To expect EE/TMobile to be able to block sex abuse caller?

[gleekster]

Got a nasty sexually abusive call on my mobile late last night.
Great!

I hung up after 10 seconds. It was from a restricted number which I only answered because both my teenagers were out.

So I hardly sleep all night baseball bat under pillow and look at mobile website this morning. Oh yes, they can contact the police on my behalf blah blah. I call them and no, sorry they don't do this at all.

It's on their fucking website!! OK, can they block restricted/withheld numbers from dialling me?

No, because someone might want to call me withholding their number. Er, yes, TO MAKE A SEXUALLY ABUSIVE PHONE CALL!!!

Apparently there is no way of stopping withheld numbers calling you on a mobile. If I change my number I still have to give it out for work and could very well hand it out to the mystery caller again.

I guess I have to call the police and tackle it that way, but FFS!!!!!!

Thanks for letting me rant.

My android phone has a "blocking mode" setting that only lets designated calls through. You designate the numbers, (just family/friends, or whatever) and set the times. It's also a convenient way of blocking work related calls after business hours.

I screen all withheld numbers. If it's legit, they'll leave a message.

On the iPhones you can now (post iOS7) block individual numbers. Don't suppose it's an iPhone? Most phones do have a setting that enables you to block 'number witheld' numbers though, afaik.

But YANBU - I had to change my phone number eventually due to hassle from an ex - I did ask my provider (o2) why they couldn't block numbers and didn't get an answer.

I'm sorry you've had such a shitty call and no support

Look into a phone that can do this, as mentioned above, and buy it on payg and then activate the service.

Hopefully it won't happen again.

If it does, just answer the call, and leave the phone on the side, let them waste their money/minutes while you go and do something else.

If you blocked restricted/withheld numbers, then your sons couldn't get through if using one ... but then if you really don't mind not receiving calls from withheld numbers, just don't answer them.

I had nuisance calls from a number I didn't recognise a few years ago. The police investigated and told me who it was. He had a harassment warning and the calls stopped.

On an Android phone you can block any number from calling you.

It isn't an Iphone. I can block specific numbers, but cannot block "restricted/number withheld" calls.

I know I don't have to answer but then it is still unsettling IYKWIM?

It's just tricky when you have teens out and about who regularly lose phones/run out of battery etc and call from mates phones. A lot of them seem to have number withheld these days......

I think I will speak to the police and see what they suggest. It is freaking me out that this is a man who knows me and has chosen to target me in this way, and I have no idea who it is.

YABU. The networks do not have the facilities to do this. If the number is not withheld you can report the number to the police. The networks can give you a new number.

Almost all phones have a number blocking facility of some sort ( except possibly some versions of Windows Phones) . Android is the system I know best and there are countless apps which will do this.

You can download software for your ohone that blocks numbers and groups.

"It's just tricky when you have teens out and about who regularly lose phones/run out of battery etc and call from mates phones. A lot of them seem to have number withheld these days......"

This isn't your problem, if they are old enough to have a phone, they are old enough to look after it, charge it every night and be reponsible.

The number was withheld so I cannot give it to the police. Sorry if I haven't made that clear. I cannot block the number as I do not have it. The problem with getting a new number is that I could then just give out my new number to the offending bastard again, as I don't know who it is!!

All I wanted the mobile provider to do was to block "withheld" numbers from calling me. My landline provider can do this but apparently mobile providers will not.

I have spoken to the police who were very helpful. I have an appointment to see an officer tomorrow and they have said they will be able to force Tmobile to release the number which is fantastic.

If the number is registered to someone they can prosecute. The only stumbling block will be if the caller is using a PAYG they bought off someone down the pub that isn't actually registered.

Sorry for drip feeding....The fucker used my name so it isn't random. That is why I am so upset and so determined to find out who he is. It could be someone I see every week. It is making me feel ill.

Can you have a system for your kids? Say, two rings, ring off then ring again? That way, you will know when it is your kids and will pick up, and all other withheld numbers go unanswered?

The networks as far as I am aware simply do not have the facilities to do this. If it's really a problem I suggest you buy an Android phone and install an application such as Call Control which will allow you to set it to reject unknown numbers or numbers withheld or where there is no caller ID.

You will run the risk of not being able to receive calls from any number of perfectly legitimate businesses or services. For example if my office calls you it will come up as withheld. The reason for this is if people don't have answering machines, if they were to ring back, it will go to reception who won't be able to tell who out of several hundred people might have called you.

Your caller might be setting his number to be withheld or using a business number which is withheld.

Definitely report it to your local police station OP, they must have ways of tracking these things down.

From EEs website on what they can do.
You can go directly to the police to make a complaint if you already have the number of the caller.
If the number is withheld, EE can identify it, but we can only give it to the police in the course of an investigation.
If you want us to identify the number and contact the police on your behalf please call150 from your EE phone or 07953 966 250from any other phone.

Perhaps in the meantime, you could suggest your boys text your first if they really have to call from a withheld number.

Thanks guys
Caitlin yes that is what the website says, but when I called they said "oh yeah, we don't actually do that. We have to get that taken off the website. Yeah, you aren't the first person to complain about the fact we advertise that we do this and actually we don't"
Really fucking helpful!
Luckily the police have been far more sympathetic and helpful and if the callers number is registered then they will tell me who it is and then I can decide how I want to proceed with harassment orders etc. If it isn't registered then I will have to very reluctantly change my number. This may not eliminate the problem though if the caller is one of my friends or workmates who I will have to give my new number to.
The awful thing about it is that I now suspect almost every man I know. Until I know who it is, they are all suspects and that is an awful way to have to live....

YABU. The networks do not have the facilities to do this. If the number is not withheld you can report the number to the police. The networks can give you a new number.

The networks do have the facility to do this, in that the information is available to them. They may not have implemented it. Some have, so there's no reason they couldn't all do it (cf. BT "Choose to Refuse").

A tutorial on CLI.

The calling party's number is forwarded whether or not the "withhold" flag is set. The last exchange it hits then either delivers it (normal case) or sends Withheld (the withheld case).

Consider "Choose to Refuse". You receive an unwanted call from a Withheld number. You hit the magic key sequence, and your network stores the fact that you don't want any more calls from that number. It can do that, because it has the caller's number. It can block subsequent calls from that number, because it will have the caller's number to look up in the list. It's compliant with regulations, because it doesn't show you the number, it just looks it up in a list that is also doesn't show you.

If a network is deemed untrustworthy, and instead of respecting the withheld flag there is evidence that it might release the CLI to the called party, then the CLI is stripped from all calls before the call is handed over. But that also strips the withheld flag, and all calls crossing between those networks come up as "unavailable". That's why international CLI is quite rare (getting more common, but still nothing like universal): even if the signalling is compatible, the data protection/privacy/etc legislation may make it difficult to pass CLI over the boundary.

OP you haven't said what sort of phone it is. If it's an Android there are apps available that will let you block 'number withheld' calls.

Look here:
appcrawlr.com/android-apps/best-apps-withheld-numbers

Thanks sallying. The police were great today. They will get the number off tmobile. Fingers crossed it is registered to someone.
I am just praying it isn't someone I know and respect and trust. At the moment I am doubting everyone and that is horrible.
If we can't trace the caller I will look into using an app to block withheld numbers or getting a new phone if necessary.