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A discussion on how to trace blocked call

Submitted by roxette on Wed, 09/14/2005 - 17:32
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Blocked calls are on the rise. Different lines are used for making incoming and outgoing calls. Let us discuss on the ways to track them, since the number making the outgoing call is never reached as it is not designed to receive the incoming calls, we are left puzzled.

Some blocked numbers also don't come up in the display screen. I wish we should know the ways to track them accurately.

Let us have a very minute discussion on this topic so that we find the best possible ways to track them.

Regards
Roxette


If you don't know who it is ... don't answer? (lol)

That always seems to work for me. Anyone that is important or needs to get a hold of me will leave a message (again, if it is important). Otherwise they're not worth my time. I usually encourage an email - even for things like talking to my bank. I just prefer written [proof].

Anyway, if you have "Anonymous Call Rejection" package from the telephone company you will not recieve calls from these sorts of people without them first identifying themselves. If they don't identify, then your phone never rings.

As for actually tracing a telephone number:

LAND LINE - It can be done with a *57 with most telephone companies. If successful (sometimes it is not), you will be charged a small fee ($1.00 I think) and a report will be generated that can be used in court at a later date.

FROM A CELL PHONE - Very hard and near impossible (for reasons that are related to the cell technology itself). The best way I've found is via your bill. If you can't get the number off your bill and it says UNAVAILABLE then I just wouldn't answer it. If you can prove someone is calling your cell phone unsolicited they can get in big trouble since they are causing you financial loss (ie. you pay per call) for their ignorance.


Submitted by cryptowizard on Thu, 09/15/2005 - 13:30

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I want to share few facts with all you guys, hope it will not be out-of-track. I have the experience of working in a telemarketing company, where the system uses a dialer that picks up customer's phone number from the database and automatically dials the number.

When the customer receives the call, I think, no number is displayed on the screen of CLI or Cell Phone there.

I guess most of the third party debt collectors also use this kind of means to call the consumers.

By registering ourselves in the donotcall.gov like sites, we can stop the telemarketing calls, but I have no idea if it can stop harassing collection calls or not.

Bryan


Submitted by 4u.bryan on Thu, 09/15/2005 - 17:51

4u.bryan

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I am aware about the 'Do not call' list restricting telemarketing calls. But is there any government agency restricting illegal collection calls.

cryptowizard mentioned about "Anonymous Call Rejection" package from the telephone company. This is a good method to prevent such calls. Any more ideas.


Submitted by roxette on Thu, 09/15/2005 - 17:57

roxette

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The donot call list does not apply to the collectors. I wish it did!! I always do as cryptowizard does-- If I dont know the number or it comes up unknown caller or unavailable- I dont answer it. Then I will check my voice mail to see if a message was left for me.

I use to have caller id intercept, where they would have to announce who they are. It worked for awhile, but then some calls were able to get through. So I cancelled that service.


Submitted by Rhonda28 on Thu, 09/15/2005 - 17:59

Rhonda28

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My phone has a feature to ring only once if it is an unavailable caller.I will only anwser my phone when the name is available.I dont like sneaky people and if they dont show thier name then they are not worth my time.My daughter use to anwser sometimes, and would them time that she was selling something also, and all she needed was their credit card info and a address and they may have a chance to win a million dollars.It was all in fun,but they hung up real fast.


Submitted by twokidtwocat on Sat, 09/17/2005 - 08:28

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Yes, most telcos offer a "Distinctive Ring" service. Usually it is part of a package. You can use this to have your phone make a distinctive ring variant on the person who is calling.

With the Anonymous Call Rejection service, your phone will make a [quick] 'ring-ring-pause-ring-ring' noise if someone is trying to authenticate themselves.

Also noteworth (and I've done this before): When someone calls unavailable/blocked whatever - you can find out what the number is still . Try to google it and see what comes up. If you can figure out who it is, call their customer support and tell them that your phone is setup to block those sorts of calls and if they ever want the chance to get a hold of you they'll have to manually unblock their number. They CAN opt to do that.


Submitted by cryptowizard on Sun, 09/18/2005 - 09:49

cryptowizard

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With me working in a telemarketing agency Rhonda sometimes we can get through if we enter the last four digits of the persons phone number and if the company is local they have a better chance of doing it smple fact is I have tried it before if you have call intercept just enter the last four digits of the person telephone number.It only shows up as prority caller on the other persons end and it comes up a out of state number or out of county number.And when you try to call that number back that shows up on your caller I.D. it takes you to this recording!


