Instructions
Tracing a Phone Call Using *57
1
Hang up your phone then lift the receiver again. Make sure there is a dial tone. There is a fee for this service and you will either be charged every time you trace a call or you will select and pay for this service upfront. To pay for this service upfront, contact your phone company and inquire about your options.
2
Press *57 on your phone. According to harwichpolice.com, if you have a rotary dial phone, you can dial 1157.
3
Listen to the announcement that verifies that the call has been traced. You will not get the actual number. The phone company records the traced phone number.
4
Contact the phone company to request an authorization form be sent to you to sign. For example, pioneer.net states that after you dial *57, immediately call the phone company (to verify that you initiated call trace) and it will send you the authorization form to sign. According to privacyrights.org, you will have to sign the authorization form before the phone number is turned over to law enforcement officials. You can authorize law enforcement officials to further investigate the matter.
5
Call your local police department and file a report. According to pioneer.net, the police will contact the phone company directly and work with them to begin an investigation. The police department will request the date and time of the calls as well as the traced phone call from the phone company.
How to Block Unwanted Calls to Your Cell Phone
How to Block Incoming Phone Calls
Instructions
1
Call you telephone service provider and request the "call block" feature. If you have a wired or business telephone, dial *60 and follow the prompts to block up to six numbers on your telephone. Incoming calls labeled "out of area" or "unknown" cannot be blocked.
With the wireless or cellular telephone, the call block feature may be automatically programed into you cell phone. If not, call your cellular service provider and request a plan that includes the call block feature, and you may be able to block unwanted incoming calls on a per-number basis.
2
Register with the National Do Not Call Registry by going to the website listed in the Resources section of this article. An individual can register a phone number, verify the registration of that number or file a complaint at this website. A home phone number or a cell phone number can be used.
If you have informed a caller that you do not want him or her to call your phone and the individual persists, register that phone number with this national registry. A violation of the laws associated with the national registry could result in fines being placed on the unwanted caller.
3
Privatize your number to eliminate unwanted callers. Wired telephone service providers are able to privatize your phone number so that only callers who wish to reveal their name and number can call you. Therefore, you will only receive calls from those that allow their phone number to be revealed. This is called a "universal call block."
Call your provider to check the cost of adding a universal call block feature to your home or business telephone. Many phone service providers will label this feature with different terminology, but the result is the same. Using a privatization feature lowers the number of phone calls that you will need to block because all numbers received are revealed.
This is different from "unlisting" your phone number. To unlist a number merely removes it from the phone directory and directory assistance and only involves your number, while privatization involves how other numbers access your phone line.
Tips & Warnings
If you receive international phone calls, recognize that in some cases those numbers do not include the caller's name and phone number. Therefore, if you receive international business calls, a universal "call block" feature could inhibit these international callers from reaching you.
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