BUSINESS: MAN STUNNED WHEN PHONE DISCONNECTED BY IMPOSTOR

When Victor Heise returned home Wednesday, he started to make a telephone call, but the line was dead.

Further checks revealed that the phone had been disconnected.

The telephone company had put in the disconnect order Monday afternoon, following a telephone call from a person who identified himself as Vic Heise.

"It was working at 8 a.m. Wednesday," said Heise. "That's when I left the house. I got back home and it was turned off. I would have thought the telephone company would have called before shutting off the power."

Heise made contact with a Southwest Bell representative, who refused to turn the phone back on.

"We had no reason to suspect that the caller was not Heise," said Southwestern Bell Telephone spokesperson Michelle Johnson.

"We have some standard questions we ask a caller on a disconnect order," Johnson. "We may ask for a social security number, your wife's maiden name, or a couple of other questions."

It would have to be someone who is familiar with family, she said.

Apparently, the caller requested the phone disconnect Monday afternoon. The request was not urgent and telephone company waited until Wednesday to shut off the phone.

It took three more calls -- to Springfield, Mo., Kansas City, Mo., and an Arkansas location -- and finally, Southwestern Bell returned service to Heise's telephone. The company waived the usual re-connect fee.

Heise said he now has a special code number which must be given to the phone company before any changes can be made to his service.

Heise didn't stop there. He called his utilities company, cable television company and water company.

"I have code numbers with all of them," said Heise. "Now, anyone wanting to have my service cut off will have to give the code numbers."

"The code number is a good idea," said Johnson. "This is something that does not happen very often, but a code number would prevent it."

Southwestern Bell phone users can request that a code be put on the account, restricting any changes except from the code number holder.