Telephone pranks/harassment

[ZhangXinQiang]

Someone is calling to my girlfriend in China and harassing her with phonecalls and sms.

He sent her one sms today, and she replied asking who it is.

Then he reply to her with this:

可是我知道你是谁！你是张*楠，晚上你最好不要去卫生间，我会一直注意你的！

欠我的，我要你尝还！

It already happening twice. Also both times on Tuesday. Last Tuesday and today.

Can she report this to police? or what can she do?

[roddy]

There have been convictions under the 治安管理处罚法 for 骚扰短信。

第四十二条　有下列行为之一的，处五日以下拘留或者五百元以下罚款；情节较重的，处五日以上十日以下拘留，可以并处五百元以下罚款：

...

（五）多次发送淫秽、侮辱、恐吓或者其他信息，干扰他人正常生活的；

...

So yes, she can take it to the police. Let us know how she gets on.

[ZhangXinQiang]

Thank you for information.

I asked her to go tomorrow.

She told me the number that was calling her. Is there some way to find out who could be calling or from where? (we already know its from Dalian).

[roddy]

No. If you have a particularly stupid harasser you could Google it and you might find something. A China Mobile office (or whatever firm) could tell you who it's registered to, but a) I wouldn't imagine they will and B) there's no guarantee the number is properly registered - neither of my SIM cards is registered in my name.

When you say its from Dalian, I assume you mean you've checked its 归属地 - where the number is originally from. That doesn't mean that's where the SIM card is - you could be in Beijing and it would still show up as Dalian. Not sure if you were aware of that or not.

[Lu]

Assuming that is indeed her name, that's really scary. Best go to the police.

Apart from that, she could have someone else (you, or a male friend with a voice that suggest he's big & scary) pick up the phone when the stalker calls, and tell him he has the wrong number, or that he should stop calling or else (whichever you think is more effective). Or change her phone number. If he really can see her in her bathroom (does it have a window?), that won't change that, but at least he can't call her anymore then.

[randall_flagg]

While you are waiting for the police to come up with results, try and call this person from a public telephone. Make up some story ( I don't know, perhaps that you are calling because the caller has paid to much for heating costs at the start of the season and you want to give him a 353 RMB refund. But you can't read the name on the form, you can only make out his number....) Perhaps you can find out the caller's name...

[ZhangXinQiang]

Thank you for your recommendations and help. I will tell her this tomorrow.

I also was telling her to go to her family in Dalian (older sister and her husband). Maybe they can help her, give her some advise, or maybe even they can go together with her to police.

I really hope she will listen to me, she is really stubborn is stupid way sometimes..

Another thing that happened last week to her is that she forgot her credit card at ATM in one store. I wonder if someone could have got all this different information about her this way.

Phone, name.. etc

At first I was thinking maybe its one of her friends or classmates.. but maybe it just some random stalker on streets.

[gougou]

I wonder if someone could have got all this different information about her this way.

Why would you harass a person whose ATM card you just found? I think it's more likely that it's somebody who knew her beforehand already, who maybe really felt that he was done wrong, or just had a stupid idea for some reason or other.

[flameproof]

Is there some way to find out who could be calling or from where?

Before you could check in what area code a mobile number was listed. But seems not anymore. This was the link:

http://www.imobile.com.cn/search.php

Somebody with more Mandarin skills and time may check from there.

[gougou]

That's the 归属地 roddy mentioned. If you type the mobile number into google.cn (not .com), it will link you to a page than can look it up for you.