Computer Virus Protection Viruses pose great security risks. By the way they replicate and deliver their payload they represent one of the greatest risks online, so at the very least have basic computer virus protection software onboard to protect your machine from harm. You might say there are viruses that do not really do anything harmful. Their sole presence is a sign of weakness and creates a security hole that can be exploited by other malicious programs. Never presume a virus is harmless. There are viruses that simply infiltrate your computer and wait in silence for a trigger. The trigger might be a predetermined date and hour. At that date and hour, your apparently friendly virus will erase your entire hard drive. How does this sound? To make sure nothing bad happens to our computers, we must make sure no virus will ever be allowed to infiltrate it. How do we do this? We do it by looking carefully at computer virus protection options available to us and implementing some basic security rules and policies. Antivirus software Antivirus software; its name clearly suggests what it is and what it does: detect and remove any kind of computer virus from your computer. This is our second line of defense against these malicious pieces of code. We are talking about it first because it is the most suggestive and easy to implement computer virus protection. All you have to do to begin is buy a good antivirus and install it. There are a lot of great tools on the World Wide Web, like Avast, BitDefender,AVG, Nod32, ZoneAlarm, and Kaspersky. All you have to do is find the one suited for you. Once you find and install your antivirus, it is time to strengthen it for best PC virus protection. You do this by updating the virus signature database. Almost all of these tools have automatic updates. Turn them on and allow the antivirus to update whenever it requires. This helps these amazing tools stay in touch with the latest trends in virus creation, detect, and remove any threat. Firewall software Firewall software is a must for good computer virus protection as this is the first line of defense against computer viruses. A firewall is basically a tool that closes most of your computer’s ports. Whenever something attempts to connect to or from your computer, the software will first appreciate whether it is or is not illegal. If it is, it will deny it. If the firewall is unsure, it will ask you what to do. Never allow any connection your see! Read first, take action after! Just like the antivirus software, firewall software must be updated frequently to make sure it recognizes any type of threat. A good firewall will block all incoming viruses and the antivirus will stay idle most of the time. Backup Backup is essential! This should be a major part of your computer virus protection strategy. Let’s presume a virus manages to slip through our security suite. It will first replicate and then deliver its payload. Let’s presume it erases the hard disk. Since you need most of the data back, you will look through your backups to find the most recent one. You realize it is a year old. This is why you must perform frequent backups! Email policies Whenever you receive a mail containing an attachment, you are in serious risk. If you open the package, the firewall is useless because the connection is legit. If the antivirus does not see the threat or does not act in time, the bomb is ticking! So a serious computer virus protection strategy is to always delete suspect emails without opening the attachment. Also, remember to turn off the “preview pane” in your email client. If the client shows the contents of the attachment, even without your request, the connection is still legit and the virus is released.

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Computer Virus Symptoms 

This is a very delicate subject to discuss and expand. Why? Because computer viruses are not like spyware or adware. These malicious programs have immediate effects, like changing the homepage, slowing down the computer, or throwing popup messages all over the place. Learn to recognize the symptoms because computer viruses are usually subtle and act silently. This is why you rarely notice an infection.

There are viruses that install themselves in your system in a matter of milliseconds and remain quiet until a given date and time when they strike, delivering their payload. Sometimes, the only way to see signs of virus activity is to look for suspect processes in the Control Panel. Even then, it is very difficult to say whether that is a virus or not. However, let’s assume you won’t be hit by these very few and very complex computer viruses and focus on the broad range of popular viruses.

First signs of infection

The second a virus enters your computer it starts to dig its way into the system, infecting other files and replicating. Your computer will begin to show a series of symptoms indicating an infection for example some programs become unstable or even crash. You might also see warnings. Please note that your antivirus can be the first to display an odd behavior. Many computer viruses are designed to attack the defenses of the computer and disable parts or the entire antivirus. In addition, your network bandwidth might be used without you doing anything. This is because the virus is replicating and sending itself out on the network. If your computer reboots or behaves strange, if your programs are not working like before, if you see strange warnings and error messages, chances are you are already infected…badly!

At this point, you can attempt to make backups. However, be careful and do a thorough scan before using them anywhere. You can attempt to install a good antivirus tool to try to repair most of the damage. However, critical files will be lost forever and there is no guarantee the antivirus will even get the chance to be installed.

