Is there a caller ID program I can use to trace harassing calls ?

[QuiltingB]

Some psyco call us every day, (never says anything-just holds hand over mouth piece for a few moments then hangs up), quite often within the same time frame each day. I currently split our one phone line at the wall and run one line into the computer and one line to the phone. (I am not on line when they call, and thus can hear the phone ring.) Is there some kind of a program that I can have running in the background when I am NOT on line or using the modem that can tell me the originating number of these psycho calls? Caller ID says they cannot tell what the number is, but I am unable to find out if it is blocked, or just from a cell phone or outside our calling area.
Any possibilities?

 

[Wik]

Call your phone company and tell ask them to make record of the calls for you.

 

[QuiltingB]

This rural coop won't do that for us. Our only other option, they say, is to fill out some papers, and pay $10 for each time we have them trace a call, and then they send that info to the sheriff not to us. We would have to ask him to tell us who the psycho is.
I would like to find out myself and keep the law out of it.

 

[juiio]

Your phone company probably has a call blocking service. Here's the one that I can get through Verizon:

Call Block: Are there certain people you don't want to talk to? This handy service blocks unwanted calls and interruptions. Call Block *60 lets you select up to 12 phone numbers from your local calling area to be blocked from reaching you. You can also block incoming calls placed from the last calling number even if the number is unknown. A blocked caller will hear a voice recording that says you are not presently accepting calls. Dial *60 to turn on and *80 to turn off.

 

[MrBond]

I know there's programs that do it, as we can pull it up on our accounting software at work. Have you checked with download.com? You may have to have the serice activated on your phone for that to work (but then you might as well get a base unit).

Here's what I found on download.com by searching for caller ID:

http://download.cnet.com/downloads/...ag=srch&qt=caller+id&cn=&ca=10001

Unfortunatly, caller ID is easily blocked. For some reason, on our line, its blocked as default. We have to dial some combination to call certain people. That also might be an option you'd have if you can get caller ID activated. People blocking it will get a messege saying that in order to get through, they have to turn off caller id blocking

If this person started calling for no reason whatsoever, it may not be a person at all. Telemarketers are notorious for wardialing, and they usually get away with it in rural areas. If your number gets dialed, and there isn't a person to take your call, you'll get a few seconds of dead silence before being hung up on. Wardialers can keep a log of numbers actually reached, so if you keep showing up on the list of never been called, you'll continue to get the phone calls. We had a similar problem some time back, turned out it was telemarketers.

Good luck!

 

[Jal]

I use *60 and love it!!! It will stop your phone ringing, even from blocked private numbers. It will not stop unknown numbers though.

There is another service, I have not used yet, that will give unknown numbers a recording, and they record their name, then your phone rings, and it says the name, you can choose to take the call or hang up. The caller never knows if you answered the phone or not.

Call Privacy service, when combined with Bell Call Display service, helps you gain more control over unidentified and unwanted calls. Now, you won't be surprised by who's on the line.

Screens unidentified callers, including those with private or unknown numbers
Requires callers with unknown numbers to record their name before your phone will ring, giving you the option of accepting, declining the call or sending it to your Call Answer or Call Answer Plus service
Let's you block calls from up to 12 specified phone numbers
Allows you to turn off the ringer and send calls directly to your Call Answer / Call Answer Plus service if you do not wish to be disturbed
Gives you greater control over all your incoming calls