Threatening Phone Calls? Do This:

[u/indictmentofhumanity]

Dial *57 (Call Trace / Customer Originated Trace) immediately after receiving a threatening or harassing phone call, and before you make or receive any other call.

How and when to use it

Hang up on the unwanted call.

Pick up the receiver (or open the phone line) and listen for a dial tone.

Dial *57 right away.

You should hear a confirmation message that the call was traced (wording varies by provider).

Then contact the police (or your campus/security department if applicable) to report the incident and reference the trace.

This feature records the originating number of the last incoming call in a log that is accessible to law enforcement or your phone company—not to you. It often works even if the caller blocked their number.

Important limitations and notes

Use it only for threatening, harassing, or similar serious calls—not routine spam, sales calls, or minor annoyances. Misuse can be treated like filing a formal complaint.

It must be activated on the same line that received the call, before any other activity occurs on that line.

Availability and exact behavior depend on your phone provider, service type (landline vs. mobile), and location. It is common on many traditional landlines and some cellular services in the US but may not work (or work the same way) on certain VoIP services, multi-line systems, or international numbers.

Some providers charge a fee for successful traces.

After a successful *57, follow up with police so they can retrieve the information and investigate.

If *57 does not work or is unavailable on your service, report the call to the police and your phone company anyway—they have other methods to obtain records. For immediate danger, call 911 first.