Strange Phone Calls

[kapow53]

The Wells Fargo story is spooky

[Orcseeker]

Bringing this thread back to life. So last night, strangest thing happened. At 2:15am I'm woken up by my cell. I'm pretty out of it but my iPhone says "Blocked" so I was immediately interested and I picked up. There was no human response EXCEPT it almost had that background noises type of sound so I was waiting to hear some Indian telemarketer but no one said a word. After a few seconds I started hearing this really strange, almost electronic sound. It WAS NOT a fax sound as I'm very familiar with that. I am having a hard time trying to describe the sound. It was a repeating, basey sound almost like bombs going off in the distance. Almost rumbling. Reminded me of an old Atari tank game Battlezone. It kept doing this and maybe because I was half asleep it scared me. I've been catching up on Dexter episodes before bed which could have something to do with my nerves at night hahaha.

Ok, no here's the really odd thing about this. About 15 minutes later, my wife's iPhone rang on the bed!! I had not quite gotten back to sleep so I answered it. Of course, same blocked number! And, same sounds. They didn't last as long on her phone but they were the same. I'm so confused and I have a fear of the unknown but not sure how to react about it. Anyone have similar?

Hmm the sound you described sounds similar to something I've heard. Can't put my finger on it though.

The source isn't anything otherworldly I'd assure you.

Edited February 25, 2013 by Orcseeker

[Lava_Lady]

A couple weeks ago I was sitting in class, my phone on vibrate in my pocket. I feel it begin to vibrate, and it does it repeatedly so I was obviously getting a call. I couldn't answer, due to the fact I was in the middle of class, so I waited until recess to check my phone. I had one missed call from a private number. That was a bit strange, but I knew a couple people who left their numbers on private. Thing was, none of them had any reason to ring me, and once I asked them they said they hadn't anyway.

But I didn't worry about it, figuring it was just a wrong number or a telemarketer or something. Then I got three more calls in the afternoon, none of which I picked up in time. Each of them were EXACTLY 7 minutes apart, which was also very strange, once again from a private number. I turned on the volume on my phone and turned it up, so I'd be sure to pick it up the next time.

Finally, after around an hour, I get another call. I pick it up and ask, "Hello?"

All i can hear is a strange electronic sound. Not as if it's connecting or anything, I've never heard anything like it before, just strange electronic sounds. After EXACTLY 7 seconds, the other end hangs up. I'm left even more confused now. Then around twenty minutes later, I get a call again. I pick it up again, and the electronic sounds play again. I just keep listening, and after around ten seconds, I hear someone who had a slight foreign accent ask, "Hello?". I was relieved, thinking it was just a telemarketer then, so I say "Hello" back. Then I hear him say "Hello?" again. And again. And again, in the exact same tone and pitch. It was a recording obviously, of a man saying "Hello?" replayed over and over. After around a minute of this I hung up, feeling a bit unnerved by that.

No more calls for that night, but when I woke up in the morning I had gotten another five missed calls (had changed phone back to vibrate earlier whilst texting my girlfriend). All were once again from the private number, so there was no way I could call them back.

Over the next two days after that I got random calls from the private number, unfortunately never got the chance to pick it up again. Then around a week after the first incident, I got another call again, once again not realizing until I later saw I had a missed call. For the last week and a bit I haven't got any more phone calls, but I'm hoping they do call back again so I can work out who exactly is on the other end of that line.

You haven't watched any strange videos of girls climbing out of wells have you? Hehe...couldn't resist.

[Mad Cow]

Last summer, I had moved into into my own apartment, and I only use a "pay-as-you-go" cell phone. Well, I only answer calls to numbers that I know. So for two weeks in the summer, I had gotten calls at random parts of the day that would ring three times then hang up. Seconds later, I had a voicemail message. Curious, I checked it and I heard a lady say: "(Inaudible), you're late for your appointment. Please pick up. You have an appointment at 'such-and-such' a place. Please call me back ASAP." I asked my family, and they said that it sounded like an electric company calling an electrician to fix a line, or a repair technician for Comcast or Verizon. Really freaked me out.

[auramyst]

Ten years ago I had a really weird cell phone call.

I know that was a long time ago, but this call was too weird to be easily forgotten.

It went like this:

My cell phone rings and the display shows 'unavailable'. I pick up the phone and answer.

Me: Hello?

On the other end I hear an echo of my own voice saying: Hello?

Me (thinking there's a bad echo): Hello?

Again another echo of my own voice saying: Hello?

Ok, so now I'm thinking I've got a dropped call with a bad echo, but I'll try one more time: Hello? (I say it slowly this time)

Again my own voice echoing slowly: Hello?

Well, then it must be a dropped call and the person will call back. I start to hang up when I hear: HHHHHEEEEEELLLLLLLOOOOO! Shouted out in my own voice.

