5. What can my local phone company do if I am receiving harassing calls?

If the calls are frequent or particularly threatening, the phone company can set up a "Trap" on your phone line. The Trap allows the phone company to determine the telephone number from which the harassing calls originate. You must keep a log noting the time and date the harassing calls are received. Traps are usually set up for no more than two weeks. The phone company does not charge a fee for Traps.

A phone company service called Call Trace may also be able to help track down harassing calls. Immediately after receiving a harassing call, you enter the code *57 on your phone and the call is automatically traced. Call Trace is easier than using a Trap since the customer does not have to keep a phone log. But Call Trace technology works only within the local service area. (Look in the "Customer Guide" section of the phone book or the phone company's web site for a description of your local service area.)

Call Trace must be set up in advance by the individual receiving harassing calls, and it requires a fee for use. However, in situations where the phone company would ordinarily use a Trap, you might not be charged if the phone company suggests that Call Trace be used as an alternative. Be sure to ask.

The information collected from Call Trace or from a Trap is turned over to law enforcement personnel, not the customer. Law enforcement officers try to stop the harassing calls by either warning or arresting the harasser. With both Call Trace and a Trap, your phone conversations are not listened to or recorded by the phone company.

I previously wrote here,  I too am getting these calls same m.o. Same guy, same time. I bought a electronic device that sends waves to remove my number and the recorded message to remove me and place me on do not call list! But this guy must be dialing directly it does not work.  I even started answering in two different languages also I acted like an old lady stating that person is broke in bankruptcy yes " are you calling on his bankruptcy ? Sorry he ant pay you etc.. Thinking that would stop as they seem to want to sell pharmacy stuff.  He mimicked me and wanted my info, to get my cc to him,, this guy is a scammer.  And I am going to call phone company to place a trap,   State next time this to him!,, Operator this is the caller , place the trap now.  Trap is used to find where the call is coming from the phone company. Free I think.

Phone carrier can possibly put a temporary (eg 3-6 month) block on that number from calling in to yours.

I rec'd a call from this # yesterday.  Also caller ID of "Hewitt Assoc".  Man w/ a heavy accent told me the same thing-  Ma'am, your computer is infected and sending error messages...  He wanted me to turn my computer on, and said he would show me what he was talking about.  NO WAY.  I totally felt like this was a Phishing scam trying to gain access to my computer, and then sell my some kind of service.  I hung up on him!  (Also tried to call back- and yes, the # is disconnected.  DEFCINATELY some kind of scam going on here!)

Hewitt Asssoc called and left a message while I was out.  They're looking for a person I've never heard of in reference to a specific case # in another county in Maryland. They gave me an 888 # which I did not call because who knows where or who that belongs to. When I entered that 888#, it couldn't giveme the identity for the owner of that number.  At the end of the call, the lady said that this means that the person has officially been notified about this case.  I called the Hewitt number back and it's not in service.

Got a call from this number.  Hewitt Assoc. on the caller Id.  I always answer these calls and sound like a 95 year old man cause nobody wants to talk to or explain anything to old people.  Learned it from my dad 30 years ago.  Asked for my wife I said she was not here and they said thanks and hung up.

Hewitt Assoc 646-434-2902
Lady who sounds Russian and hard to understand. Selling toner or some other b***s*** I don't ever need. Didn't know anything about my household that I could tell

Answered. They told me they were receiving error meesages from my pc. I said 'get to the point'. Tried to get me to give them access. I then hung up. It's a scam.... as usual

I got a call which came up as Hewitt Associates ... when I picked up somebody said (apparently talking to someone else on the other end) "She stood me up!"  And then the line went dead.

Usual "Card Services" credit card debt reduction scam.

Indian woman? called me from number 646-434-2902
the name on the caller id  said Hewitt Associates.

she asking for a relative who has NEVER lived with me .. said it was an urgent personal matter and i asked for a return number they gave me 866-256-1181  

My advise never pick up for a number you don't recognize. let them speak on your answering machine if you recognize the voice then pick up lol

beware also its the jamaica scam they use this number too.

Called all morning, 1st call unknown name, unknown number, 2nd call private, 3rd call hewitt assoc, 4th call phone4. Goes to voicemail you can hear other people talking like a solicitation pool.
I am on a do not call registry, doesn't matter to them. I called the number back and got a series of clicks and a disconnect.

