To file a harassment claim, you will usually have to document the incident and then report it to someone in authority. For example, if you are being harassed in the workplace, you may make a harassment claim to your supervisor or a human resource representative. If you are being harassed at home, you may have to get the police involved. In the event that you are harassed by telephone or via the Internet, you may report it to the company that provides your service as well as to the police. In some cases, you may even find it necessary to seek a lawyer's help in putting a stop to the harassment.
In most cases, filing a harassment claim means determining to whom you should report it. This may depend on the type of harassment from which you are suffering. For example, if your neighbor is harassing you, you may file a harassment claim with the police. If a coworker or supervisor is harassing you, however, you may have to report it to your employer or a human resource worker. In the event that you are being harassed by the owner of the company for which you work, however, an attorney may be most likely to help you.
In the event that you are being harassed by telephone, you may report the harassment to the company that provides your telephone service. If the calls are merely annoying, reporting them to the telephone company may be sufficient. If the calls do not end, however, or are threatening, you may call the police to report them. You may choose to handle Internet harassment in the same manner. Unless you believe you are in immediate danger, these calls should be made to the local police department’s non-emergency number.
In the event that you are being harassed by a creditor, you may file a harassment claim with the Department of Banking, Trade Commission, or a similar organization in your jurisdiction. Before you do, however, you may do well to make sure the creditor is not merely taking acceptable steps to collect a debt. In most cases, creditors have the right to call you unless you specifically ask them not to and document this request in writing. They are usually, however, restricted from calling you numerous times in a short period, threatening you, making false statements to induce you to pay, or calling very late at night or early in the morning.
Documenting the harassment may help you to get results when you file a harassment claim. For example, you may keep a written report of the harassment and save harassing voice mail or email messages. If you have witnesses to the harassment, their reports may help as well.