Submitted by chmartinbaby06 on Sun, 09/18/2005 - 20:48

chmartinbaby06

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mikey,
I am with you with that one cause how are these people able to harass us the way they do I get blocked calls and unknown callers all the time and sometimes it makes me so mad because these people shouldn't be able to get through and I have a cell phone so they have no way of getting on a plan like home phones have to stop them from calling I wish I did!


Submitted by chmartinbaby06 on Mon, 09/19/2005 - 10:52

chmartinbaby06

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Hi mikey I have that same feature on my phone but the only thing sucks about it is that it doesn't record on a long period of time!I wish it was longer though so that we could record the whole conversation with no interuptions cause then you have to keep recording the whole conversation over and over again


Submitted by chmartinbaby06 on Mon, 09/19/2005 - 20:46

chmartinbaby06

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My phone can record up to 30 minutes. I'm sure I have memo messages saved so the minutes go down.

Luckily I haven't had the reason to record any messages/conversations. I just wanted to throw that option out there, because most people do not they have the feature. I for one, did not know about this feature on my old phone. You could even hear the voicemail messages as it was being left, and answer if you chose to.

Looks like cell phones are getting more and more updated with new features.

-Mike


Submitted by Teleport on Mon, 09/19/2005 - 21:28

Teleport

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In spite of telling me them they have the wrong guy and in spite of them promising to take my number off their list, Allied continues to leave messages on my voice mail.

My question: What is the worst case scenario here?
What if simply disregard it as I do any telemarketing call...i.e. ignore the call or simply delete the message? Is there any way that Allied has been known to escalate? I really don't want to spend even a couple of bucks with CEASE and DESIST letters.


Submitted by on Wed, 09/28/2005 - 22:24

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netdawg. IF they continue to call even after promising to remove your name, fule a police report and obtain a cease and desist order against the company. of course you would have to prove you have no reason for them to be calling you . You could also file a lawsuit against them for harassment.


Submitted by LCW on Fri, 09/30/2005 - 06:24

LCW

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What I want to know is how to see people's numbers that just decided to block it. Like today, my friend called me, and I said I would call back. Well, as it turns out, she had blocked her number, so I can't call her back. I just hope she realizes this and calls back....


Submitted by on Fri, 09/30/2005 - 21:57

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And don't forget, you can place your name and number on the National Do-not-call registry...which blocks calls from telemarketers. YOu can even place your cell phone numbers on the list.

I go with the old fashioned "be wary of who you give your number out to." I don't give it to anyone that doesnt need it.


Submitted by Lindsey on Wed, 10/05/2005 - 15:56

Lindsey

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Phone companies offer such services as Privacy Manager and Call Intercept that screen your calls for you. It's original purpose was to deflect telemarketers, but it works on all blocked or unlisted numbers. The person on the dialing end will hear a recording announcing the Privacy Manager or Call Intercept system, and if they really want to get through to the person they are calling, they have to record their name or company name, but that does not necessarily get the call through. If the person being called does not want to take the call, they can have the Privacy Manager or Call Intercept service announce their unavailability.
This service does have a weakness though, when a collector hears a Call Intercept announcement, sometimes simply dialing the last four digits of the phone number will break the intercept. If that doesn't work, then hanging up and calling back using "704" instead of "9" to access outside lines will completely breach the Privacy Manager or Call Intercept service. What will appear on the caller ID when 704 is dialed is usually a scrambled number.


Submitted by Jedi Mistress Ari on Sat, 12/10/2005 - 16:00

Jedi Mistress Ari

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true, the do not call list does NOT apply to collection calls. also, a lot of call centers has a local (to them) number which they dial out on, but they will tell you to call back on a 1-800 #. if you call the # which shows up on your caller id, you might not reach the correct person/dept, or the call might not go through at all. some #s are outgoing only, no incoming.

also, ari is right - there is a feature called privacy manager which does just what she said. there is also another very simple way to get around privacy director - while the privacy director message is playing (which is asking for you to say your name so it can announce your call to the incoming party), you can put that line on hold and call back on another line. privacy director can only work for one incoming call at a time.