Later signs of infection

Hardware errors will start to appear. For example, your CD-ROM will open and close without you ever touching it. Programs might go crazy and launch or close by themselves. Blues screens of death (BSOD) might become usual and so might sudden freezes. Icons can disappear, email attachments can disappear, popup messages and fatal errors will appear every few minutes. These computer virus symptoms are signs of a severe infection and, usually, the only way out is by formatting the entire system and reinstalling the operating system.

There is usually little hope to recover anything, not to mention restoring your PC to normal. It is like a disease. Once it gets to a point, nothing can save the patient.

What to do

If you experience any of these symptoms then it is safe to assume a virus has invaded. The best way to find out for sure and try to remove and prevent computer viruses is by using a good antivirus program. You can find dozens of these on the World Wide Web. However, compare before you buy! If the infection is very severe, there might be nothing left to do but format your computer and install a fresh copy of the operating system. Whatever the case, virus infections pose serious security risks. This is why you should be careful and pay attention to any of the computer virus symptoms outlined above and take action!

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Browser Hijacker Removal

 

There is a rampant development in the computer world in which malevolent websites or software programs are created to intentionally take control of your browser, changing your default search pages. If you experience suspicious behaviors outlined below when you open your web browser then read on for information about browser hijacker removal tools.

Your browser might have been hijacked when…

You open your favorite web browser and find some settings have changed but you cannot recall changing them. Perhaps your home page has changed and you see some undesired webpage that advertises different products that you do not need. On the other hand, perhaps, your default search or error page has changed. If this happened, you simply must know why and what happened. The reason for this odd behavior is a browser hijacker. These malicious programs usually work like browser plugins and change the browser settings, home page, search page, or error page. These hijackers can also monitor your online activity and send the results to an unknown person through backroom connections.

The browser hijackers, designed similarly to spyware programs, are usually used for commercial purposes. These parasites most often advertise unwanted products or websites. Not only do they install without the computer operator’s consent, they also attempt to obstruct removal. Browser hijackers are malicious programs and are always classified as security and privacy risks. Note that some hijackers will redirect your home page to another page that is infected with viruses. If you reach that page, your computer will be infected with dangerous programs. You must get rid of the browser hijacker immediately! Let’s see how to remove these pesky little parasites.

Automatic browser hijacker removal

Before we begin, you must know that, because browser hijackers are related to adware and spyware, most antivirus software will not detect or remove them. However, most antispyware products will recognize and attempt to remove almost all of them. Spyware removers scan the system just like antivirus software. When a threat is detected, the tool displays it (most of the time with its name, function, and risk level) and asks you whether to remove it or not. If you choose to remove it, the antispyware will attempt to delete it along with any infected files. Since these parasitic programs try to avoid deletion, you might crash your favorite browser. However, this is a small casualty. You can always reinstall it at a later time.

Many popular spyware removal tools have huge databases full with browser hijacker signatures and offer real-time monitoring to ensure no malicious program has the chance to infect your computer. Some of the best antispyware tools are Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta, Spyware Doctor, Ad-Aware SE and Spybot - Search & Destroy for browser hijacker removal.

Manual browser hijacker removal

Sometimes the automatic browser hijacker removal tool will fail and then you need to take matters into your own hands. This is why there are a lot of websites that cover manual removal of most browser hijacker programs. By following the instructions step by step, you can manually delete all resources (files, folders, or registry entries) that belong to the malicious program. However, please be careful! Manual removal requires at least some experience with the system, the registry, and other Windows components. If you make a mistake, your operating system might become unusable.

What happens if you do not remove browser hijackers

Your web surfing will simply become a nightmare! You will be prevented from accessing your favorite web pages, your security will be minimal, you cannot use your favorite search engines, and what you request is not delivered. These are all because you failed to remove one little parasitic program. Do not let the browser hijacker take control. Delete it now and make sure you have the best antispyware tools onboard at all times to prevent future problems

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Browser Hijacker

 

 Before you can fully understand what a browser hijacker does, you need to know what it is and how it can infect your computer.

What is a browser hijacker? How does it get onboard?

Basically, a browser hijacker is a form of malware or spyware that attaches itself to your favorite Internet browser under the form of a plugin. It has a lot in common with spyware software. First of all, it attempts to remain cloaked so that you can’t detect it or find out where it resides on the hard drive. Second, the browser hijacker will attempt to counter any form of removal, be it with an antispyware tool or by hand. Third, a browser hijacker will most often steal private information and send it to an unknown person over a backdoor connection.

