The other student said he received a similar call from a caller also posing as a Newsweek pollster.
The caller asked the student survey-like questions, but again began to ask for more personal replies, according to the student.
"[H]e asked what I was wearing. When I gave a very general description, he asked for specific details, like what type of shoes and the color of my shirt. At this point, I definitely realized that this person was not from Newsweek," the student said.
"Before I could say anything, he abruptly hung up," he added
"After the call...I completely changed my clothes because I was nervous that he was waiting outside and I did not want him to identify me by my clothing," the student said.
The University has a policy for tracing repeated harassing calls, but advises students who feel uncomfortable with a phone call to hang up and call the Harvard police, said Patricia A. Murphy, manager of the communication center at University Information Systems.