year old can read very well and the 4 year old is starting to learn.

I really may have to get the cell phone number changed. ;p

[s7714]

Great, oh great - I finally figured it out - they're either calling from the prison or the mental hospital. Really. They have the same address. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

What do I do now?

I'd start calling higher ups at the facilities. Otherwise I'd be changing my number with no forwarding service.

[KpbS]

Honestly I think I would get a new number and make sure it is an unlisted number if you suspect it is not an accidental occurance. Or maybe drop your land line all together?