Payphone Users of New York: Call the NBC News I-Team

Payphone users of New York: NBC’s I-Team wants you!

Ads like this presently appear on payphone enclosures throughout New York, reminding passers-by that “THE PHONE IS RIGHT HERE”. For most people the phone “right here” is the one in their pocket or satchel. The I-Team’s sign, however, refers to the public payphone hiding within the enclosure’s cloak of advertising.

There is some savvy behind this ad campaign, which actually does not specifically target the minuscule percentage of New Yorkers who regularly use payphones.

These ads are NBC New York’s attempt to inform the public that payphones are a means to report crimes or scams when you would rather not use your own phone to do it.

The I-Team here targets the demographic of citizens who want to report crimes or emergencies but hesitate to do so for fear of becoming associated with the incidents being reported.

Unless one possesses some kind of ISIS-level means of encrypting and anonymizing their phone then there is no realistic way to hide caller ID from 911 or toll-free numbers (such as the I-Team’s 866 number). Dialing *67 does not hide your number in these cases, as Verizon reminds us on its web site:

In recent years some U.S. cities have actually seen increases in the number calls made from payphones to 911 and other emergency services. I think this reflects the public’s desire to be involved with making authorities and others aware of dangerous situations without potentially becoming part of an investigation.

So if you see something, know something, or want the I-Team’s squad of gotcha journalists to publicly shame someone who did you wrong, give 1-866-NEWS-244 a call from your nearest payphone. The call is toll free and will not cost you a nickel. No one needs to know who you are.

If you still worry your call will be recorded and your voice recognized in some future circumstance then you might want to explore the murky world of Portable Voice Changers, gadgets with which I have no experience but whose makers claim will alter your voice so that it sounds like a robot to whoever you call. Shop carefully, though.

For the most part New York City payphones are still pretty easy to find.

In case you have trouble reading the letters on the payphone’s keypad the number is 1-866-639-7244.

Here’s what you’ll here when you call:

“Thank you for calling News 4 New York. I’m Chuck Scarborough. Our I-Team takes on corruption, government waste, and consumer fraud. If you have an idea for a story push 1 for Investigations. Push 2 for Consumer. Push 3 for general story ideas to reach our newsroom. Thanks for watching News 4 New York.”