QUESTION: When my September phone bills arrived, I was shocked to see charges of $53.43 to a 900 number on my GTE bill and charges of $15.60 to Guyana on my long-distance carrier bill, both made on my phone number. On the date and time of the Guyana calls, my phone rang and when I answered it, I heard a recording of sex talk. I immediately hung up. It rang again; I answered, and again, I heard a recording. The next time it rang, my husband answered and got a recording. How could this be when we didn't initiate the calls? Cordless-phone privacy
concerns can be solvedI have been assured these charges will be waived this time.
I believe these calls were made by accessing my cordless phone waves. I have been told that my cordless phone waves can be accessed whenever the phone is not returned to the base. Is this true? I have also been told that teen-agers roam the streets at night with a cordless phone trying to pick up phone waves to make these calls.
I have unplugged my cordless phone and placed a 900 block on my phone. Do you have suggestions for me in using a cordless phone in the future?
ANSWER: There is no evidence that people are accessing cordless phones or even that it's possible, according to GTE Hawaiian Tel spokesman Calvin Tadaki.
"We haven't had any kind of study that shows it does cause problems," he said, adding that his company receives similar queries about once a year. "There hasn't been a rash of complaints."
Cordless phones, unlike cellular phones, have a very limited range. If people suspect an accessing problem, Tadaki advises changing frequencies. Just follow the instructions that come with the phone.
- The Wilson Tunnel
- State vehicles
- Auwe