WRONG NUMBER

[Android Kaeli]

Ever since I got my new cell phone I've been getting weird texts and calls from random people, doesn't happen a lot though and if the number wasn't already programmed in, I didn't answer it. One message was a call for a "Denise" and it had been someone from HR with [Retail Company], asking to call them back about some matter or something. I deleted it, felt sorry for "Denise" though.

Did get a few text messages from a guy named "Chris" -- I know a couple of Chris's but none of them have my cell number.

[bhskittykatt]

I once had something like that, but in person!

I was getting out of the shower, when I heard knocking on my front door. I told the person to wait a minute, and toweled off and got some pants on. I answered the door, and it was a couple of US Marshals. Turned out they were looking for a previous tenant in the house, who had evidently been doing some Very Bad Things (in addition to trashing the place so it had been almost completely remodeled when we moved in).

Better US Marshalls than what I got. About a month after moving in here, it was 1 AM, and this sketchy-looking guy with meth mouth was knocking on our door looking for "Tiny Tim". When informed that there was no "Tiny Tim" living here, the guy started pestering me wanting to know where Tim went. Fuck if I know, buddy.

[Lovecats]

I once had something like that, but in person!

I was getting out of the shower, when I heard knocking on my front door. I told the person to wait a minute, and toweled off and got some pants on. I answered the door, and it was a couple of US Marshals. Turned out they were looking for a previous tenant in the house, who had evidently been doing some Very Bad Things (in addition to trashing the place so it had been almost completely remodeled when we moved in). I told them I had no idea who they were or where they had gone, and that I had lived in the house for three or four years...

That was one of the most curious things that happened while I was in there.

When we lived in our old house up in Illinois we had a couple of detectives knock at the door looking for the son of the previous family that had lived there. He was always in trouble for something. I did manage to convince them that he no longer lived there and that I had no idea where the family had moved to.

[Jim]

Decades ago, back in the land line stone age, I got a call from out of the blue.

And WHAT A CALL!

Some guy thought his wife was at my house, and he would NOT understand that he had the wrong number. He cursed. He threatened. He yelled.

Finally, I had enough. Yes, his old lady was there, she was naked, and I went into EXTREME DETAIL as to what I was doing to her, what she was doing to me, and what devices were involved.

AND, if he thought he was man enough to do something about it, to just go ahead and try! Then, I slammed the phone down.

My wife, who had been sitting there the whole time, gave me the funniest look.

I watched the news for a few days, wondering if I had triggered a murder...

[April]

My daughter has been getting multiple wrong number calls and texts lately, from a man who apparently did not impress his date, so she gave him the wrong number. He would not accept that he had a wrong number, and continued calling and texting at all hours I finally answered it one day, informed him that he was calling and texting a minor, I had his phone information, and with that information I had found his facebook page, with his full name, city and state, found his mom on his friends list, and if my MINOR received one more call or text from him, I was notifying the police and his mother that he was harassing my daughter. Never heard a peep after that

[Kogarashi]

I just got the strangest wrong number I've ever had as I got home from grocery shopping.

My phone rang with a local number (whereas my phone still has an upstate NY number). I answered it, since there are plenty of businesses (such as doctors) and individuals in town who might call me but aren't in my contacts list. There's a woman's voice on the other end, and after I say hi she starts talking about setting up some Chinese visa thing. Nothing too strange at first; my husband travels a lot for work, and has been to China at least twice, so I didn't know if this was for one of his conferences this year, and being distracted I didn't have an immediate mental list of where his conferences were going to be held.

But she never mentioned a business or organization as she's talking about this process, never identified herself, and it slowly dawns on me over the course of the next minute that she thinks I'm the organization setting up this visa.

Me: (when she paused for breath) Um, who are you trying to call?
Her: Isn't this the visa service?
Me: No. You've reached a private cell phone.
Her: Huh. I was transferred to you.

Yup. Somehow, some company's phone system managed to transfer what should've been an internal call to a private cell phone number instead, and not just that but one that is long-distance to the local area.