Browser hijackers can infect your PC from a number of sources. The must common sources of infection are dangerous websites. Besides a number of tracking programs, you will surely get one of these parasites from them. Be very careful where you navigate! Another source of infection is some obscure freeware tools. When you install the tool, the hijacker is also installed. Watch out what you install and try to verify the authenticity certificate whenever possible. The third most important source of infection are rogue antivirus and antispyware products. Stay away from them even if they look attractive. Obscure software that is also free does not sound very good.

The effects of a browser hijacker

This parasitic program will start by changing your home page to a new one. Remember, the hijacker’s main purpose is to generate clicks to its owner’s website. Through that website, the owner sells something, so the browser hijacker is a tool that increases the sales. However, action is being taken against these people to stop them once and for all! Another thing the parasite will attempt to change is the default search engine. For example, you have Google as your default search engine. One day, you find another search engine you never heard of instead of Google. This is a clear sign that a browser hijacker is changing settings without your consent.

There are hijackers that even change the default error page. For example, if you mistype an URL, you will find yourself on a very odd page that will attempt to convince you to buy something. Since people are very ingenious, there are a lot of combinations that are used with the help of a browser hijacker. For example, when you open the Internet browser, your homepage will be a page advertising a rogue antispyware tool. This page will have a lot of warnings, telling you that you are infected with dozens of spyware programs. It will also infect your computer even further and make it look like it is really infected. You will be persuaded to buy the antispyware. The antispyware tool might be a virus carrier. Once you install it, all hell breaks loose.

A browser hijacker is a very strong security breach and you must take action at once. Since these parasites are approximately the same as spyware, a good antispyware tool will detect and remove them. Good antispyware tools also lock your homepage and search page to make sure any new hijacker does not get the chance to strike ever again. You are strongly advised to update your protection tools frequently.

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About Email Spam

 

Spam is basically the abuse of messaging systems, usually electronic ones, to send messages in bulk to everyone, whether they need it or not. Electronic messaging systems include digital delivery systems and broadcast media. The most popular form of computer spam is email spam. I think we have all received at least a few dozen messages that really did not have anything to do with our contacts list or preferences. For example, I keep receiving advertisements regarding different web design products. However, since the purpose of spam is to increase sales for people who send it, you might receive ads on anything from Viagra to cars. Spammers, people who send spam, will advertise anything that can be sold online and sometimes even offline.

Aside email spam; there are plenty of other forms: instant messaging spam, mobile phone text message spam, Internet forum spam, blog spam, search engine spam, newsgroup spam, etc. As you can see, spammers are very ingenious when it comes to spreading their junk messages. To counter this, most email clients have anti-spam systems in place, online email websites have strict anti-spam policies, forums and blogs have very active moderators, mobile phone operators have means of detecting text message spam, and so on. However, it looks like spammers are spamming from everywhere. Recently, legal action is beginning to show results and websites that use spam to promote their products are being shut down and their operators fined and even jailed. There are even some strong anti-spam acts, like the CAN-SPAM Act, which are used to prosecute spammers.

As for protection go to this page to read about an AVG Internet Security package that has an excellent anti-spam feature that blocks spammers and scammers.

Email spam and Emailing lists

Since email spam is the most popular form of spam, let’s see how it works and what we can do to prevent it. Email spam means sending unsolicited email messages to an indiscriminate set of recipients. The messages usually contain commercial content and attempt to convince the reader to buy different products. 80 to 85% of the total number of emails received in the world is spam. However, in order to send email spam, one must have a list of available email accounts. How does one get them? Simple! By email address harvesting or by simply buying email lists from harvesters.

Spammers pay good money for email lists; so many otherwise credible companies are tempted to sell their subscribers’ emails. This is how our email addresses become flooded with junk messages. To counter this, you should be very careful where you give your email. Large companies strongly disagree with spamming and any related technique so you can be sure they will not sell your address under any circumstance. More obscure websites will surely sell them to the highest bidder, so be careful! Also, be very careful never to leave your email address on any social networking website. The email address harvesters search for any email address (i.e.gowthamdgp007@gmail.com) (this email address is non existent - I hope - there is no deva with a google address, so please do not send him/her any messages) and add it to the list. You can leave your email in the following form: gowthamdgp007[at]gmail[dot]com. This fools the harvesters and protects your address.

