Mobile phone numbers

Y

yadreamin

Hi All
I have had a couple of harassing mobile sms messages. How can l find out whose sending these messages. The messages are specific to me so its not a mistake.I have not rang the number back as l think that will only give them gratification. Its really bothering me who it is and how they have my number. I rarely use my mobile and never give out the number, only to family or close friends. How can l trace the number?
cheers yadreamin
 
Ya dreamen you probably already know however it is an offence to send you these harrasing messages over the phone by the person sending them. (Telecommunication Act). Depending and what is messaged of course.

Ignoring is the best measure as you are doing I believe. It makes it very boring fort the person sending the messages.

ta

POB
 
Without hesitation, I'd be contacting whichever company you have your mobile with. While they probably won't give you details of the offending number (privacy laws), they should be able to offer some other forms of assistance.

:cool:
 
You haven't been speaking to Shane Warne recently have you? :D

Seriously, if you're concerned about the messages, report it to the police.

Cheers,
GP
 
Why not call them from a blocked number phone or public phone so they won't know who called. :D

And if that doesn't work and the police or telephone company won't reveal their identity would one of those reserse telephone number web sites do the trick?
 
yadreamin said:
Hi All
I have had a couple of harassing mobile sms messages. How can l find out whose sending these messages. How can l trace the number?
cheers yadreamin
Click to expand...
You can dial the number from a land line but to stop sending your phone ID to THEM simply put 1831 in first, then their number - see who answers and if you recognize their voice. Otherwise no other way of finding them - Telstra shut down all the reverse number outfits like Black Pages and Dtms etc.

Other than that - suggest you ignore it - how hard is it to delete the message without reading it? I do this with e-mails all the time. It gives the sender no pleasure and it costs them money (in the case of SMS) - they'll give up eventually.

Aimy
 
if its a concern, do not delete the messages and attend your local police station to make a formal report - it is an offence against s474.17 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code Act 1995 .

In a former life I was involved in several successful prosecutions under the old provisions of the Crimes act and the new laws are apparently easier to work with.

Be prepared to follow it through though.

I would strongly suggest you do not make contact with the sender under any circumstances - especially if you are uncertain of the origins of the msgs. The last thing you would want to do is ramp it up a notch not knowing who you are dealing with. Always err on the side of caution if you feel your safety and/or sense of safety is compromised. The advice about playing the "joke" back on the offender is really quite reckless and i can't state how dangerous that course of action could be.

I am not trying to scare you - just encourage to do it properly and use caution at all times.

hope this helps

cheers
UC:D
 
GoAnna! said:
Why not call them from a blocked number phone or public phone so they won't know who called.
Click to expand...

Maybe I missed something but which part of that post is not returning the favour????????? what were you suggesting if i have it wrong????????????

you are initiating contact with the offending party...and just because the number is blocked doesn't mean they won't know who it is...especially since yadreamin has already stated quite clearly that they are very specific which may indicate that the person is known to them. Anyone who has been playing pranks like this is going to expect the receiving person to react...

If you need an example of just how serious this can be, it can be an element to the offence of stalking - this type of thing, whilst most often done as a joke - is taken very seriously by law enforcement.
 
some of the more modern mobiles have software cd's and cables that come with them so that you can download your mobiles settings/msgs/contacts etc as text files.

very handy for keeping all your contacts on your phone and email synchronised!! :D
 
Thankfully there is no such thing as an SMS from a 'private number'. It's possible the silly sausage who is sending you these texts doesn't realise this.
 
urban cowboy said:
some of the more modern mobiles have software cd's and cables that come with them so that you can download your mobiles settings/msgs/contacts etc as text files.

very handy for keeping all your contacts on your phone and email synchronised!! :D
Click to expand...

Ours didn't come with our mobile, we bought it separately.
We went to the phone store, and the clerk didn't even know they existed.We did get one though.
 
urban cowboy said:
Maybe I missed something but which part of that post is not returning the favour????????? what were you suggesting if i have it wrong????????????

you are initiating contact with the offending party...and just because the number is blocked doesn't mean they won't know who it is...especially since yadreamin has already stated quite clearly that they are very specific which may indicate that the person is known to them. Anyone who has been playing pranks like this is going to expect the receiving person to react...

If you need an example of just how serious this can be, it can be an element to the offence of stalking - this type of thing, whilst most often done as a joke - is taken very seriously by law enforcement.
Click to expand...

