Phone Harassment and Abuse
Mobile and phone harassment describes any type of voicemail, phone call or text/video/sxt/photo message that is unwanted and/or leaves the recipient feeling harassed, threatened, tormented, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise victimised.
How to make a complaint to the telecommunication providers
New Zealand’s telecommunication companies have agreements in place to work together to help stop mobile harassment. They also assist law enforcement agencies in severe cases and can advise you on how to block numbers. To get help from your phone or mobile provider ring them using the contact details below:
* 2degrees
Call 200 from your mobile or 0800 022 022. Visit the 2degrees website for help blocking a number from a 2degrees phone.
* Spark
Call 0800 809 806 from a landline or mobile.
* Vodafone
Blacklist is a free service for Vodafone mobile customers. Log into My Vodafone, click Vodafone Blacklist and enter the phone number you want to block. Then simply FreeTXT these commands to 713:
How to handle threats
* Don’t reply: Sometimes the sender will get bored and stop sending messages if they don’t get a reply. Another reason for not replying is that if a complaint needs to be made to the telecommunications company, replying can delay the process. Often people will reply to messages if they do not recognise the number or because the content is upsetting.
* Keep the evidence: Don’t delete harassing content as the police and telecommunication provider need this to help. Keep a log of the time, date and the phone number the messages were sent from. The date and time of the message is usually contained in a ‘time-stamp’ at the beginning or end of the text message.
* Talk to someone: Encourage young people to talk to a trusted adult (parent, teacher or counsellor) as it’s important they talk to someone so support can be provided.
* Report it: If a message threatens to harm a person or property, the message needs to be taken to the local police station. Explain what has happened and get a police complaint number. If someone is in immediate danger call 111 straight away.
