Harassing phone calls in Germany - advice please.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

I am US military living in a village in Germany of about 100 homes sharing the same telephone prefix, in a single family house with my wife and small kids.
I know very few of the people around - basically I'm on smiling terms with the elderly German couples on either side of us but I don't know any of the younger folks on the street except for one American family who a few houses down who I jumpstarted their car once, but we don't have much in common. It's a pretty nice area with kids and such, the occasional sound of some rowdier young adults in some of the homes on the weekends but no domestic violence sounds or anything.
We got a landline phone number when we moved in that came with the internet.

A few months ago in the wee hours of the morning I got a phone call. I don't speak German so I couldn't tell you if he sounded drunk or not. I try to tell him he has the wrong number but he's oddly persistent in trying to talk to me. My wife wakes up (she doesn't really speak German either) and asks me who's calling. The guy hears her voice and asks to talk to my "freundin." I hang up but he keeps calling back until my sleepy brain is able to figure out how to hang up and then press the call button again quickly to leave the phone off the hook.

If I recall correctly through the haze of sleep, he did it again a few days after that and I just left the phone off the hook.

This morning at 5 AM (still dark) he calls again. The caller ID shows the phone number and the prefix indicates it's a German cell phone. It takes me a moment to realize this is the same guy as my sleepy head tries to remember the German phrase for "you have called a wrong number" but I wake up fast when he asks to talk to my "freundin" - my wife hadn't made a sound so obviously the guy has remembered my phone number from months ago and remembers there is a female at this phone number. Again I figure out how to leave the phone off the hook.

Advice especially requested from Germans - maybe I should just ask the phone company to block this specific phone number? I guess that's the obvious thing to do... but I'm also interested in anything anyone else has to say. It's a laborious process to get a gun in Germany and we don't want a dog...

[Smü]

Praise the german high court that has passed § 238 of our law code.

It rules "Nachstellung" as a violation of private rights. Nachstellung = stalking.

So you have two options:

1) Call the phone company to block out his phone number. Might take some time.

2) Call the cops (the german ones. As long as you are off the base, your home should be on german property). You have witness and his phone number. You won't have to hassle around trying to get a restraint warrant, as stalking is a felony in germany. And "enabling contact via means of telecommunication against the will of the harrassed person" is the second paragraph of said law.

You don't have to get a lawyer for the felony itself, that will be taken care of by the equivalent of the DA. You could also try to make contact with someone from the Kripo on how to react to this matter. While they can't and won't give you legal advice, they might give you a set of options on how to react properly to this threat.

We had a case with my family where we had to resort to this paragraph. What we did: I asked a cop buddy of mine to write me an official email of how much in trouble the person in doubt was. Then I confronted said person, told her to leave us alone else the cops would be their first line of problems, left said email printed out along with the law text at her letterbox on her house and left.

No sign of her ever since.

[LBB]

Give me the guys number, give me your number, and I will take care of it.

If they call again after I took care of it, you can press charges against them.

On thing in general.
All German Soldiers that go into a different country, learn the language that is spoken there.
So the guys that go to Fort Bliss lean English, the ones that go to Brussels, they lean English and French.
Same for other foreign soldiers that come to Germany, excluding the Americans.


Like I said, I will take care of it, but you might want to learn German.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Thanks for the offer to take care of it directly, but I'm sure you can understand there are several reasons I'd be hesitant to fix things that way.
I'm actually calmed down a bit now but I do want this resolved. It's not so much that this particular situation frightens me, as much as it highlights my frustration that I'm in a foreign country where I don't know how to navigate the (phone company, police) system, and I am dependent on these systems more than I would be in the US where I could be more self-reliant.

I realize the main problem here is my lack of the ability to speak German - and I have taken German classes, but it's difficult to become proficient when almost all my daily interactions are with Americans, as opposed to a German who goes to America - his work, shopping, and socializing are much less likely to be in his native tongue.
Actually quite a few of my patients' native language is Spanish, which I do speak.

What I can do then is take one of my German-speaking friends with me to go talk to the phone company guys at the mall where we signed up for the phone plan... or talk to the American military police and ask them to be my go-between with the polizei (thank you Smü for the information, that gives me a leg to stand on when asking both the American and German police for help).

[Czechnology]

Thanks for the offer to take care of it directly, but I'm sure you can understand there are several reasons I'd be hesitant to fix things that way.
I'm actually calmed down a bit now but I do want this resolved. It's not so much that this particular situation frightens me, as much as it highlights my frustration that I'm in a foreign country where I don't know how to navigate the (phone company, police) system, and I am dependent on these systems more than I would be in the US where I could be more self-reliant.

I realize the main problem here is my lack of the ability to speak German - and I have taken German classes, but it's difficult to become proficient when almost all my daily interactions are with Americans, as opposed to a German who goes to America - his work, shopping, and socializing are much less likely to be in his native tongue.
Actually quite a few of my patients' native language is Spanish, which I do speak.

