Handling Crank Calls
Elizabeth N.
Baldwin, Esq.
North Miami Beach, Florida, USA
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 33 No. 4, August-September 1997, pp. 95-96
Crank calls can intrude on
anyone's life, LLL Leader or not. Some calls are merely annoying. Some
silly. Some obnoxious. And some are downright scary. What should a Leader
do when she gets a crank call?
Keep calm- As
soon as you feel fairly sure that a call is a crank call, don't stay
on the line. If the person is not abusive, vulgar or threatening, but
you feel uneasy about the call, consider calling the person back or
having another Leader call the person back. Keep in mind that most crank
callers will not give you a valid phone number.
Hang up-
If the caller is verbally abusive, vulgar or threatening, do not continue
the conversation. Hang up immediately and contact your phone company.
Phone companies in some countries have a variety of ways to handle such
calls including referring you to the police and arranging for a method
of call tracing. In many places it is against the law to threaten people,
make obscene calls or harass someone. Do not try to reason with the
person or continue talking. By doing so, you are encouraging their behavior.
Often this is what the person wants-attention and a reaction!
Contact your LLL
support person immediately- Call your District Advisor or other
Area support Leader; HotLLLine volunteers should contact Marijane McEwan
at LLLI Headquarters. It is important to report exactly what has happened.
If the caller has contacted other Leaders, your information may help
to end the situation.
Keep accurate information
in your Leader log- Record the exact time the call came in
and what was said. If the phone company or police trace the call they
may need you to verify information. This is crucial! Without facts there
is little authorities can do to help stop the calls. As soon as you
get off the phone with a caller, write down the exact time and exactly
what was said to you.
Trust your instincts-
Does your gut feeling tell you that this does not seem right
to you? Are there no baby noises in the background, no indications that
a mother really exists? Easy solution! End the call by telling the caller
you will call back at a later time or tell the caller you will have
another more experienced Leader call the person back, if you know of
another Leader who is more comfortable taking difficult calls. Do not
give the caller another Leader's number: instead, ask for the caller's
number. Keep in mind that most crank callers will not give you a phone
number or will give a phony one.
Do not give out personal
information- Do not volunteer information about yourself, your
family or other Leaders. If someone wants meeting information and you
are unsure of their motive, mail the information or ask for a phone
number and call the person back.
Do not use last names
or addresses - Use Leader's first names only in newspaper meeting
notices and leaflets. People can call without having that extra information.
Ask callers for a
name, address and phone number- This can discourage a crank
caller who doesn't want to give you this information. Keep in mind that
Leaders should ask for names and numbers for their records: hotline
Leaders should also get an address with every call. If a caller is reluctant
for fear of receiving unsolicited calls or being put on a mailing list,
you can reassure them that this will not happen. Then be careful to
note this in your logs so they are not accidentally added to a list
that your Group calls.
Ask callers where
they got your number- If it is from a source that seems to
attract crank calls, look at other methods of publicity.
Don't answer personal
questions- If someone asks personal questions that make you
feel uneasy, don't answer them. Asking questions back is a good method
of tactfully avoiding this type of situation. What exactly does the
person see as the problem? Even basic questions to get more information
can help confirm that a call is not legitimate or reassure you that
it is genuine.
If you are sure a
call is a crank, do not keep talking- Don't think for a minute
that you can convince crank callers to stop making such calls or reform
them. You are just encouraging them to call again by giving them the
attention they seek.
Keep in mind that the vast
majority of calls are legitimate and, as the police will tell you, the
vast majority of crank calls are harmless, even the obscene ones. However,
it can be upsetting to receive even one crank call.
It is important not to generalize.
For instance, just because a crank call is from a male caller, does
not mean that all male callers should be suspect. Many men call LLL
for their wives; some even call with their own questions. The accurate
information that a father hears from a Leader can make a world of difference
in how he supports the breastfeeding relationship. We don't want to
create the mistaken impression that we give information to women only.
If taking a call from a man
is uncomfortable for you, handle it as you would any call that you feel
you do not want to handle. Have another Leader who is able and willing
to help return the call. Keep in mind that most Leaders are more than
willing to talk to men; if you feel it is a problem for you, find out
who in your area is willing to take these calls. If there is no one
else, consider referring the person to the baby's doctor or other health
care provider.
It is easy to become upset
and scared when difficult calls reoccur. Seek support. Talk to your
District Advisor and other Leaders in your community. Treat yourself
well and remember that what you do in giving accurate information and
support helps to make this world a better place!
For Example
Here are examples of crank
calls Leaders have received along with suggestions for handling them.
The caller wants
to know details of hand expression, asking the Leader to describe exactly
how to hold the breast, etc. How about asking for the person's
address and offering to send an information sheet? This method can be
used for any question that involves describing something in detail.
Remember, you don't have to put a return address on what you mail. You
could also suggest a book on the subject from the library or bookstore.
An obscene caller
talks when the Leader answers but hangs up when he/she gets the answering
machine. A Leader could let her answering machine pick up all
calls for a period of time, until the person tires of this. Letting
your answering machine screen calls is a good way to feel in control
of the situation; you return only those calls you want to.
A Leader has a feeling
that a call is not legitimate. Tell the caller that something
has come up and you will need to call them later. As parents, there
are a variety of reasons why we might need to call someone back.
Co-Leaders have received
similar obscene calls. Get together and determine the similarities
in the calls. Advise other Leaders in the area of the methods the caller
uses.
A Leader suspects
a call is a crank call but the person never actually says anything improper.
However, the person repeatedly asks for detailed information, calling
Leader after Leader. Instead of answering all the questions, refer the
person to resources that could answer the questions, for example, THE
WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING. If the call is legitimate, you have referred
them to accurate information; if the call is a crank, you have ended
your involvement.
A Leader suspects
a call is a crank call but the real concern is that the person is sexually
abusing a child. Some crank calls in the past few years have
raised this issue. A Leader should contact someone in her Division/Affiliate
before taking action on the call. In this way you benefit from another's
objectivity and guidance before taking an action as serious as reporting
the call to authorities which could result in the child being removed
from the home. Contact your Area Professional Liaison or Area Coordinator
of Leaders immediately if you have such suspicions.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:59 UTC 2007.
