| Annoying Calls |
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HOW TO HANDLE ANNOYING TELEPHONE CALLS
The New Hampshire Criminal Code defines harassing telephone calls, R.S.A. 644:4, as:
Harassment
a person is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to
prosecution in the jurisdiction where the telephone call originated or was received, if
with a purpose to annoy or alarm, he:
II. Makes repeated communications at extremely inconvenient hours or in offensively coarse language; or
III. Insults, taunts or challenges another in a manner likely to provoke a violent or disorderly response.
WHAT TO DO FOR UNWANTED CALLS:
1. Don't give out personal information such as your name or address.
2. If you have an answering machine, use it to screen out unwanted calls.
3. If you receive a threatening or harassing telephone call, hang up immediately. (your failure to do so will entice the caller to persist in annoying you)
4. Call the police when you realize that you are a target, and the calls are not merely a wrong number or a single attempt at a joke. (always contact police when you receive a threatening call)
5. Notify your local telephone company to request a "trap" if desired. (a trap does not record conversation, it only records the number of the calling party) The telephone company requires you file a report with the police.
6. Keep an accurate record of the annoying calls you receive noting the date and time.
7. Contact the telephone company when you receive two or more annoying calls.
8. The telephone company will notify the police with the location from where the calls were placed. The police will investigate.
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