What I can do then is take one of my German-speaking friends with me to go talk to the phone company guys at the mall where we signed up for the phone plan... or talk to the American military police and ask them to be my go-between with the polizei (thank you Smü for the information, that gives me a leg to stand on when asking both the American and German police for help).

If you and your wife take classes together, you will have someone to practice with every day.

[LBB]

Thanks for the offer to take care of it directly, but I'm sure you can understand there are several reasons I'd be hesitant to fix things that way.
I'm actually calmed down a bit now but I do want this resolved. It's not so much that this particular situation frightens me, as much as it highlights my frustration that I'm in a foreign country where I don't know how to navigate the (phone company, police) system, and I am dependent on these systems more than I would be in the US where I could be more self-reliant.

I realize the main problem here is my lack of the ability to speak German - and I have taken German classes, but it's difficult to become proficient when almost all my daily interactions are with Americans, as opposed to a German who goes to America - his work, shopping, and socializing are much less likely to be in his native tongue.
Actually quite a few of my patients' native language is Spanish, which I do speak.

What I can do then is take one of my German-speaking friends with me to go talk to the phone company guys at the mall where we signed up for the phone plan... or talk to the American military police and ask them to be my go-between with the polizei (thank you Smü for the information, that gives me a leg to stand on when asking both the American and German police for help).

When I went to Fort Bliss a long time ago, I didn't hang out with my German buddies, I was searching locals to hang out with.
Maybe you have a hobby that allows this.

Now in order to get everything going the right way I would do it this way:
Calling the person over the day time and telling him all the options:
A) you stop doing this... best option
B) you do it again... bad option
For B I would also tell him, that next time he does it, he will get a strafanzeige wegen stoerung der nachtruhe (press charges because he calls at night)

This would been what I would have done, but it's up to you.
And yes, he would see a 001 country code when he gets the call

After you give him a chance, and he calls again, you go to the police and tell them:
Ich mochte eine Strafanzeige gegen phonenumber stellen.
Ich werde jede Nacht angerufen.

And there it goes.
I wouldn't even use the phone company because this always gives you problems.

[LBB]

Watch German children's TV
This will help you understanding German.
Also watch the 8 o'clock news, they always speak perfect German this will help you as well.

[Czechnology]

Watch German children's TV
This will help you understanding German.
Also watch the 8 o'clock news, they always speak perfect German this will help you as well.

Haha "Berndt Das Brot" is a good one, and children's books are excellent too.

[jamoni]

Interesting: You are being stalked, and it's your fault for not speaking German.
You must be "asking for it".
I'd probably go through my chain of command. Explain that you are worried, but don't want to create an incident that would reflect poorly on the service, and can they please help you out. If that isn't a possibility, I'd give the same story to my Chaplain and JAG.

[Smü]

I'd probably go through my chain of command. Explain that you are worried, but don't want to create an incident that would reflect poorly on the service, and can they please help you out. If that isn't a possibility, I'd give the same story to my Chaplain and JAG.

+1

Your MP might even make a contact with local authorities. AFAIK, police and MP are relatively tight together in towns where alliied forces* are stationed. Skip the thought of calling the person harassing you. If the person has his wits together, he will accuse you of threatening him if things start getting legally interesting.

*The forces stationed here in germany are widely called allied forces still.

[LBB]

I'd probably go through my chain of command. Explain that you are worried, but don't want to create an incident that would reflect poorly on the service, and can they please help you out. If that isn't a possibility, I'd give the same story to my Chaplain and JAG.

Indubitably, my good sir and/or madam.

Your MP might even make a contact with local authorities. AFAIK, police and MP are relatively tight together in towns where alliied forces* are stationed. Skip the thought of calling the person harassing you. If the person has his wits together, he will accuse you of threatening him if things start getting legally interesting.

*The forces stationed here in germany are widely called allied forces still.

I got some phone calls here, and the person spoke Spanish. So I was in a similar situation like he was.
A friend picked up, and explained that this is the wrong number. The caller was an 60 year old women from Mexico.

If you skip calling this person, that might has your number wrong in his phone, and go directly to the heavy guns, this could reflect negatively towards all Americans.
I could tell you some stories were something less ended in 6 Hundertschaften closing down a village of 200.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundertschaft

[the_alias]

If you skip calling this person, that might has your number wrong in his phone, and go directly to the heavy guns, this could reflect negatively towards all Americans.

To be honest I wouldn't worry about that at all.

Germans are not worried at all about involving the police and authorities when dealing with such things.

[LBB]

If you skip calling this person, that might has your number wrong in his phone, and go directly to the heavy guns, this could reflect negatively towards all Americans.

To be honest I wouldn't worry about that at all.

Germans are not worried at all about involving the police and authorities when dealing with such things.

Yeah lets see, the last time I gave First Aid in Germany, I went to jail.

Are you sure they are not worried?


Also, there are certain groups in Germany that will come with there friends and beat you up, because you said Hi to there GF.

It's all about giving the person a chance to see his mistake before you use the big guns.

[Krustofski]

Don't get the phone company involved unless the police or your lawyer tell you so. Dealing with them is living hell, don't do it!

