Information

ANNOYING CALLS                    IDENTITY THEFT                    H1N1

ANNOYING OR OBSCENE TELEPHONE CALLS

General Law c.269 s.14A

Annoying, harassing, hang-up, or obscene telephone calls are becoming more and more commonplace today even with advanced technology in communications, such as Caller ID with name, Call Trace *57, Call Blocking *67, Line Blocking *82, Repeat Dialing *66 and Return Dialing *69. Today, we're able to trace a phone call back to the caller by pressing a couple of buttons on your telephone. This is an excellent tool for the homeowner and law enforcement to identify the caller.

These types of calls are evident in bad relationships, the breakup of a relationship, a disgruntled employee, unhappy customer, a neighbor and the like. The caller has a sole purpose to annoy or harass. There is a solution and these types of calls can be stopped.

In Massachusetts, MA General Law c. 269 s. 14A is the chapter and section that one can be charged with for annoying or obscene telephone calls. There are 3 elements to the law that must be met. The person repeatedly made telephone calls or caused telephone calls to be made (at least 3 calls), to the victim or the victim's family and the person's language was indecent or obscene, or the person's sole purpose was to harass or molest the victim or the victim's family. Penalty: Misdemeanor.

SOME INITIAL STEPS TO TAKE

Call Trace is an effective way of combating annoying, threatening and harassing phone calls. The only calls you should trace are those which are considered life threatening or harassing to the point at which you are willing to press criminal charges. Using the switching power of the Verizon network, you can accomplish on your own what used to require complicated intervention. Call Trace will trace a bothersome call, record your number and the number of the caller, then forward the information to the Verizon Unlawful Call Center. You will not receive the telephone number of the person who called. This information will be retrieved and held by the Unlawful Call Center. This traced information will only be released to legally empowered authorities. You should make a note of the date and time of the call that you traced as a reference when you follow up with the Verizon Unlawful Call Center and the Boxborough Police Department.

TRACING PHONE CALLS

Verizon provides the following service that helps put an end to annoying and obscene phone calls by tracing the last incoming call. It provides essential information to authorities if an investigation is required. (There is a fee for tracing phone calls) When you want to trace a phone call;

1. Hang up then lift the receiver and listen for a dial tone.

2. Press *57 or for rotary phone dial 1157.

3. An announcement will tell you the call was traced and give you further instructions. You will not receive the number from Verizon. The results of a successful trace will only be provided to the police or other legal authorities.

How do I find out who's making the phone calls? The Boxborough Police Department will investigate annoying phone calls within Boxborough only. If you're getting these phone calls it is requested that you call the Verizon Unlawful Call Center, (formerly the Unlawful Call Bureau) and open up a case. The Unlawful Call Center will provide you with further instructions. The Phone Company will not provide the police with any information until you have opened a case with them, unless it is an extreme emergency.

Next, contact the Boxborough Police Department and speak to a police officer advising that you would like to file a complaint regarding annoying phone calls. After providing the officer with your information, obtain the POLICE CASE NUMBER. You may need this case number for the Phone Company.

If you have successfully traced 3 or more phone calls you will be notified. When you're notified by the phone company call the Boxborough Police, and give the officer the case number provided to you by the UCC. An officer will contact the UCC and they will provide the officer with the information on all calls traced. The information provided would be the telephone number, the address where the call was placed from, and the person's name the phone number is listed to. The UCC will send the investigating police officer a report and the list of numbers traced.

The officer will contact you (victim/reporting party) and tell you the date and time of the call, the address where the call originates from and who the phone number belongs to. If, after hearing the person's name and address, further investigation is needed the officer will assist you. Many times, once a parent or the reporting party hears the name and address, they wish to handle the problem themselves without police involvement. And this may be a better solution depending on the situation. Once you close a case with the UCC and the calls persist, you must call them again to open up another case.