What to do with spam

Wondering what to do with all the spam messages? Well, the answer is simple. Since spammers make money from people who fall for it and buy the advertised products or services, delete them at once! If everyone deletes spam on sight, the spammers will be out of a job soon. Besides, would you buy something from a company that is violating the law to sell its products? Remember, people that use spam to sell are outlaws!

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How To Remove Trojans from Your Computer

Trojans are very sneaky programs that will try to remain hidden as long as they can. They will not corrupt or delete files, will not show error messages or popup ads. You will never know that a Trojan is on your machine, if you do not check. There are two ways to remove Trojans from your computer. One is more difficult than the other is and it might be less efficient. The first one is manual removal and the second one is automated removal. There are no apparent benefits of manual removal, but for those who need to know let’s see how we can do it.

Manual removal of a Trojan horse

Two tools will help you manually remove Trojans. The first one is the Task List. This appears when you press CTRL+ALT+DEL when in Windows. This will present a list of programs that are running and, in the next tab, the list of processes that are currently running. A simple search after each process on Google will bring a lot of results. The ones related to Trojans are the ones you are looking for. For starters, you must write down the name of the process. Be aware that Microsoft hides some processes (perhaps to avoid confusion) and this gives hackers the perfect opportunity to hide the process.

You need to go to the System Information Utility (msinfo32.exe) that can be found in the C:\program files\common\microsoft shared\msinfo folder. This little tool will show you almost any process that is running on your machine, even the hidden ones from the Task List. You can disable the suspect processes starting with the next reboot. Windows literally blocks the Trojan from starting again, which is what we want. In the System Information Utility, you can also track the exact path where the suspected file resides. Run it through an antivirus tool. If you are convinced it is a Trojan, stop it from launching again! By doing this with every potential threat, you make sure that no Trojan horse will ever affect your PC.

The second tool you can use to remove Trojans is Netstat. The definition of a Trojan horse is communication. If it is unable to communicate, the Trojan is useless. Every communication leaves a trail, and you can follow the trail just like a hunter. Go to Start, click Run, type cmd and hit ENTER. Now, in the cmd window, type netstat -an and you should see all the connections that are open and the destination IP. If you see a suspect connection, simply use TCPView (a free tool from Sysinternals) to track down the program that is keeping that connection open. All you have to do now is rename the file and reboot. If everything is working fine, delete the file.

Since each Trojan has its own characteristics, manual removal is very hard and time-consuming. You might need to go into the Registry, a very dangerous task. It is best to use the second method, automated removal.

Automated removal of a Trojan horse

By default, an up-to-date antivirus will be able to detect and remove Trojans. It will also know how to fix the Registry entries and files affected. This method is much faster than manual removal and safer! For specific Trojans, which the antivirus is unable to remove, there are specialized tools on the Internet. Most of them are free. You are highly advised to use the automated removal to avoid any damage to your machine.

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Remove a Computer virus - The Steps     Before you make any changes to your system or attempt to remove a computer virus you should save all your documents, photos, anything that is valuable to you onto an external source, such as a USB flash drive, a spare hard drive or burn them onto a CD or DVD. Store them away even if you think they could be infected, they might possibly be so, but you will carefully scan each file later before you put them back onto your computer. Install anti-virus software that is not contaminated, for example one from a CD-ROM. Once this is installed, do a thorough scan of your hard drive. The scan will find the source of the virus and corrupt files and will either make suggestions or actually remove the computer virus for you; this almost always works and will clean your computer. If the virus cannot be removed by your anti-virus software after all this, then there is little else to do but format your hard drive and reinstall your operating system to remove the virus completely. Although this isn’t difficult, it is time consuming; however it WILL wipe out the virus, along with everything else. How to remove a computer virus and install the operating system Before you start, make a note of all the programs installed and your settings so that you can return your computer near to its original state… remember you saved all your valuable documents, photos and the like earlier… if you didn’t, then do it now, because you are going to wipe everything off your computer. Assuming you have windows installed, insert your XP CD and reboot your system…A message“Press any key to boot from CD…” will appear, so do so. The instructions are straight forward, you do not need any technical expertise, just follow along and when you are asked, format using NTFS, this is the recommended choice. You can also take the opportunity at this stage to delete and re-create partitions, creating as many as you wish. After the formatting is complete you will select to install the OS on the primary partition, again simply follow the instructions during the set up. The above will remove the computer virus and leave you with a clean system, so try to keep it that way by ensuring you take the few basic preventative measures outlined below. Once the OS has installed itself do not connect to the internet until you have your anti-virus and firewall installed, then connect to the internet and do a live update of windows and your anti-virus software. After this download the latest drivers for you peripherals, if you haven’t already got them on a disk. Install your hardware, printer / scanner, and your software and drivers. Finally replace all your backed-up files but make sure to scan them carefully first. You have worked through the steps to remove a computer virus, hopefully with success; you now need to take preventative measures to protect your computer. Here are few simple rules to follow… Make sure your settings allow for automatic updates of your operating system, the updates / patches are for your security. Install an Internet firewall or combined anti-virus firewall package. Keep your anti-virus software updated and run it daily. Do not follow any links from your email or open any attachments that come from unknown sources

