I followed the suggestion to dial *57. I heard the response say the call has been successfully traced and that I should call my local law enforcement agency to continue. I decided not to do that since I can see lots of time involved with that. I don't answer the calls I don't recognize anyway. Use you best judgement I guess.
*57 does perform a trace, but it does NOT report it to the FBI or anyone whatsoever. It is also a charge to your phone every time you use it, so use wisely. It is up to YOU to gather the information and go to your local authorities to file a report about the traced number that has been harassing you. Then the police will contact the phone company for the information they need. The phone company keeps information on the trace for up to one year. Not every call can be traced, but if it is successful, it will let you know that at the time of the trace. If you are going to inform people of their options, at least let them know the correct information. In saying that, even if you trace these numbers...telemarketers and quite a few others are not covered under the DNC act and you can't do anything about it anyway. My suggestion is to get a new phone that blocks unwanted calls and be done with it. Panasonic phones have built in call blocking that blocks any number that shows up, no purchase through the phone company necessary. http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/KX-TG4032B?t=specs Best thing I've ever purchased! Mine holds up to 30 numbers in the call block list, but other models can hold even more.
Tracing a Phone Call Using *57
1.Hang up your phone then lift the receiver again. Make sure there is a dial tone. There is a fee for this service and you will either be charged every time you trace a call or you will select and pay for this service upfront. To pay for this service upfront, contact your phone company and inquire about your options.
2.Press *57 on your phone. According to harwichpolice.com, if you have a rotary dial phone, you can dial 1157.
3.Listen to the announcement that verifies that the call has been traced. You will not get the actual number. The phone company records the traced phone number.
4.Contact the phone company to request an authorization form be sent to you to sign. For example, pioneer.net states that after you dial *57, immediately call the phone company (to verify that you initiated call trace) and it will send you the authorization form to sign. According to privacyrights.org, you will have to sign the authorization form before the phone number is turned over to law enforcement officials. You can authorize law enforcement officials to further investigate the matter.
5.Call your local police department and file a report. According to pioneer.net, the police will contact the phone company directly and work with them to begin an investigation. The police department will request the date and time of the calls as well as the traced phone call from the phone company.
Recorded mail voice "Let the memories begin! You have been selected for a Walt Disney World area vacation....press 1...or press 2 to be removed." Caller ID read FLORIDA.
Reported the DNC list violation to the FTC: https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx