The Criminality In Phone Call Harassment

By Tonia Michael


Phone call harassment is an act through which one disturbs, threatens or abuses another person through mobile communications. This conduct can be done frequently and may get irritating. According to people proficient in the legal profession, this is a serious crime. Anyone going through such problems is asked to visit the law enforcement authorities. Most people receive such communications at odd times of the day. The fact that the strangers keep calling, even at the wee hours of the morning, makes the habit annoying.

There are many types of harassment in the society, sexual defilement being the most common of all. Even if many people are not aware that abuse can take place through a mere telephone call, it is currently a rampant, public wrong. What a majority of the citizens do not know is the fact that the annoyance in a mere message is a crime that can be prosecuted in a court of law.

Many people assume that phone harassment is only said to have taken place when the stranger makes a number of irritating calls. On the contrary, even a single piece of communication can constitute a crime depending on the contents of the message, the time of such contact and the relationship between the initiator of the message and the recipient.

It has also been noted that sometimes the callers do not talk at all. This is also considered as gross annoyance. It is, therefore, evident that not only abusive words can cause irritation. The law enforcers from the police department of Dallas advise that one should immediately report to the nearest police station when such a thing occurs.

The police and other intelligence authorities insist on documented evidence by the accuser. This, for example, may include the time at which the communication took place, the gender of the person who made the call, the exact words that were used, and the number that was used. This is highly encouraged since it ensures investigation takes place exceptionally fast and effectively.

It is essential to report such cases to the network dealers with whom the affected party is registered. This is because they have functioning systems that can be used to find the criminals easily. In some cases, after the recipient has allowed them, they can block incoming calls from the said person. This saves the victim the mental torture of having to listen to the stranger.

Law enforcers advise that in the event that someone is harassed over the telephone, they should not threaten the caller. This is because threats amount to a punishable public wrong. The victims are also advised not to pretend to be policemen as this constitutes a crime referred to as impersonation.

In the year 1997, a law guarding debtors was enacted and given power by the American constitution. This amendment of the supreme law declared illegal the decision of a debt collector to make unnecessarily many calls demanding payment from a person. According to the provisions of the Act, a loan collector is not supposed to contact debtors more than thrice in a week. Contacting the business partner more than the stated number of times would result to phone call harassment.




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