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Computer Virus Removal - An Overview Many people spend a lot of time on the Internet, it is fun and informative. However it can pose numerous risks for people who surf it, who might soon be turning to the question of how to remove a computer virus. Web pages can contain malevolent code that, when executed, can damage your computer. Irrespective of the time spent online you are vulnerable to those computer viruses… If you suspect you have been infected what do you do? Basically you need to determine what you are infected with and then do your research to find the best tools to rid yourself of the virus. Inside this site you will find information on various threats, like spyware, trojans and viruses. Firstly let’s look at what a virus is, and then we will move onto how to remove a virus from a computer… What is a computer virus? We all heard the word “computer virus”, or just “virus”. Some of us have even encountered one or more of these malicious computer programs. However, what exactly is a computer virus? A computer virus is a malicious computer program that can copy itself on a computer and infect it. This is done without permission from the owner. There are a number of other categories of computer programs that are erroneously called viruses, like spyware, malware, adware, worms, trojan horses, rootkits, etc. However, a true virus can only spread if its host is taken to another computer. Viruses can be sent over the Internet or a network, or on floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, or USB drives. A list of potential computer virus carriers There are a lot of potential virus carriers available. We will list the most important ones below: .bat files – files that have a .bat extension  Microsoft Office files – virtually any file produced by MS Office  Email attachments – be very careful when opening attachments  .exe files – any file with a .exe extension  Image files – any image file (jpg, gif, png, etc) can contain one or more viruses  CDs  DVDs  Hard Disks   The list can go on. Therefore, as you can see, although it was created with the best intentions in mind, the Internet is far from being a safe place. You never know how a virus gets onboard. Once it infects a PC, it is generally very hard to get rid of and computer virus removal can become a huge issue if unprepared. You might even be forced to manually remove registry entries – a very dangerous action even for experts! So it is vital that you install a good antivirus in your computer… Important facts about computer viruses Many people are unaware of some simple facts about computer viruses. For example, these computer programs need to have permission to execute code and write to memory in order to replicate themselves. This is why many of these malicious programs attach themselves to executable files (.exe) and infect the machine when the user runs the executable. There are two types of computer viruses: resident and nonresident. When run, a resident virus loads itself into memory and transfers control to the host program. Nonresident viruses start searching for a new host immediately after being run. We can expand on this subject but we would be going into some very technical details. Security issues If you are reading this, it means that your computer is, or was, connected to the Internet or to a local area network. This means you are, or were, very vulnerable to computer viruses. If you do not have proper protection (antivirus, firewall, etc), it might be too late, so it is important to understand the methods used to remove most computer viruses. The first thing you should do is install a good security suite containing a firewall and an antivirus. There are a lot of these suits from different antivirus companies, you will find two software pack reviews on this site, we recommend Avast and AVG. Although it will cost you some money, you must have one of them! Please note that having more than one antivirus or firewall installed can lead to errors and security breaches. The second thing to do is initiate a full scan of your computer. Make sure you remove all the malicious programs you find!