Smü nailed it. Ask the MPs or someone in your chain of command to contact local police. If they can't or won't help, take all information you have and go to the local police station yourself. If the front desk officers can't help you, they will find an officer with a good-enough grasp of English sowhere in the building. Just don't call 110 for something like that, the operator would probably be pissed.
Chances are, the cops will find out who is harrasing you, tell him to cut it out, and the DA will drop the case.

Now, if you were harrased by a telemarketer, the situation would be different. In that case, the best course of action would be to get your local Verbraucherzentrale involved. Since telemarketers rarely call at 5 AM, we can pretty much rule this out, I guess.

Yeah lets see, the last time I gave First Aid in Germany, I went to jail.

I'd be higly interested in the circumstances of that experience. Because § 34 of the Criminal Code pretty much serves for a good Samaritan law, and this seems... odd.

[the_alias]

If you skip calling this person, that might has your number wrong in his phone, and go directly to the heavy guns, this could reflect negatively towards all Americans.

To be honest I wouldn't worry about that at all.

Germans are not worried at all about involving the police and authorities when dealing with such things.

Yeah lets see, the last time I gave First Aid in Germany, I went to jail.

Are you sure they are not worried?


Also, there are certain groups in Germany that will come with there friends and beat you up, because you said Hi to there GF.

It's all about giving the person a chance to see his mistake before you use the big guns.

I think you misunderstood me.

I lived in Germany for 4 years I have my own everyday experiences to make judgements off.

There are people everywhere who will beat you up for talking to their GF!

[LBB]

If you skip calling this person, that might has your number wrong in his phone, and go directly to the heavy guns, this could reflect negatively towards all Americans.

To be honest I wouldn't worry about that at all.

Germans are not worried at all about involving the police and authorities when dealing with such things.

Yeah lets see, the last time I gave First Aid in Germany, I went to jail.

Are you sure they are not worried?


Also, there are certain groups in Germany that will come with there friends and beat you up, because you said Hi to there GF.

It's all about giving the person a chance to see his mistake before you use the big guns.

I think you misunderstood me.

I lived in Germany for 4 years I have my own everyday experiences to make judgements off.

There are people everywhere who will beat you up for talking to their GF!

I lived in Germany 30 years!

[Czechnology]

To be honest I wouldn't worry about that at all.

Germans are not worried at all about involving the police and authorities when dealing with such things.

Yeah lets see, the last time I gave First Aid in Germany, I went to jail.

Are you sure they are not worried?


Also, there are certain groups in Germany that will come with there friends and beat you up, because you said Hi to there GF.

It's all about giving the person a chance to see his mistake before you use the big guns.

I think you misunderstood me.

I lived in Germany for 4 years I have my own everyday experiences to make judgements off.

There are people everywhere who will beat you up for talking to their GF!

I lived in Germany 30 years!

Your single, poorly described experience does not create a pattern of behavior for strangers to base potential future actions on. Please don't turn this into another Sub/Machinegun/pistol argument.

[LBB]

Every time you involve Law Enforcement or Phone Companies in Germany, it can get ugly.

You involve the wrong person, and everybody gets punished.

In the worst case, the person that calls my mistake and didn't actually know he did, can lose his job and or phone service for a long time.
You would wonder why. Because the phone service sucks.
Heise.de a German computer magazine has a lot of calls from people that lose there phone service for different reasons and can not get it back.

So I am not sure if you want to use a big cannon as your first resort, when they are plenty of other methods.


And like I said, I don't trust the police in Germany as well.
I saved some drunks life, and I ended up in jail.
The night before I went on an exercise.
It was ugly and at the end it cost me a lot of money for nothing I did wrong.

[LBB]

Your single, poorly described experience does not create a pattern of behavior for strangers to base potential future actions on. Please don't turn this into another Sub/Machinegun/pistol argument.

It gives people a reason, as we saw yesterday in the chatroom.

So things like this give reasons, it doesn't really matter what it is about.
They take this as a reason to do dumb things.

I am trying to calm people down and say, call this person first, as you would try it in the USA.

[TDW586]

I wouldn't try to call the guy in the USA. He's had plenty of chances to correct his behavior, and has failed to do so.

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[Regular Guy]

Downwardly spiralling thread, check.

OT: Call civilian police, contact MPs, contact First Sargent, contact Superivsor. File restraining order if applicable.

[Czechnology]

I am trying to calm people down and say, call this person first, as you would try it in the USA.

Given that the person in question is already clearly not interested in my desires, I don't see how contacting him personally could result in anything other than escalation.

[LBB]

I am trying to calm people down and say, call this person first, as you would try it in the USA.

Given that the person in question is already clearly not interested in my desires, I don't see how contacting him personally could result in anything other than escalation.

How do you know this?

Did you read my experience with the women that called me from Mexico?

There was a language problem. Telling the person in there language might solve the problem without having anybody to pay thousands of dollar.

[TDW586]

LBB, how is it that someone would be unable to figure out that they have the wrong number when the person answering doesn't fucking speak the right language? How stupid do you have to be to keep calling at that point?

Fuck the language barrier, some things are common sense.

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