Telephone harassment is a crime. If you're receiving threatening or obscene calls, you can trace who's sending them.
The next time you receive a harassing call:
At the conclusion of a trace, you'll hear a recorded message telling you whether or not the trace was successful.
In most instances, the last incoming call you received -- whether or not it was answered and even if it's forwarded via a service -- is traceable.
There's no minimum time the caller needs to be on the line. In fact, if the caller hangs up before you can pick up the phone, you probably can still trace the call. A connection simply needs to be made, and that usually happens once the phone rings at least 2 times.
Unknown, unavailable or out-of-area calls are not traceable because they don't contain the data needed for a successful trace. On the other hand -- and maybe surprisingly -- private, blocked or restricted calls can usually be traced just fine.
A successful trace captures the calling party's phone number and -- if the phone number is serviced by CenturyLink -- the name and address as well. The phone number, name and address (if available) are turned over to the CenturyLink Call Identification Center.
For legal and privacy reasons, we aren't able to share this data with you. We can only release this information if we receive a subpoena, court order or -- in some cases -- a call from a law enforcement agency.
Under normal circumstances, 3 successful traces of calls -- originating from the same number -- are required before CenturyLink or local law enforcement can take action. Once you've traced a number 3 times, you can request action be taken against the calling party.
Follow up with CenturyLink at 1-800-244-1111, and discuss what they can do. Be prepared to share any relevant information with them such as the dates/times you've received (and traced) harassing calls.
You can also contact your local law enforcement agency. Tell them that you've been receiving harassing calls and that you've traced those calls. Be sure to get the name of the officer who records your complaint. Make a note of the date and time you called, the agency's complete name, phone number and fax number. If an officer opens a case for you, write down the case number.
If your law enforcement agency has questions, have them contact the CenturyLink Law Enforcement Support Team at 1-877-451-1980.
For printer-friendly instructions, download the Call Trace user guide. If you have questions about this calling feature, chat with us.