SOME ADDITIONAL NOTES

No conversation is necessary. It does not matter whether the person had a conversation with the victim, only that the person made the telephone calls or had them made. It must be proved that the person's only purpose was to annoy, harass or molest, unless the person used obscene language. If a person makes repeated telephone calls in a short period of time, or in the middle of the night, and hangs up when someone answers the phone, it is reasonable to infer that the calls were made for the purpose of harassment. Call 800-518-5507 or contact your local phone company for the Verizon Unlawful Call Center office in your area at 1-877-TRACE4U (1-877-872-2348).

IDENTITY THEFT

The Boxborough Police Department would like to encourage residents to take the time to learn about the dangers and vulnerabilities regarding the crime of identity theft. Identity theft can happen to anyone. By making yourself and others aware of savvy thieves or things you can do for free, you’ll be better protected.

LATEST IDENTITY THEFT SCAM TRENDS:
Type: U.S. Census Scam
Method of Delivery: In Person
Primary Region Effected: All Regions (National)
Source: Better Business Bureau (www.BBB.org)
Scam Characteristics:
Beginning March of this year the U.S. Census Bureau's will send out a short questionnaire to every household in the U.S. and Puerto Rico in an effort to collect important demographic data. As a citizen, you are required by law to respond to the 10 short questions. From April to July, those that haven't completed their census will receive a visit at their home address from a census taker.

Identity criminals are taking advantage of the census law and targeting unsuspecting victims in an attempt to steal sensitive information. The scams perpetrated range from fraudulent emails designed to obtain sensitive information to attempts to impersonate census collectors.

Most Citizens don't think twice about sharing personal information with a census worker, and that's why these scams can be very effective. It's important to remember there are distinct differences between a real census worker and an identity thief posing as a census worker.

U.S. Census workers will have identification, a handheld device and a confidentiality notice. But these things can be easily fabricated, so it's important to know what census workers will not do:

• They will not ask for your Social Security number or financial information, e.g. bank or credit card accounts.
• They will not ask you for money or say that you owe money.
• They will not harass or intimidate you.
• They will not contact you by email- only by phone, by mail, or in person.

For more information on this scam or variations of it visit the Social Security Administration’s website at www.ssa.gov. Use the search function and enter keywords "email scam".

This page will provide victims with a list of resources and instructions when dealing with an identity theft situation.

The Boxborough Police Department will assist victims associated with this crime, but unfortunately, the victims themselves are burdened with resolving their own credit problems. Victims of identity theft must act quickly and assertively to minimize the damage to their good name and credit history. When dealing with the authorities and financial institutions, try to keep a log of all your conversations, including dates, times, names, and phone numbers.

A police report must be filed with your local police department.

1. Contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus and report the theft. Ask that a "fraud alert" be placed on your file and that no new credit be granted without your approval.

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 www.equifax.com

Experian: 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com

Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289 www.transunion.com

2. For any accounts that have been fraudulently accessed or opened, contact the security department of the appropriate creditor or financial institution. Close these accounts and put passwords (not your mother's maiden name or Social Security number) on any new accounts you open.

3. To report fraudulent use of your personal checks, contact the following national checking agencies:

CheckRite: 1-800-766-2748

Chexsystems: 1-800-428-9623

CrossCheck: 1-800-843-0760

Certigy/Equifax: 1-800-437-5120

International Check: 1-800-526-5380

SCAN: 1-800-262-7771

TeleCheck: 1-800-710-9898

4. You must file a report with your local police department or the police department where the identity theft took place. Get the report number or a copy of the report in case the bank, credit card company or others need proof of the crime later.

5. Call the ID Theft Clearinghouse toll-free at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338) to report the theft. Counselors will take your complaint and advise you on how to deal with the credit-related problems that could result from ID theft. The Identity Theft Hotline gives you one place to report the theft to the federal government and receive helpful information. For more information, the following (non-profit) websites are great resources on identity theft:

Federal Trade Commission www.consumer.gov/idtheft

Identity Theft Resource Center www.idtheftcenter.org

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse www.privacyrights.org

Social Security Online www.ssa.gov/pubs/idtheft.htm

U.S. Postal Inspection Service www.usps.com/postalinspectors

If you need further assistance, please feel free to contact the Boxborough Police Department and a detective will try to answer questions regarding your case.

The information above has been adapted from our friends at the Westborough Police Department.

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