Dealing with malicious & nuisance calls

When to contact us

If you are receiving calls that you consider to be a nuisance, we may be able to assist, but we are only able to investigate if it is causing serious problems and if calls are occurring on an on-going basis.

It is best to log at least four of the nuisance calls over a period of time to determine the frequency and extent of the problem before you call us. If we can see that the calls do constitute a breach of the Telecommunications Act we will then be able to investigate.

You can contact Digital Island on 0800 999 010. Please be ready to provide the date, time and nature of the calls, as well as the phone number the calls were received on, and a representative will assist with your complaint.

It is important to note that Digital Island are bound by the Privacy Act, so if we do investigate your complaint, we will not be able to provide you with the number of the offending caller. However you can rest assured that we will deal with the situation on your behalf, keeping both parties confidential.

Procedure for dealing with nuisance calls

Many nuisance calls are to randomly selected numbers. If you receive a call which is malicious or abusive, stay calm and do not show any distress. If the calls are persistent you should:

• Log all calls by including the date, time & duration of calls. This will help establish a pattern.
• Try to determine whether the caller is male or female, their approximate age, any accent or if there is any background noise.
• Try to think of anyone you may suspect of making the calls.
• Issue a formal warning to the Offender "I will be laying a complaint with the Police. Do not call me again". Note date & time of warning in log.
• Consider having your telephone number changed to a confidential listing. If you have a confidential listing, be careful about giving this number out. Remember if you have your number changed but do not have a confidential listing your number will be available through directory service.
• If the calls are of a life threatening nature, contact the Police immediately.

Always take basic precautions when you are on the phone:

• When you answer the telephone do not give your telephone number or full name.
• Likewise, you should not include these details in the personal message on your answer machine.
• Do not volunteer information about yourself, your number or address to unknown callers.
• If you do not want to talk with the caller, politely disconnect the call.
• Don't be drawn into an argument that can't be solved on the telephone.

Serious or Threatening Calls: If you have received a call of a serious nature, such as a threatening, abusive, or obscene telephone call, you should contact your local Police Station for advice on whether the calls could be considered a criminal offence. If you have received a life-threatening call, contact the Police immediately.

A call of a serious nature may include: 

• a threat to kill or seriously injure someone; 
• a threat to damage property; 
• sexually explicit language or behaviour; 
• language that is unacceptable in day-to-day usage such as swearing.

Nuisance Calls: Nuisance calls might include hang up calls, kids playing pranks, hoax calls, or multiple calls between midnight and 5am. Hoax calls may be impersonations of people from organisations or false delivery orders.

If the calls you are receiving involve a current protection order, we advise you to contact the Police, as the calls may be a breach of the protection order, and may lead to prosecution.

Non Speech Calls: This is where the caller holds the line and does not speak or breathes heavily; or the caller may terminate the call when answered.

Computer Generated Calls: These are commonly fax or modem calls received on a residential telephone line. This normally occurs because of incorrect dialing, and usually after a few attempts the sender will realise their mistake. As with 'non-speech' calls, we are only able to look into fax or modem calls if they are an on-going problem.