I keep the phone to my ear, stay silent, and hear: HHHHEEELLLLOOOO!!!!! HHHHEELLLOOOOO???? Hello! Hello! HEEELLLLLLLLO? HELLOOOOOOOO!!! Over and over again. In my own voice. Some mocking, some shouting, some sounding deeper, and some sounding higher. But all are in my voice.

Then silence.

Cautiously I say: Hello?

Silence, but an open line.

I listen for a few more seconds then I hear a very quiet, whispered: Hello?

Silence.

I look at my phone and the call is no longer there. There was no click of a disconnect, just silence. I scroll through my call list and there was nothing showing up for that timeframe- or that day for that matter.

I don't know what that call was. I would have thought it was a bad connection, but the call never showed up in my list. I tried saying 'hello' to my phone when it wasn't connected, but I couldn't duplicate the 'echoing' effect. I would think that it was me 'hearing' myself on a bad connection except the last 'Hello's' got really weird. Like me saying 'Hello' as many different ways as I could.

Definitely the weirdest phone call I've ever had.

Edited March 4, 2013 by auramyst

[scowl]

Well, then it must be a dropped call and the person will call back. I start to hang up when I hear: HHHHHEEEEEELLLLLLLOOOOO! Shouted out in my own voice.

I keep the phone to my ear, stay silent, and hear: HHHHEEELLLLOOOO!!!!! HHHHEELLLOOOOO???? Hello! Hello! HEEELLLLLLLLO? HELLOOOOOOOO!!! Over and over again. In my own voice. Some mocking, some shouting, some sounding deeper, and some sounding higher. But all are in my voice.

The phone calls where you hear your own voice are usually failed international calls. There is supposed to be an echo canceler that prevents you from hearing this but sometimes they fail and you hear yourself a second or two later. When they started using digital devices for echo cancellation they failed in more interesting ways. You would sometimes hear scrambled, Mickey Mouse, and chopped up bits of what you just said.

Back in the 70's when a friend and I were bored nerds, we would sometimes record CB radio personalities who we didn't like, mess with the recording (adding clips from Cheech and Chong records was our favorite), and transmit them back on the channel days later. A typical example would be:

"Breaker 1-9. This here's Lonedog I was wonderin' if y'all cord drup mommy pifflespiddle grooooovy man crutch blerb doop fer me. 10-4?"

We'd laugh like idiots as there would be a minute of:

"Comeback at us, Lonedog? Whatcha sayin'?"

"Lonedog, y'all right there?"

After a few weeks of this, they finally figured out what we were doing so it wasn't fun any more.

This was a little work with tape. Pranks like this are lot easier these digital days.

[auramyst]

I have no doubt that technology fails in many creepy ways. The echo was very, very weird and seemed controlled rather than a random glitch. Thank you for posting a possible explanation.

I have another weird phone call story... This one's weirdness is based on the timing of the call.

This happened about 4 years ago. It was mid-afternoon and my 17 yr old daughter and I were the only ones home and as it so happened we telling ghost stories- of all things. By the way, this isn't something we do very often Anyway, the house phone (landline) starting ringing right in the middle of my story. I picked up the phone and glanced at the caller ID. The number displayed was our house phone number. In other words, the phone was getting a call from itself. I answered and there was no one there. It was an open line. I waited a few minutes, saying 'hello' a few more times and finally hung up. A few seconds later, the phone rang again and again it was a call from it's own number. Again an open line. We checked the other phone in the house and it showed the number on it's caller ID too. It was probably the phone company testing the lines or some such thing, but the timing was weird if nothing else. And a great conclusion to a ghost story.

[scowl]

This happened about 4 years ago. It was mid-afternoon and my 17 yr old daughter and I were the only ones home and as it so happened we telling ghost stories- of all things. By the way, this isn't something we do very often Anyway, the house phone (landline) starting ringing right in the middle of my story. I picked up the phone and glanced at the caller ID. The number displayed was our house phone number.

Yes, I saw When a Stranger Calls too.

[auramyst]

Yes, I saw When a Stranger Calls too.

Actually, I have not seen When a Stranger Calls.

I was merely referring to a true experience I had that involved a strange phone call in this forum called: "Strange Phone Calls".

Was it strange? Yes. Was it paranormal? Probably not. Was it coincidental? Yes. It has not happened before or since.

Edited March 5, 2013 by auramyst

[kystranger]

Sorry about such a very late reply, I rarely come to these boards anymore. I left the phone on the wall and plugged in because I didn't like the looks of the empty phone plate on the wall. It looked better with a phone there. And I have no idea why they wouldn't use my cell phone instead of the landline. That's the part that has always confused me as well. According the the second caller, that was the only number they had on my account, which is not true. I'm still confused and freaked out about the entire thing and it happened years ago.