The woman apologized and I wished her luck getting to the right people, and we hung up. I haven't received any calls since, so I'm hoping she was able to get transferred to the right people. It's still strange, though.

[workerbee222]

A few days after moved into our present home, the phone rand and an elderly woman was looking for her insurance agent, whom she asked for by name. I told her we'd just moved in, and gotten phone service, and John Boyd the insurance agent no longer had this phone number. "John isn't there? Are you sure?"

I worked for a bridal salon for a few years. One afternoon I was making courtesy calls to remind brides of their fittings. I dialed a seven digit number I recognized as being from *next city over.* The woman answering the phone sounded a little frustrated, and told me I needed to re-dial the number, using ten digits, and the Alaska area code. She said she'd be glad when Fiona's wedding was over.

I spent the better part of a week fielding calls with someone who needed to talk to Jeff about a private, personal matter. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why my husband, who disliked cell phones and probably never knew my cell number would have given it out to anyone. I finally extracted from the caller that they were trying to collect on a bad check written to a restaurant two hours away. When Jeff from two hours away wrote his number on the back of the check, his 7 was mistaken for a 2.

[CyberLurch]

My daughter has been getting multiple wrong number calls and texts lately, from a man who apparently did not impress his date, so she gave him the wrong number. He would not accept that he had a wrong number, and continued calling and texting at all hours

Gee, I wonder why his date wasn't impressed with him. Obsessive behavior, refusal to accept that he'd been jettisoned, etc. Sounds like she dodged a bullet there.

[workerbee222]

My daughter has been getting multiple wrong number calls and texts lately, from a man who apparently did not impress his date...

We had a young woman in our department at school who...didn't think things through very well, especially when she'd been drinking. She was striking though, in her own way, and men frequently wanted her phone number. My friend, her roommate, was constantly fielding calls for "Moonshine" or "Aurora" or WindinHair" because Jennifer would give them a fake name, but her real phone number and address.

[paxillated]

I had a funny one. I kept getting calls from people who were trying to order parts. Yes, they had dialed the number correctly. They just forgot to dial the area code... the parts place was in Seattle; I lived in Portland!

[Teefies2]

I was driving home from work one night and got a call from a guy who asked for LaKesha (or something like that). I said you have the wrong number and hung up. He called back, I told him he again had the wrong number and hung up.

By this time, I'm home. He texts me saying this is <whatever his name was>. Don't you remember baby, you gave me your number at the store in Morganton? I was feeling silly, so I texted back I've never been to Morganton, so how would I give you my number. He comes back with oh baby don't be like that, I wanna be wit you. So then I texted well I've never been to Morganton, don't know where it is, and besides I'm an old white woman ... still wanna be "wit" me????

Surprisingly, I didn't hear back ;-)

[AdamAnt316]

For some reason, I'm reminded of this film clip............

"Hello? No, you've got the wrong number...Yeah, but there ain't no Thelma here, man."

[An Haddock]

Our shop's number is 1 digit off from a staffing agency a couple of towns over. If someone calls about staffing I just give them the correct number.

It hadn't happened for a year or more and I'd forgotten about it, but then I got one about a week ago.

Everyone's been pretty polite, though. I've heard horror stories (a couple in this thread, too) of people who won't admit they dialed wrong, won't admit a girl gave them the wrong number, etc. Some people just can't admit when they're wrong.

[Kogarashi]

Some people just can't admit when they're wrong.

And then there's the people who hit redial and seem completely confused about why they keep getting the wrong number that way.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

And then there's the people who hit redial and seem completely confused about why they keep getting the wrong number that way.

Which brings us to an older lady (can't recall her name now) but she kept calling our 2nd phone line looking for "Betty." I'd tell her she had the wrong number, this was *name* residence, she'd hang up and that should have been it.

Except she continued to do this . . . for several weeks she'd call periodically, looking for the mysterious "Betty."

One night, I suspect she kept playing with the redial because she'd call right back . . . several times over. I was losing patience as it was.

I finally had enough. The last time she called, I screamed into the phone "Betty's at Fred's house making the BED ROCK!!!" and I slammed the phone down.

Never heard a peep from her again.