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4.0 - Updated on 2024-02-07 by Scott Lamb

3.0 - Updated on 2023-01-26 by Denise Moser

2.0 - Updated on 2019-11-26 by Chelsea Noble

1.0 - Authored on 2015-12-04 by Chelsea Noble

Issue

My campus phone is targeted by a scammer, telemarketer or harasser.

 

Resolution

Contact the OIT Help Desk with the phone number of the caller that is harassing you, and the specifics of why the number should be blocked. We will give the number to our Telephony Services team, so that they can block it from calling in again. Since blocking this number affects all of campus, Telephony Services reserves the right to reject a request for blocking a number.

Unfortunately, the caller ID is often forged and blocking the number does not do anything to stop the callers. They just add a new mask number and continue with their scams. The following are suggestions for handling the harassing calls, but the suggestions do not guarantee they will stop the calls.

  1. When a call is received the caller should do the following:
    1. Note the date and time of the call.
    2. Note the name of the caller, the name of the company, the address and phone number of the company.
    3. Clearly state: "I am not interested. Please remove this phone number from your call list and place it on your -DO NOT CALL- list immediately. Please do not call back."
  2. If you are called back by the same company, report them to one or all of the following:
    1. FTC (Federal Trade Commission) call 1-877-382-4357 and follow the instructions to talk with a counselor and register a complaint, their web site is: http://www.ftc.gov
    2. FCC (Federal Communications Commission) call 1-888-225-5322 and follow the instructions to talk with a counselor and register a complaint, their web site is http://www.fcc.gov
    3. Indiana Attorney General's Office - call 1-800-382-5516 and follow their prompts for filling out a complaint form.
  3. Be very careful with giving out any information about yourself (e.g. to surveys, for registrations, etc.) Generally, it is not advised to give out any information about yourself to the telemarketer. For example, if they ask for a phone number and you give your dorm number it may end up in a database to be sold to any number of vendors who will call you at a later date. The following web sites may also be helpful:
    1. http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/coldcall.htm
    2. http://www.consumer.gov/section/scams-and-identity-theft
  4. The University provides "Caller ID" capability on all campus phones. The students can, if they choose, purchase and install a Caller Id device that will block incoming calls from callers that block their ID to the called party. Some also allow an identified number(s) to be blocked too. Of course the Caller ID box would show the number calling them and they could choose to not pick up numbers they do not recognize.