Submitted by CollectorMatt on Sat, 12/10/2005 - 19:53

CollectorMatt

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is there any way to trace blocked #s? not really. you could go buy your own 1-800#, then you would be able to see every incoming call, but that's not very realistic. it will also not help those who are already receiving blocked calls to their current #.

good rule of thumb - if a blocked # keeps calling you, just pick up the phone and see what they want!!! if you know it's a debt collector, then by all means, pick up the phone and talk to them. the more you evade a debt, the worse it will get for you.

and, if a collector can never get you at your #, they can do a simple skip trace on your ss# and find all of your past #s, your spouses #s, your neighbors #s and even old roommates, etc etc etc.


Submitted by CollectorMatt on Sat, 12/10/2005 - 19:57

CollectorMatt

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I recieved a blocked call at my brothers thanksgiving day 2005. when I returned home I found everything I owne missing. Is there any way I can retreve the phone number to that blocked call from a few months back. THANKS ROY


Submitted by on Sat, 02/04/2006 - 03:11

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My friend called this girl crank calling he called 5 times from a blocked number. she filled a police report and the police said that all they were going to do is wait for her phone bill to come back can they get this number? her phone is through sprint and my friend called from a cell phone. Sorry of the subject


Submitted by on Mon, 03/13/2006 - 06:14

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Little known fact - Any company doing business is legally not allowed to block their number and/or disguise their business name either. I work for a phone company, only thing is I am not sure if it's state regulated or federal. You can easily report them to the Public Service Commission, FCC, and whomever else watches over this sort of stuff.


Submitted by chagrin on Fri, 10/13/2006 - 10:15

chagrin

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my boyfriend's ex-wife keeps calling and harassing me, but her number shows up PRIVATE. I know both her numbers, but I need to know how to get proof that it is her calling me so I can take it to the police. Phone company said I have to file a harassment charge, then they would look into it but there is no guarantee that they can even trace it then.... how can I get her busted?


Submitted by on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 23:45

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I am wanting to reject block calls that i am receiving. Is there a way to do this? I know you can do it on a land line phone but can you do it on a cell phone?


Submitted by on Sun, 01/25/2009 - 09:34

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I'm getting calls on my son's cell phone bill that shows up as his own phone #,it's not his voice mail because some are 20 mins,he gets about 50 a month,any way to find out who's calling?


Submitted by on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 02:10

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I have tried that with Verizon, and they said they cannot block it. They advised me to just ignore the call. Since then I do not answer the phone unless the number is already in my phonebook.

If it is a creditor calling, they are not supposed to call you as to incur charges, and since a cellphone charges you for incoming minutes I would answer it ONCE and tell them that this is a cellphone and they are to Cease & Desist calling you.

But you need to find out who it is so you can send them a Cease & Desist letter, if it is a collector, that is.


Submitted by Chrys Henderson on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 03:19

Chrys Henderson

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can any tell me if this service avaiable for cell phone companies,because my girlfriend is getting far to many blocked call from a single person and is driving her crazy can any one help-thank you


Submitted by on Thu, 07/30/2009 - 18:30

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I had asked this question already
what can my girlfriend do to stop harassing calls from a blocked cell number from a crazy lady who keeps calling her thank you


Submitted by on Thu, 07/30/2009 - 18:42

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wooooooooo!!
reading all these posts...seems the world is totally annoyed by the stalkers..
i had one too...
he totally got on my nerves...
but no worries..
got even with him :)
---------------------------------
Link removed by Shazzers, this is considered a solicitation because you have to pay to receive any information and some of the information provided is inaccurate, yes I tried it and was asked for payment for further info, and, the limited amount of information it DID provide was inaccurate.


Submitted by on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 12:07

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Even if you choose to block calls and the person has to reveal there number some companies have two options IE Person calls Blocked id phone says this person does not receive calls from blocked id numbers press 1 to continue and reveal your number.....futher listening and it sometimes says press 3 to type in you ten digit number manually which means u could call with any number showing up on the id u want!


Submitted by on Wed, 02/03/2010 - 15:37

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The best thing you can do is set your phone to not accept block calls, therefore, they have to unblock their number to call you! I have it on my house phone and my Iphone. I know most cell phones do have it!


Submitted by on Tue, 04/06/2010 - 01:33

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Anonymous
The best thing you can do is set your phone to not accept block calls, therefore, they have to unblock their number to call you! I have it on my house phone and my Iphone. I know most cell phones do have it!

I have a cell phone and haven't figured out how not to accept blocked calls, could you explain where that feature might be? lol I'm pretty stupid when it comes to cell phones! lol!


Submitted by Shazzers on Tue, 04/06/2010 - 08:54

Shazzers

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