Sexual Harassment

Any calls that are abusive or that which cause disturbance is known as phone harassment. Fixed-line phones and cell phones being a very vital means of communication, phone harassments can be very distressing. The harasser can use any sort of obscene language, breathe heavily over the phone, or just remain silent.

These harassment calls are generally unwanted and often upsets the person. These calls infringe on the privacy of a person. Generally, the caller knows the victim, but the victim is unaware of the caller. These harassment calls can also be the result of dialing random numbers.

Phone harassment is a form of bullying. Bullies are often cowards and find it difficult to face people. Hence they find threatening phone calls to be more tempting. Here, they try to show their power over the victim by using foul language or cheap actions. These acts would otherwise not be possible, if the person had to confront them face-to-face.

Phone calls from people, who remain anonymous, should not be entertained at all by the receiver. Some of them even call from private numbers or booths to prevent their names being displayed on cell phones through use of caller ID. The harassment can even be through text messaging. They can send messages even through computers, as it helps them to maintain their anonymity.

The best thing to do when a person receives such calls is to ignore them. The person should either hang up or leave the phone unattended. This way they do not derive the pleasure of talking and hence do not find a reason to harass. The members residing in that house should also be aware of the phone harassment. This way they can be warned not to reveal any personal information.

Steps like letting the call go to an answering machine or recording the call in the caller ID can be useful. The caller identification service is provided by all phone service providers. The local phone service provider should be informed about the harassment. They may either be able to trace the number or may be able to bar incoming calls from that number. If these measures do not work out, a complaint may be lodged in the police station, as such harassments are considered against the law in the U.S.

Before you lodge a complaint against phone harassment, it is essential that each incident is recorded. This acts as evidence later. But action is only taken by the police and other authorities when these calls become frequent. A single call is enough to take action, if it happens to threaten a person bodily. Phone harassment does not apply, if the person is a debt collector or a telemarketer.

So, though this article, you may have got some idea about the issues involved in phone harassment. If such phone harassment continues, the instigator can face serious consequences that can include a term in jail, plus a hefty fine.