[CuriousLittleOne]

creeped me out, i hate phone calls like this ( im a bit weird around phone calls and prefer email or face to face) *shudder*

[CRIPTIC CHAMELEON]

When I get a call and don't know the number I just turn on the phone and don't say a word so all they hear is me breathing 6/10 will hang up the others just usually say hello in a scared way.

[Alekx]

Ive got some experiences too. It was christmas eve and I was on my way to a relative's house when I recieved a call from a friend, I could not answer so a few seconds later I got a voice message, also from her, I checked the message later to find out nothing to be heard, only a few clicks and some buzz sounds with a complete silent background, clase to the end I could hear a few sounds from what it appeared to be a woman's voice but the sounds were so short and disorted to make anything out of it. I thought it was just a line glitch or something so I tried to call her back but the line was busy, I thought nothing of it and let it go.

For the next months, I would rarely but also randomly get these calls from her number. I answered the second time it happened, but I just heard the same that the voice messages, after this second call I asked her if she called me that day at that time but she said she didn't, she doesn't like pranks so that's not it.

Anyway I ignored the rest of the calls and they stopped a few weeks ago. I'm sure it's a phone-line glitch or lines crossing over. Happens sometimes. I thought I'd share this

Edited April 5, 2013 by Alekx

[The Exorcist]

Alekx, in your case what is probably happening is that your friend has her phone in her bag or somewhere similar, and she unknowingly hits the 'Call' button, and the one at the top of the 'Call' list is your number (or something similar to this - you could be on her quick-dial list, for instance). When she had called and you didn't pick up, your phone went into voice-mail mode - since she was not calling you knowingly, what was recorded on the voice-mail were the noises of the phone moving in her bag, and the faint noises of her voice and other voices in the distance. The reason you received these calls more than once is that it is often that her phone calls you on its own when the 'Call' button is pressed unknowingly through movements in her bag, and since you are on the top of her phonebook, or on a quick dial, or something similar, you are the one who keeps getting called.

Ive got some experiences too. It was christmas eve and I was on my way to a relative's house when I recieved a call from a friend, I could not answer so a few seconds later I got a voice message, also from her, I checked the message later to find out nothing to be heard, only a few clicks and some buzz sounds with a complete silent background, clase to the end I could hear a few sounds from what it appeared to be a woman's voice but the sounds were so short and disorted to make anything out of it. I thought it was just a line glitch or something so I tried to call her back but the line was busy, I thought nothing of it and let it go.

For the next months, I would rarely but also randomly get these calls from her number. I answered the second time it happened, but I just heard the same that the voice messages, after this second call I asked her if she called me that day at that time but she said she didn't, she doesn't like pranks so that's not it.

Anyway I ignored the rest of the calls and they stopped a few weeks ago. I'm sure it's a phone-line glitch or lines crossing over. Happens sometimes. I thought I'd share this

[scowl]

Last evening I let an unknown number go to voice mail. The voice mail is nothing but fifteen seconds of unintelligible (kind of a faux Latin) mumbling in a threatening tone followed by loud evil laughter.

Did it frighten me? Nope. A small percentage of people who dial a wrong number will do something like this for kicks.

A rough transcript (read in a threatening mocking tone): "Fee kwinda est tu. Fee kwinda! Esta KIND mist tenamau! Mon testaman esta min! Terminus! Ter-min-us! HA HA HA HA!"

Someone did a good job of improvising. I think they knew some Latin since "terminus" can mean the end of a road and sure sounds scary!

[And the number was 503-984-xxxx which is another cell phone.]

Edited April 12, 2013 by scowl

[370gt_alej]

I woke up today to alot of missed calls. I looked at the number and I usually dont save numbers, but it had the area code where I have family at. So I looked up the number and it had my uncles name so I called back but they didn't answer so I left a message. We did ask my aunt about it, but the number isnt his and he never called me. I had one call at 7, 3 at 8 and 1 last call at 10. 

[Timothy]

Welcome to UM @370gt_alej,

It could have easily been a scam. Did you search the number online to check if other people had reported the same thing? Or if it was a known/legitimate number?

It’s not hard these days for scammers to fake numbers that they’re calling from, with exactly the intention of what’s happened to you: Making people think it’s a local or known number, so that they’re more likely to pick up and release sensitive information. 

Some call and ask your name, if you answer, they know it’s an active line. If you respond and confirm it’s you they’re speaking to, then they also know your name, and may have recorded your verbal response as well.

Anyway, hopefully it’s not a scam, but hopefully you didn’t reveal much information in the message you left, in case it is a scam.

[horrorgirl81]

I have a creepy experience that has to do with some strange and even creepy phone calls. This is somewhat of a long read, so please bare with me.

