Phone harassment: repeated calls or messages and what to do

Phone harassment: repeated calls or messages and what to do

The phone rings again. It's the same number, or a withheld one, for the tenth time today. Or the messages keep coming: insults, threats, demands, or simply constant contact that you've asked to stop. Maybe it's an ex, someone you know, a stranger or a company that won't leave you alone. Repeated, unwanted contact that frightens you or disrupts your life isn't something you have to put up with, and in Ireland harassment is a criminal offence. Here's how to protect yourself, gather evidence and report it.

When is it harassment and not just a nuisance?

Not every unwanted call is harassment. A company ringing about an offer is a nuisance; a wrong number is a mistake. It starts to look like harassment when:

• It's persistent: the contact keeps happening, over days or weeks.
• You've asked them to stop, clearly, and they carry on.
• It affects your peace or safety: you're afraid, anxious, you change your routine, you avoid answering your phone.
• It includes threats, insults or sexual content, or messages about where you are or what you're doing.
• It comes from multiple numbers or withheld numbers to get around your blocks.
• It extends to other channels: social media, email, your family or your workplace.

Irish law treats persistent conduct that seriously interferes with someone's peace and privacy, or causes them alarm or distress, as harassment. Since 2021, Coco's Law (the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020) has also made it clear that harassment and threatening or grossly offensive communications by phone, message or online are covered, as is sharing or threatening to share intimate images without consent.

What do I do right now?

1. If you're in immediate danger, call 999 or 112. Don't wait.
2. Don't engage. If you've already asked them to stop once, clearly, there's no need to keep replying. Replies often fuel the behaviour.
3. Save everything before blocking. Take screenshots of messages (with date and time visible), the call log, voicemails and social media messages. Back them up somewhere other than your phone (email to yourself, cloud storage).
4. Keep a diary: date, time, number, what was said and how it affected you. It's very useful for a Garda report.
5. Block the number and the profiles. On iPhone and Android you can block numbers from the call log, and silence unknown or withheld callers in the settings.
6. Ask your phone provider for help if the calls continue from different or withheld numbers. Providers can advise on blocking options for persistent malicious calls.
7. Tell someone you trust what's happening. Harassment isolates; support helps.
8. Review your privacy: social media settings, location sharing, who can see your phone number.

How do I report it?

• An Garda Síochána. Go to your local Garda station (find it in the Garda station directory) with your evidence and diary. Explain how long it's been going on, that you asked them to stop, and how it's affecting you. The Gardaí have victim services to keep you informed about your case.
• If it's an ex-partner or someone you live with, it may be part of domestic abuse. The Women's Aid 24-hour National Freephone Helpline is 1800 341 900 (womensaid.ie), and the Gardaí treat domestic abuse as a priority.
• If it involves intimate images being shared or threatened, report it to the Gardaí. Hotline.ie also accepts reports of intimate images shared online without consent.
• For support as a victim of crime, the Crime Victims Helpline is free on 116 006.
• If it's a company ringing you repeatedly for marketing after you've said no, you can complain to the Data Protection Commission. If it's a company chasing a debt in an aggressive way, see our guide on fake debt collectors in the situations section.
• Report the number in the spam numbers directory if it's a stranger or a campaign.

What if I already answered or played along?

That's completely understandable: most people try to be polite or reason with the person at first. It doesn't weaken your case.

• From now on, don't respond. A single, clear message ("Don't contact me again") is enough, and you can save it as evidence that you asked.
• Don't delete your earlier replies: they're part of the context.
• If you agreed to meet or gave information about where you live or work, tell the Gardaí when you report and think about your safety on your usual routes.
• If they're threatening to share something, don't pay or give in to demands. Keep the evidence and report it.

Frequently asked questions

The calls come from a withheld number. Can anything be done? Yes. Keep a record of the times and dates. When you report it, the Gardaí can, as part of an investigation, seek information from phone providers about where calls came from.

Do I have to know who it is to report it? No. You can report harassment from an unknown person; your evidence and diary help the investigation.

I blocked them and they keep using new numbers. What now? Keep recording each new number, use your phone's option to silence unknown callers, ask your provider for help and report it to the Gardaí. Changing numbers to get around blocks is itself part of the pattern.

Should I change my number? It can help, but it's your decision. If you do, give the new number only to people you trust, and keep the old evidence before you change.

In short

Repeated, unwanted calls or messages that frighten you or disrupt your life can be harassment, and harassment is a crime in Ireland. Don't engage, save every piece of evidence, keep a diary, block and report it to the Gardaí. If you're in danger, call 999 or 112. And if the number belongs to a stranger or a campaign, report it in the NoCall spam numbers directory.