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The Common Types of Computer Virus

The Common Types of Computer Virus Presuming you are already familiar with what a computer virus is, how it spreads, and what it does, it is time for you to learn that there are a few different types of computer virus. Let’s see what these types are and how each of these computer viruses behaves. Boot viruses Since nobody uses floppy disks anymore, these types of computer virus are left to infect only the master boot records of the hard disk. The boot record program loads the operating system in the memory at startup. These viruses replace the boot record and move it to a different part of the hard disk, or simply overwrite it. As you can imagine, once you start your operating system, it loads into memory, along with the virus. Once the virus is in the memory, it is free to do whatever it was programmed to do. To avoid loading the boot record viruses into memory, you must boot your operating system from another source (another hard drive or a bootable CD/DVD). Program viruses These types of computer virus will infect only executable files (with extensions like .BIN, .COM, .EXE, .OVL, .DRV, and .SYS). Once executed, these programs load into memory, along with the virus contained within them. Once in the memory, the scenario repeats – the virus is free to act and infect other files or simply deliver its payload. These viruses are friendlier than boot viruses and can be removed a lot easier. Multipartite viruses These computer viruses are hybrids, derived from boot viruses and program viruses. They infect executable files, just like the program viruses but, once the executable is executed, it infects the master boot records. The scenario is similar to the boot virus’s one: once you boot your operating system, the virus is loaded into the memory, from where it is free to infect other programs and replicate itself, ultimately delivering the payload. Stealth viruses These viruses are specialized in avoiding detection and will use a number of techniques to do so. Most of them simply redirect the hard disk head, forcing it to read another memory sector instead of their own. Some of them also alter the reading of the file size shown when listing the directory. These types of computer virus are very hard to find by humans, but antivirus software is specially designed to track them down and erase them. Polymorphic viruses The polymorphic viruses will always change their source code from one infection to another. Each infection is different, and this makes detection very hard. However, detection is still possible, depending on the antivirus. Macro viruses This virus is relatively new and it infects macros within a template or document. When you open a word processing document, it activates the virus. The virus infects the Normal.dot template, which is a general file used by all the documents. So, whenever you open an uninfected document, by referring to the Normal.dot file, it gets infected as well. This infection can only spread if infected documents are opened on another machine. Active X viruses Most people do not know how to configure ActiveX and Java controls, unconsciously leaving a security hole. Applets are then allowed to run freely on the machine, delivering all ActiveX viruses. By simply turning off some ActiveX and Java controls in the browser, a user can efficiently protect their PC from this type of computer virus.

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How to Deal with Unwanted Phone Calls:

Did you know that the most unused feature on a smartphone is the phone itself? We just don’t call each other the way we used to. Instead we text, email, or Facebook to get in touch. This is the reason your phone doesn’t ring very often. When it does, you usually know who is calling you thanks to caller ID. Caller ID allows you to screen every phone call and only answer when you want to talk. If you don’t, you can ignore the call and return it when it’s more convenient to you. But what if just ignoring the call isn’t an option? Or what if you don’t know who is calling and you answer the phone only to find out that it’s someone you really don’t want to talk to? Here are some tips on how you can deal with unwanted phone calls.

Photo Credits: aigledore 

The Super Chatty Relative

We all know what it’s like to have a telephone conversation with someone who just won’t shut up. We make polite comments of agreement like, “Mmhmm,” and “I see,” but we aren’t really listening that closely. We’re just thinking about how we can put an end to the conversation politely. Lots of times this super chatty relative is an overbearing mother, and you just don’t want to disrespect her or hurt her feelings.

When you get a phone call from Mom, answer but be prepared to start ending the conversation before it even starts. Say something like, “Hi Mom. I wanted to answer so you know I’m okay, but I really don’t have time to talk right now. Can I call you back?” If you give her a chance to start the conversation, you’ll have no other chance to end it. 

The Telemarketer

Those telemarketers really are sneaky. You see an unknown number, and out of curiosity you answer the phone. When they immediately start their sales pitch, you regret not just letting it go to voicemail. In these situations, lots of people are tempted to start cursing or yelling, but that’s the worst way to handle things. The telemarketer is only doing his job, so avoid bad karma and don’t be mean. Politely say, “I’m not interested,” and immediately hang up. That’s that. And to avoid getting more of these calls in the future, register your telephone number with your nation's Do Not Call Registry. 

The Stalker

In extreme situations, your unwanted calls may actually be calls of harassment. Whether it be a jilted lover, a vindictive friend, or a total stranger, harassing phone calls should be taken seriously. Try to avoid answering the calls, and do not respond to harassment. Call your phone company and notify them, and they may be able to prevent the number from calling you. If the harassment doesn’t stop or is taking the form of threats, keep a log of all harassing calls, and notify law enforcement to file a report. The police should step in and take action to stop the stalker. You may also need to change your phone number.

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