Mind you, I'm in my 30's now, so this was back in like 1997 when I was a teenager. Obviously we didn't have the technology available then that we do now. I had my own landline telephone in my bedroom. Something that my friends envied because I was a little older than them and I was proud of paying my own phone bill from my first job. Anyway, I began receiving phone calls from, what I thought at first was a wrong number. Seemed completely innocent at first.. Some guy called my phone number a few times, asking for whomever it was he kept calling for. I never told this guy my name, I always replied; "No I'm sorry, you have the wrong number." I did have an answering machine, but I didn't use my name on the greeting. It was something like; "Hey I'm not in, so leave your name and number after the beep." I was a very paranoid teen, for good reasons. Those are stories for another time.

So as things began to progress, I believe at one point he told me his name. It was a very common name. It was Chad, or something close to that. I mention this because this has more meaning for later in the story... Well, at first it didn't bother me until I kept getting those calls, I believe it was almost on a daily basis. At one point I told him; "You keep calling me and I have told you before that there is no one here by that name." For whatever reason, this guy had kept my number. The reason I know this, is because he started giving it to what I am guessing were his friends. I began receiving phone calls from a lot of different people asking for Chad, I will call him that because I am guessing at what the name he told me was. I kept telling those people that no one lived there by that name. Eventually he began telling people that I was his girlfriend and that they could reach him there. I have absolutely no idea why that person was telling people that. I have no idea how old this guy was, but he sounded young to me.

Now this is the really creepy part of the experience. Eventually things took a really unbelievably strange turn. I have no idea to this day how this person found this out because my number was unlisted. My answering machine greeting did NOT have my name on it, I was very careful about that. So as usual he called me first but the scary part is he asked for me. I didn't recognize that it was him because I have a good amount of guy friends that would call me so when he asked for me, I automatically answered; "This is she." He began to laugh in a very creepy voice and then said... "This is Chad." I don't believe he said anything else because I freaked and just hung up the phone very quickly. After that his friends, or whomever he was giving my number out to would call and ask for me.. I never would say anything after I would say that they were speaking to me, because once I knew it was him or his friends I would hang up immediately. Now mind you, like the dumb teenager I was, I hadn't told my Mom about this happening. I don't believe it was more than a few months that this was going on, so stupid me was thinking it would just stop on it's own.

What made me finally tell my Mom what was going on was when this last incident happened. Now I can't say for 100% certainty that this was connected, but if it wasn't... it was sure one hell of a coincidence! I came home from either working or I was out with my friends. I don't really remember which one it was but I am sure it was one of the two. As soon as I walk into my bedroom, the phone rings. I answered and when the person asked for me, like an idiot I again said it was me. All of a sudden, I hear more than one voice on the line. Now it was either a 3-way call he was using or he just had the speaker phone on and had his friends over to mess with me. When they're on the phone with me, I hear laughing and I don't recall what was being said but right before I was getting ready to hang up, all of a sudden I see these flashlights being shined through my bedroom window. We had a backyard that ran along this creek, so anyone from the main street could go back there and look into our backyard. Of course my bedroom window was very visible, I had curtains but with using those flashlights, you could see through the curtains. Again, I have no idea if it was pure coincidence or if these things were connected. All I know was it creeped the hell out of me.

When that happened, I completely freaked out. I screamed and ran out of my room, even dropping the phone as I ran out. I ran into the kitchen and told my Mom everything. After that, there were a few more incidents with people coming to the creek area, shining flashlights through my window. They knew when I was home and of course it was always at night time. A couple of times I even remember hearing someone trying to climb out fence. We had one of these weird half chain link and half wooden fence. I remember once my Mom stepped in, she had my onhe number change and had the police come out whenever anyone would try to get in our yard or shine those stupid lights in my bedroom. I don't know much else about what happened afterward because once my Mom stepped in, the phone calls and the creepy encounters stopped. It was just one of a few other creepy encounters I had when I was a teenager.

Edited August 27, 2018 by horrorgirl81

[StevenHenderson]

So i dont know if this has happened to anyone but here it goes. I received a phone call coming from my moms phone but the strange thing is that it was only a phone dial as if someone was randomly pressing buttons on the other side of the phone call, making a certain pattern which sounded like eerie music. Even more creepy than that was that it had heavy breathing in the back round which showed up every 20 seconds or so. I recorded the call for evidence of course to later show my mom to see if she had dialed by accident and was pressing the number pad. It was early in the morning so i thought it was the most reasonable explanation. It turned out she didn't remember calling me nor was there my contact information on her call logs.Ive tried pressing random numbers on my phone to try and see if the phone call pattern would show again but i cant quite figure it out. If any one knows how i can link the recording i have into here please let me know i would gladly appreciate it. This may be common but i haven't seen anything like this anywhere. But anyway i hope you guys can help me. Thanks