Keep getting these calls several times a week...I don't answer calls that I do not know after being
scammed out of money from telemarkers...I am on do not call list but that doesn't seem to help...Wish I could flush them down the toliet where they belong...Don't they have something better to do with their time....I did not call them back as there is a small # on the top of my caller ID which appears to possible be a code number if I call back...It has a check mark by the # 449.  Does anyone know for sure what that significies?

Received same call from same number saturday afternoon.  I went along for a while to see what was up.  They asked me to go to my computer and to look in the event log for some sort of error message. I hung up after that as it seemed as if they were looking for information to  allow them into my system.

Received a call on 3/02/12 from Hewitt Assoc.  They said they were calling about by computer. I heard voices in the background and the caller was foreign.  Figured it was a scam so I told him he had the wrong #.   I purchased a computer last week from Staples and wonder if there is a connection.  If they call back again I will play along and see what they want.

Repeated calls for the last 6 years from Online Pharmacy.  Have told them repeatedly to take my name off the list, ask to speak to supervisor and get hung up on.  Now the calls are coming in at 7:48 a.m. every morning getting really personal by speaking my first name to the answering machine.  Even going so far to yell my name and tell me to pick up.  I have tried to block the # but there is no such #.

I answered the phone....caller ID said Hewitt Assoc.  He started to talk to me about my computer--since I have never contacted anyone about my computer, I asked him to talk me off of the calling list.  He informed me I had to call the DNC line, I told him my number was already on the Do Not Call registry, he repeated it again.  I asked to speak to his manager, and he proceeded to use very foul language...is there a number I can call to report this??

They called 5 times today, and 3 times yesterday.   After the 1st call, I will not answer when I see the caller ID.  I'm glad we have caller ID, but this is getting annoying!

Received an unknown call on my cell.  Than this number called my house.  Says they are a private investigator and me or my attorney need to call them regarding a matter I am "involved" with.  But the call back number is 210.892.1038.

Of course my spouse is now yelling at me wondering what it is about.

Multiple calls - they leave no msg on VM and are silent when ans.  How do we get these calls to stop?

Even more strange.  My daughter lives in the UK and she was calling from her cell number, which is a US based cell phone.  I picked up the phone because I knew she was calling and it came up as Hewitt Assoc, with 646-434-2902.  Really strange!

Received a call a few minutes ago.  It was a fax machine so it's probably trying to send a junk fax.  I hate when faxes call because they usually keep redialing all night and since I'm on call 24/7 I can't turn off my ringer.  F*tards.

Heavy foreign accent.  Had some story that a computer from my phone number had been infected with malware and was corrupting their files (or something like that.)  Asked that I turn on go to my computer and turned it on.  Said he would wait while I did this.  I hung up.

Called again the next day.  I did not answer, no message left.

THIS WAS A SOLICITATION FROM THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE. ANSWERED THE PHONE 4 TIMES B-4 SOMEONE WAS THERE. THESE YAHOOS ARE PROBABLY EMPLOYED BY                BUM-BAMA".

Received first call from this number 646-434-2902.  Caller ID showed Phone3.  They hung up as soon as my VM picked up.  Another call web site I use to check unknown callers classifies this number as a "spoofed" number, which means that the caller "tricked" your caller ID to display an incorrect phone number."  Seems to be a telemarketing trick.

Got a call from this # . Caller i.d. Hewitt Assoc.  This is the thirteenth different # that has been calling my home phone in the last 3 weeks ,2-3 times a day . All the same m.o.  no message most of the time no caller i.d. I am on the do not call list . I am ready to get rid of my house phone !!!!  I do not owe anybody anything , no car loans ,credit cards, etc. This is driving me  nuts. What can I do to make this stop?

Just received a call from these morons. Never identify themselves or who they are looking for. I love harassing these idiots. The guy was either Pakistnai or Japanese. I asked what country he was calling from, "California", and his name was John Smith. Toy with these morons. They are also spoofing their numbers, which means you won't get the same number twice from them.

Stop calling! You are a nuisance and quite annoying. Multiple calls per day, no message, and when we answer the call disconnects. Comes up as Hewitt Assoc. Still getting calls even though the number they call is on the Do Not Call registry. Isn't there legal recourse for these types of calls?

stop calling me don't know who you are