# How can you stop a daily phone call? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 19, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-stop-a-daily-phone-call/650840 "2013-02-19T23:17:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-stop-a-daily-phone-call/650840/1 "2013-02-19T23:17:04Z")
I have a cell phone with a US area code that is also registered on the DNC list. Every day for the past month I get a phone call from the same number: 877-678-0567. I have answered it (at my expense) a few times and it is always the same: “This is an important call for Dana May Happy [only the last name is correct]. If you are Dana May Happy, press 1. If you are not press 2” So I press 2 and they hang up. Although they could have an older phone number, I have had this phone and this number for five years. Is there any way to stop these calls? ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-stop-a-daily-phone-call/650840/2 "2013-02-19T23:26:56Z")
Call your provider, they can block the number. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-stop-a-daily-phone-call/650840/3 "2013-02-19T23:38:34Z")
I was getting a call like that on my land-line, for someone with the same last name but unrelated/unknown to me. Pressing ‘2’ didn’t work for me, so finally I tried pressing ‘1’, and gave the young lady who answered a very clear understanding that the person they were searching for would never be found at this number. I may have been slightly unpleasant. No further calls (it has been about 3 weeks, I think). ---
**Author:** ![zoltar7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b38774/32.png) [@zoltar7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoltar7)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-stop-a-daily-phone-call/650840/4 "2013-02-19T23:38:36Z")
I would just create a contact for that number, and set it to go straight to voicemail. Or, you could do it the old fashioned way and write a cease and desist letter to Protocol Recovery Services, who appears to be the caller. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-stop-a-daily-phone-call/650840/5 "2013-02-19T23:38:46Z")
See if you can give different numbers their own distinct ring. Sometimes, one of the choices is “Silent” or better yet “Send To Voicemail”. If you can do that, at least you won’t hear it. Other then that, hit 1 and talk to them to see if you can explain the situation. I might even toss in a “This is a business, I’ve never heard of anyone by that name” ETA, gave two ideas and got Ninja’d on both of the. ---
**Author:** ![sangfroid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@sangfroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sangfroid)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-stop-a-daily-phone-call/650840/6 "2013-02-19T23:52:38Z")
Not sure of your carrier or where you are, but here in VT, you can use \*80 (call block) Listen for the special tone, then press ‘3’ To add a phone number, press ‘#’, and enter the number to be blocked, then press ‘#’ again. Repeat to add more numbers. If the call was the LAST number dialed in, the system should prompt you to dial ‘#01#’ Just used this recently and it seems to work, as the number hasn’t robo-dialed me again (so far). Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-stop-a-daily-phone-call/650840/7 "2013-02-20T01:12:23Z")
If you have a smart phone, there are apps like Call Control which actively blocks spam phone calls. You can even add numbers to a black list for your phone. Some providers have ways to block calls. I use Charter for my land-line and they allow you to block up to 16 numbers. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-stop-a-daily-phone-call/650840/8 "2013-02-20T02:43:02Z")
A lot of cell phones have their own reject lists. Pull the number up in your call log and check menu items, you may be able to select “add to reject list” from there. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-stop-a-daily-phone-call/650840/9 "2013-02-20T16:03:38Z")
I get these, for the Wolfe family. You gotta press 1 and talk to someone. Pressing 2 means “Dana May lives here, but she’s not the person who answered the phone.” If you press 1, you’re not going to go to jail for impersonating Dana May. You’re going to get a person that you can tell that this isn’t Dana May’s number, please stop calling. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-stop-a-daily-phone-call/650840/10 "2013-02-20T16:47:37Z")
If it’s Verizon, you can block the number on their website. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-stop-a-daily-phone-call/650840/11 "2013-02-20T18:35:45Z")
> [@zoltar7](#): > > I would just create a contact for that number, and set it to go straight to voicemail. Yep, and name that contact something like zzzspammer and they will be at the very bottom of your contacts list and shouldn’t bother you much. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-stop-a-daily-phone-call/650840/12 "2013-02-20T19:04:58Z")
It’s Protocol Recovery Service, Inc., a collection agency. Contact them via email, fax and phone until you reach someone who will pay attention to your complaint. Or file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and related agencies. They do not know where “Dana May Happy” is so they are fishing for information. This is not legal and is harassment. Protocol Recovery Service, Inc. Fax: (770) 426-7249 View Additional Phone Numbers 655 Molly Ln Ste 120, Woodstock, GA 30189-6519 [www.protocol.us.com](http://www.protocol.us.com) [http://www.bbb.org/atlanta/business-reviews/collection-agencies/protocol-recovery-service-in-woodstock-ga-4004085](http://www.bbb.org/atlanta/business-reviews/collection-agencies/protocol-recovery-service-in-woodstock-ga-4004085)