Phone Whisperer Alarms Students

Several Harvard students have received harassing phone calls from a whispering man, prompting speculation that the “serial whisperer”—reportedly silenced two years ago —is back.

Some students were awoken by the hushed tones of an anonymous male caller who, according to police, asked questions such as “Are you awake? Do you know who this is? What are you wearing?”

Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) spokesperson Steven G. Catalano said HUPD has taken three incident reports involving these calls since Sept. 2, and at least two other students said they received similar calls but did not file formal reports.

In November 2001, HUPD officials tracked down the so-called “serial whisperer,” known for phoning female Harvard students in the early morning and saying he was “crazy about you.”

Some students reportedly received 30 calls from the man in a two-month period.

By tracing the calls, HUPD determined the caller’s south Florida location and worked with officials there to order the man to stop calling.

Catalano said he is unsure whether the new calls—reported by one undergraduate and two graduate students—are linked to the old “serial whisperer.”

“It’s very hard to tell whether it is the same person,” he said.

One student who received the mysterious wake-up call this week described the caller’s inquiries as sexually explicit, unlike the calls of 2000-2001.

A student who receives a prank call, Catalano said, should hang up the phone without engaging the caller in conversation.

Students should report the calls, especially repeated ones, to HUPD and try to save the number if it appears on caller ID, Catalano said.

—Staff writer Jenifer L. Steinhardt can be reached at steinhar@fas.harvard.edu.