Suggestion to Practitioners Outside China: Steps We Can Take to Deal with the Harassing Propaganda Phone Calls

(Clearwisdom.net)

Since the beginning of the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, Falun Gong practitioners from around the world launched a comprehensive truth clarification campaign to peacefully expose and resist the persecution. Jiang's regime eventually extended their reach overseas and adopted various nefarious tactics, such as threatening overseas Falun Gong practitioners, monitoring telephone calls, making threats and harassment calls, spying and surveillance, spreading hate propaganda in the Chinese community, sending spies to infiltrate Falun Gong practice sites to collect practitioners' personal information to black list them, etc. Some overseas practitioners recently had reported receiving propaganda and intimating harassment phone calls.

This article offers some suggestions to overseas practitioners to cope with the waves of propaganda and harassment phone calls:

1. Use call tracing to trace the source of the harassment phone calls. Most telephone companies use call tracing to trace the phone number of the last caller. For example, the call tracing code for American phone company Verizon is *57. For Canadian phone company Bell, the code is also *57. Different phone companies may have different call tracing codes.

Harassment call tracing has special features that can record any malicious phone harassment, whether the harassment is sexual or threatening, (regardless of whether the caller's identity is hidden or not) this is an emergency service. The user must be prepared to contact the police and to file the necessary complaint to initiate investigative action.

Application method:

1) After receiving the harassment call, hang up the line immediately.

2) Lift the receiver and wait for the dial tone.

3) Press *57.

4) A recorded message will play and ask if you have successfully traced the number from where the call originated as well as the next steps to follow to complete the call tracing.

5) Provide the information you found out to the police.

Application Knacks:

This service can be accessed on any telephone, including an extension line. Call tracing will trace the last incoming call number only. Before activating this service, if other incoming phone calls occur or the incoming calls occurred simultaneously on two phone lines, call tracing will only trace the last incoming call number and not the earlier call. With regard to hidden telephone numbers, call tracing is still valid, and the phone company will record the incoming call numbers. However, the pertinent information will be provided only after it's requested by the police. The subscriber (user) will not be informed of the call numbers that were traced.

Inquiries for call tracing charges and service can be made to the phone company's customer service department. Even if the harassment call originated from a foreign country, call tracing provides valuable evidence.

2. Report the harassment call to the local police

If possible, make audio recordings of the harassment phone calls and retain and use the recordings as evidence. Also, use the phone directory listing to identify the caller's phone number and report your findings to the police immediately. Go to the police station to fill out a police report, note the case reference number for future reference.

3. Report the harassment incident to your local intelligence agency. If residing in the United States, report the harassment incident to the Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI).

4. Contact the country's relevant departments to convey the situation: For example, in the United States, one can approach the State Department, Congress, etc. to report the harassment situation.

5. Supply all pertinent information when reporting to the police or related investigative department. For example, provide the date and time of the harassment phone calls, whether the harassment was received on a cell phone or a residential phone, the content of the harassment, the language used, the displayed name and numbers of the callers (where available), frequency of the harassment calls received etc. Falun Gong practitioners are law-abiding citizens who retain the lawful right of protection under the constitution of the country. With regard to the invasion and infringement of personal privacy from harassment and violation of human rights, practitioners should pursue legal channels to protect their own rights. We should speak out against the harassment propaganda. This action also protects and harmonizes the country's legal systems and safeguards every citizen's need for a harassment-free and normal living environment.