JOURNO FAIL IN PROGRESS: USA Today article triggers CHAOS at 911 call center in Massachusetts

Greg P. | 1:15 PM on February 07, 2019

WHOOPS!

USA Today published an article today on how to block spam calls to your cellphone, but the advice has accidentally triggered chaos at a Massachusetts 911 call center.

First up, here’s the article:

You have a whole arsenal of smartphone tools at your disposal: Block numbers, Do Not Disturb mode, and apps can help end this telephonic pestilence. https://t.co/q2kW2Xhk7B

— USA TODAY Money (@USATODAYmoney) February 7, 2019

The No. 1 tip is to use *77 that will, on some carriers, enable “Anonymous Call Rejection”:

1. Reject Anonymous Calls Automatically
Many robocalls come up as “anonymous” on your caller ID, while most businesses and human beings come up as identifiable phone numbers. Chances are, you could terminate all anonymous calls without missing anything important.

Depending on your service, you may have access to Anonymous Call Rejection. Enter the magic number *77, and you will hear three beeps. Hang up, and any call that hides its number will be rejected.

This service varies by carrier, and some carriers charge extra. But it’s a helpful tool for scammers or robocallers who slip through the Do Not Call Registry.

But for some reason, dialing *77 in Massachusetts triggers a call to the 911 center in Framingham:

DO NOT dial *77 from your cellular device in Massachusetts in an attempt to block spam calls…it will not work! Dialing *77 in MA generates calls into the State 911 Department's Framingham 911 center that will not translate properly through the 911 system.

— MA State 911 (@MAstate911) February 7, 2019