If the police and telephone company were unable or unwilling to tell me who was sending me harrassing sms messages I would still want to know for my own safety who it was. Maybe its some-one I actually interact with face-to-face so I would think I had a need to know. If I ran out of options of finding out who it was without calling them then yes I personally would choose to ring them anonomously. What is your suggestion? I have no idea what is in these messages but I am assuming they are threatening.

I wouldn't want to discover who they were at the time they were doing me actual physical harm!

I have never been in this situation thank goodness but obviously you know more about it. What advice do you have for a victum to protect themselves in this situation? Will the police or telephone company reveal the identity of the caller?
 
Ok some good sugestions there.
Certainly moe options than l ever thought.
Firstly the sms are not threatning, more along the lines of personal insults.
Its more annoying not knowing who it is so l cant confront them. [driving me crazy actually]
I did think of going to a public phone and ringing the number to see who answers. This is still the option on the top of my list.
I thought putting 1831 before the number was a bit of a myth to tell you the truth. Obviously it does work..
I had no idea that sending some types of sms was a criminal offence. Thats been a real surprise. Wonder how many people actually know this.
I am not going to do anything unless l get another sms. It hopefully will just go away. If l get another sms then look out l will bring out the big guns:D
Thanks again
cheers yadreamin
 
Hi GoAnna, I am not trying to have a go at you, just point out that some of your logic - whilst good intentioned - may be flawed and in certain circumstances dangerous. I unfortunately do have experience of these and related types of issues due to my previous career in law enforcement.

The police and telephone company can obtain the details of the caller - that's the easy bit - its a simple database search. The phone company generally will not release them to the public without a court order. The police MAY identify the caller for you if there are sufficient grounds to investigate an official complaint. They certainly will not come right out and just give you the details. It all depends on circumstances of the message...

My specific advice is - if you feel threatened - go to the police. Let them handle it and follow the specific advice you are given at the time. It will come out who the originator was - but always let the police handle it...

if you were to contact them - then what are you going to say??? who is this??? bet they dont tell you... PLease stop texting me??? bet it gets worse!! Calling an unknown person who is harrassing you will not help your safety - it may very well (and has) make things worse. Different story if you know them - but always be wary of the unknown.

Again, calling them is not likely to identify them - unless you recognise the voice in the first few seconds then they are certainly unlikely to tell you who they are. And, as i pointed out above, if they are sending these msgs, they are probably waiting for a reaction from the victim...and reacting usually escalates things.

on a side note, you used to be able to do reverse searches on Greypages on the net, but telstra have stuffed it up for everyone!! go telstra!!:p


yadreamin, its not certain types of messages that are a problem, but the reaction of the person receiving...the actual bit of legislation is below for everyones info - it should be fairly easy to understand.

474.17 Using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence
(1) A person is guilty of an offence if:
(a) the person uses a carriage service; and
(b) the person does so in a way (whether by the method of use or
the content of a communication, or both) that reasonable
persons would regard as being, in all the circumstances,
menacing, harassing or offensive.

My understanding of the new law is that intent is not required either - i.e. if they send the msg as a joke or by mistake and DO NOT INTEND to menace or harass, they STILL contravene the Act and are liable for punishment should the receiver, as a reasonable person, feel menaced or harassed.

Serious stuff isn't it!!??!!

at any rate - good luck with it and if it becomes problematic for you, please show the messages to the police - do not take the matter into your own hands.


cheers
UC:D
 
Hi Urban Cowboy

So are you saying that the law does not give the receiver the right to know who is harrassing them? That the harrasser(s?) in this instance is protected by the law?

Interesting..........
 
Its not as simple as that...there is no black and white here.

in short, no, the person is entitled to privacy just as you are. HOWEVER, by making a complaint the police have a chance to investigate the matter and there is more than an odds on chance that you will come to know who is making the calls/txts as a result of that investigation - because the police would have a look at the number, and come and speak to you about your knowledge of person XYZ and why they may be doing this to you etc- then you would find out who it is.

there is no simple answer, The privacy act protects the rights and interests of all people until overridden by another law - such as the criminal code act - hence unless you make the complaint...

same reason as you have no right to know that a convicted rapist that has served his/her time has been released and living next door to you...privacy...and unless you complain that your new neighbour has been staring through your bedroom windows - you prob won't find out either

Its a bit like a red light at an intersection. Red light means stop and penalties apply for not stopping - black and white right??? No, there are also defences that allow the failure to stop in certain circumstances and these often get tested in court and then appealed and appealed again...

what is that saying??? the law is an ***...

that's a bit disjointed i know, but i hope you get the picture of what i am trying to say
 
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