an ugly new scam directed at women

[niyad]

a friend has, in the last week, been the victim of some extremely ugly and threatening phone calls, including one that threatened her with rape.

in talking with the incident commander (having learned that such calls are regarded as nuisances and misdemeanors), I learned that there is a pattern in these calls. they escalate, and then, the caller starts demanding money. a brand new protection racket. the commander told me the scam is not wide-spread, but it is happening.

[Not Ruth]

1. How does the caller stop the victim from hanging up?

[niyad]

2. please tell me you forgot the sarcasm icon.

[anneboleyn]

8. Why?! We never answer & we know every # that shows up on our cells. Block the number or

if they are leaving voice mails with these threatening messages, keep them for the police. Obviously voicemails would be useful for the police -- and of course she should be keeping track of the numbers as they can be traced and she should also be blocking them immediately (very easy to do on a cell phone).

I don't know why you said that the other poster should use /s -- why? These suggestions seem to be pretty basic and obvious in the modern world. We receive strange calls all the time on our home phone and on our cell phones. We NEVER answer numbers we don't recognize as anyone with whom we wish to speak will leave a message and/or communicate via text. We block any repeat and/or annoying or obnoxious callers. I don't understand why anyone would stay on the phone with and talk repeatedly to a person who is making threats or asking for money? Maybe I just don't understand the situation but it doesn't make sense to me. HANG UP. BLOCK THE NUMBERS. REPORT VOICE MAILS AND NUMBERS TO THE POLICE.

I have no idea why someone would talk with a person on the phone repeatedly as some scumbag made threatening remarks (threatening rape ffs??!)

[Skittles]

26. ?

I hang up immediately if someone doesn't get to the point

[elehhhhna]

3. there's this new thing out called VOICE mail

[kcr]

4. How does hanging up a phone stop the threats or make them any less of a threat?

Seriously, I'd like to hear about this magical power.

[Demit]

10. Pretty sure it would work the same as with obscene calls

If you hang up right away, the caller can't get his jollies from you & will move on to try his luck elsewhere.

[kcr]

12. Where in the article does it state that the women didn't hang up?

We had tax scammers recently calling and trying to scam people. I was one of the people called and I hung up right away. But I would never claim it was no big deal because hey, you can just hang up. They're still criminals. The scammers were eventually found and arrested, and the criminals discussed in the OP should be, too.

[Demit]

14. I made the assumption from the OP: if the caller was on long enough to make threats or

demand money, that meant the women stayed on the line long enough to listen.

I was answering your question "How does hanging up a phone stop the threats." I did not claim it was no big deal so don't put words in my mouth.

[kcr]

15. We only know they remained on the line long enough to know it was a threat.

How that makes it their fault is beyond me. You're assuming that they stayed on the line to have a lengthy chat.

[Demit]

17. Who said it was their fault? You are having a conversation with yourself that nobody else is in on.

I did not assume a lengthy chat. What I assumed was a caller speaking longer & saying more than just "Hello, I'm going to rape you." Then "Hello. Me again, now I want you to give me money."

[anneboleyn]

11. ? We don't answer any numbers we don't know on our cells as we have both received strange/evil

calls of all sorts over the years. If these threats are very specific involving a person's name and address (all of which is available to anyone on the internet) then yes report it to the police and BLOCK THE NUMBERS. If a person blocks a number and/or hangs up immediately then one avoids listening to some asshole rant on about anything (my husband has received obscene and threatening calls in the past too -- it's not confined to women of course).

On a cell you can avoid, easily and instantly, answering unknown numbers, and block the number without any need to answer it. Why would anyone ANSWER UNKNOWN CALLS AND THEN SIT AND LISTEN T WHATEVER SOME ASSHOLE IS SAYING? It could be a random idiot, it could be a telemarketing scam, etc etc. The number can also be traced and reported. We don't answer as both of us (husband too) have received weird calls -- one very aggressive call when my husband had a brand new cell in which a man screamed at my husband so loudly I could hear it across the room and threatened all sorts of things while calling him by an entirely different name until the husband hung up after a few seconds. He blocked the number. We haven't answered unknown numbers for years, and we routinely block them.

[kcr]

13. Like I asked above. Where does it say the women didn't hang up?

It doesn't. I hung up right away when a scammer called me. I'm still glad they were found and arrested.

[cwydro]

21. I never answer unknown numbers.

If someone were to leave a threat on my email, I'd block that number...also report it if possible.

I agree with you. Odd that someone would stay on the line for a threat.

[bettyellen]

5. you think it's okay to harass someone just because they pick up the phone?

[Not Ruth]

6. I did not say that

Pick up, the caller has 1 second to say something worth listening to, or the phone is hung up and the number blocked. Most calls are scams.

[Throck]

7. Beyond scam, sounds criminal.

[Warpy]

9. It is criminal and unless the creep is using a burner phone

they'll track him down eventually. Shoot, they'll trap him if he tries to collect any money.

[Throck]

16. I've taught my daughter to take no one's crap.

The secret is in not showing fear. Pure and simple, it's psychological warfare. Never surrender your power. These fucks probe and look for the weak.

[Warpy]

18. My mother used a cap pistol over the phone

to scare them off and it worked. I thought about an air horn, but opted instead to play a game to try to get them to hang up on me. Since I was a nurse with a big vocabulary and a very creatively sick mind, I always won and they never called again.

Hanging up doesn't work. They just keep calling back.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

19. I had that in the last two weeks

I got a random text filled with profanity and demanding sex acts. Pretty juvenile sounding. I replied I was more interested in people who actually had grown pubic hair and blocked the number. No problems since, but I am concerned how this person got my number to begin with.

[cwydro]

22. Why in the world would you respond?

You've immediately put yourself on their level in doing so.

I don't get that.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

23. You said that, I didn't

After years of playing video games and dealing with desperate tweenage virgins out to prove how "manly" they are, I have no patience for that crap. That's exactly how these texts came across.

And anyway, why do you care about my decisions?

[cwydro]

24. If you post on a message board, people may respond.

[HeartachesNhangovers]

20. That's not a scam - that's extortion, and it's a crime

whether your local cops want to do anything about it or not. Wouldn't hurt to give the local FBI office a call.

[niyad]

28. I did suggest that she contact cbi here.

[chowder66]

25. If this came in on a landline she can use this....

anonymous call rejection

To enable it, just pick up your phone and press "*77.” You should hear three short beeps to let you know it's activated, and then you can hang up. After that, all calls that come in as Anonymous, Private (a favorite of robocallers), or Blocked won’t get through. You can turn the feature off whenever you want by pressing "*87.” Virtually every phone company has this feature built right into your service, and it’s just sitting there waiting for you.

you can google it if you want more information. I think there are tricks for cell phones as well.

[niyad]

29. the number this sicko used was not blocked or private--it actually showed up on her id.

the cops are, according to them, taking this seriously. I am not holding my breath.

[appleannie1943]

27. I screen all my calls. If I don't recognize the name or number of the caller, I don't ever answer.

I figure if it is important, they will leave a message and number to call.

[niyad]

30. you know, it absolutely amazes me the assumptions people make, managing to blame

the victim,regardless of circumstances, even on a progressive board. my friend does not, as many of us do not, answer the phone if the number is not recognized. the calls were left on her voicemail.

seriously disappointed.