Hi guys. I have an sms stalker sending me unwanted messages of a threatening nature. Have reported to my carrier who say they can only take the details down and send the owner of the number an email saying to cease. They advised police involvement if I wanted to take it further. Went to police station to report the incident and they say all they can do is send an email to the same effect. There seems to be a protocol for unwelcome calls and sms. They all said to either block the number on my phone or get my carrier to block. They cannot give me a name for the owner of the number and blocking it doesnt change the fact that there is some creep out there who knows stuff about me.. Do you guys have any suggestions for ways to trace the number to a name? Have tried reverse lookup and a few other sites…any ideas would be much appreciated.
SMS Stalker
Comments
Yep tried calling. It seems to be a mobile number. Rings out and states the subscriber you are trying to reach is not reachable. I think it is a telstra number…
Have you considered that the SMS are not from a phone per se? For example, the messages could be coming from a sim card attached to a modem (like the Telstra 3G and 4G portable wireless modems), this could explain why the number rings out and you get the generic unavailable message.
Not sure what you can do to to trace the number, apart from reporting to the police. By the way it is an offence to use a carriage service (eg your phone) to harass, threaten etc someone else - you may have to remind your friendly police station of this and insist on charges (especially if you are in 'fear of your life').
Op, As above, this is a police matter and I expect they can do a lot more given the threatening and personal nature of the messages. I would go back to the police expecting a better response.
Agreed, ask to speak to the Local Area Commander if you're genuinely worried & the desk jockeys are a bit indifferent, that should motivate them somewhat.
OP, without knowing the specific nature/credibility of the threats, or your own personal circumstances, it might also be worth checking the AFP website: http://www.afp.gov.au/contact/report-a-crime.aspx just in case the threats might imply that a Commonwealth Crime is involved…it's a long shot I know, but if you can draw a long enough bow, then it might at least give you another avenue of recourse.
BTW OP, did you have your provider &/or the Police send the cease & desist emails as promised? Result??
"BTW OP, did you have your provider &/or the Police send the cease & desist emails as promised? Result??"
OP, this is what you need to do. Get the cops to send their email. It sounds to me like the first step in a series of possible actions they could take, so get the ball rolling now. If the sender keeps doing it, the fact that he was warned nicely will count against him when standing in front of a magistrate.
I think both provider and police sent emails. No further messages since and number no longer ringing out. Just straight to message…seems like the person got scared off…
If you have an iphone 4 or later with latest iOS on it you can block the number on the phone itself. Same for android but it will require you downloading an app.
iOS instructions:
http://ios.wonderhowto.com/how-to/block-any-unwanted-text-me…
Android:
http://droidlessons.com/how-to-block-unwanted-calls-text-mes…
Definitely the easiest solution if you have a compatible phone.
You don't "have" to download an app. The link you provided even says it's built in to some android phones.
If someone does that its called harassment in Queensland, the police would usually call and scare them first, if they continue its then an offence with a court appearance.. perhaps its different in your state? Assuming you arent from QLD.
Dare i say, you spoke with a cop who couldnt be bothered being helpful that day?
I had this happen to a sibling and it wasn't even threatening, it was just annoying and even that has a court appearance.. Threatening messages should be a higher degree of interest for the police.
Sam
Hi. I'm from NSW. There are indirect threats within the messages. The police wrote down the messages but mentioned no option of charging the offender. Do you mind elaborating on the details of your sibling's case (whilst keeping everything as anonymous as possible of course).
Thanks for your replies
The Police called the person, while she stood there and listened. They told him this is his first warning, if he continued then its an offence, if she wants to press charges he will see a court date.
It was only prank calls and silly messages too, just repeatedly.
Stalkers must be taught a lesson. It's a serious offence!
Just get a new phone number.
And let that stalker poke some other girl.
have you tried calling the number, maybe from a phone box? my suggestion pretend they have won something, get some details for postage ;)