Somebody is driving me crazy.

[Ariana Celeste]

We are getting calls several times a night, in the middle of the night, and early in the morning by a Private/Blocked number.
They let it ring twice and then hang up, every time.
We can't think of anyone who we could have possibly pissed off over the last few months, and I have doubts that a stranger would do this- it's been going on for a couple of weeks now. Fortunately not *every night*, but often anyways. My SO has had this phone number for years. So maybe it's someone from his past? But why after years of not speaking would someone want to harass him like this now?
We've thought, possibly it's his crazy ex g/f. But they haven't spoke in a couple of years, at least.
Out of the people *I* know personally who have this number, none of them have any reason to harass me and it's not in their personalities to do a thing like this. I have given this number to very few people, because my SO and I hate the phone with an undying passion.

I wish I knew of a way around the blocked/private number thing. We don't have caller ID so I can't catch it if they slip and forget to *67 or whatever it is to block their number. But I have dialed *69 several times to no avail. I just don't know what to do about this.

[Lefta Dissenter]

1. one solution

Air Horn. A blast into the phone instead of a 'hello' might take some of the fun out of it for the caller.

[Ariana Celeste]

3. If only I could...

I've only managed to pick up the phone one time before the second ring was finished- and heard a prompt *click*.

Seems everytime I finally sit at my desk, phone in hand, waiting for the next ring, that's when they quit for the night.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. For a fee, you can have the phone company place a monitor

on your phone and they can determine what number the calls are coming from even if the number is blocked

[Ariana Celeste]

4. Any idea what the fee is?

I would just loooove to know who the hell this person is, and surprise them with my own blocked call. :mad:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

13. I can't recall but I don't think it is prohibitively expensive

you can also get a service that won't allow blocked numbers through to your phone and that's only a few bucks a month

[johnnie]

5. Change your number

The phone company should do it for free if you are getting harassing calls.

[Ariana Celeste]

8. I totally would

and I brought that up to my SO last night.

This is what I got: "But I've had this number for years!"

He attaches emotional value to some odd things. (Odd to me anywho.) So, not gonna happen. He will unhook the phone and risk his work not being able to call him before he does that. :(

[WhollyHeretic]

6. You can stop your phone from accepting blocked calls

I did that several years ago because a similar problem. You just have to enter a certain code into the phone, I don't remember what it is but it should be listed at the front of your phone book.

[Ariana Celeste]

9. I'll look into that

I'll have to borrow my neighbor's phonebooks because mine doesn't have that stuff in it.

[Redstone]

7. You need to have Caller ID, then you can turn on ACR:

(Anonymous Call Rejection).

Anyone who has Caller ID blocked just gets a message that you don't accept such calls, and you phone never rings.

Or you could just unplug the phone when you go to bed. We do that.

Redstone

[Ariana Celeste]

10. I'm definitely going to have to

I'll be talking to my SO about that tonight. It's only like $5 a month right? something cheap like that.

[Bossy Monkey]

11. Usually that's somebody's fax machine that's had a wrong number

programmed into it. Not that this helps you particularly, but at least it's possible that it isn't anybody specifically trying to drive you crazy.

[Ariana Celeste]

12. I hadn't even thought of that

Thanks for giving me an option that doesn't piss me off. The ringing sucks but now I feel a bit better.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

14. Not likely. If it's a fax, there's usually a beeping noise on the other

end

[Ariana Celeste]

15. well damn.

Lol. I guess I'll just have to go the $$ route then!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

16. Sorry to piss in the punchbowl there!

Just when you were beginning to feel better about it :evilfrown:

[Ariana Celeste]

17. Lol!

No problem. Just means I have to *do* something. And lord knows I hate doing stuff. :P

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

18. Doing is for people who can't BE

:evilgrin:

[Bossy Monkey]

19. Was thinking that fax machines today are smart enough to know when

they aren't talking to another fax machine, but not smart enough not to retry every 10 minutes. Still, as a person long ago anointed as a technopeasant, I have no worries about learning that I don't know anything about fax machines.:)