If you are receiving threatening phone calls, they should be viewed with the same seriousness as a personal threat. The reason for this is simple – if you reveal any information about yourself or your family, the next step the caller may take is a personal invasion. Or worse – a personal attack.

Anonymity is their shield and your best defense too

A caller that makes threatening calls often thinks they are untouchable because they are using an anonymous means or unknown telephone numbers to reach you. They view this as empowering – they can say or do anything they want because they have no fear of repercussions. They think they can’t be identified and this is part of their satisfaction in making the calls to you.

Giving Away Any Personal Information to an Unknown Caller is ALWAYS a Mistake

Second on the list of importance to the threatening caller is a desire to extract any information about you that can be used to exacerbate the attack or make subsequent, more effective attacks on you. You do not owe anyone you don’t know and that cannot clearly identify themselves any information or anything else. Whatever it is they ask you about is their problem. Don’t make a bad situation worse by arming them with any information about you, your habits, roommates or other people you know – anything that can serve as a source of empowerment. Whatever they seek to know is your business and their problem.

It’s Your Phone – Control the Call

The simplest way to deal with a predator making threatening phone calls is simply to control the call. Decide how short the call will be. Determine in advance what your ground rules are for talking to any stranger on the phone. Once any of those limits are exceeded – hang up! You have no obligation to spend more than a few seconds talking to anyone you don’t know on the phone. Most people that get calls like these already know what subjects or questions are out-of-bounds, but fail to clarify these situations in their own minds. Make sure
you know what your limits are and end the conversations accordingly.

What to do if they keep calling:

One of two things. Firstly, you can have your phone blocking incoming calls or a reverse phone lookup can be performed. The point is that people that choose to make threatening calls – by land line or cellular can be tracked effectively now. The information found can be submitted to law enforcement and, instead of being perceived prey, you turn the tables on these predators.

Virtually any caller can be identified. Once identified, they have lost any advantage they have. When you call them by name, they will often be the ones hanging up the phone as fast as possible. The game is over for them at this point and there is little concern about more calls being received from this caller. Use the search box above to find out who is calling you!

Dealing with threatening phone calls used to be a game very much in favor of the predator. The tables have now been turned in favor of the receiver of the calls, provided they use the simple information contained here and pursue whatever remedies are necessary or called for.