Surprisingly, experience has shown that nuisance calls do not come just from strangers. They also come from acquaintances, neighbors or business associates.

A relatively small group of people-unsupervised youngsters, misguided or frustrated people, those mentally ill - make many of the nuisance calls.

Generally, nuisance calls are made at random. If you get such a call, and give the caller no satisfaction, the person will usually give up after one or two attempts.

If you get anonymous calls or calls that try to get information you don’t want to give, here are some suggestions for dealing with them.

1. Always use the telephone on your terms, not those of the caller. Do not talk to anyone unless you want to.

2. Ask the caller to identify himself or herself. If the caller asks, "Who is this?" do not give your name. Instead ask, "What number did you call?" or "Whom do you want?" If the call is not legitimate, that very likely will end it.

3. Instruct your children and the baby-sitter never to talk on the phone to someone they do not positively recognize. An innocent comment like "Daddy’s out of town" could be helpful to a burglar. Teach them to ask for the number so someone can call back later.

4. If it is the kind of caller who remains silent after you answer, hang up. Some want to listen, just to see what you will do, and particularly to see if you will get angry. It is not much fun listening to a dead line.