caller id mystery

[idiorythmic]

I just got a call from a number that looks like the following: 261-123-123456.

This doesn’t fit the usual U.S. phone number formats because the last group has six digits rather than the usual four. I did a search for U.S. area code 261 and find that no such code exists.

Does anyone recognize this number format? Can anyone guess where this call might be from? I’m guessing it could be some rarely seen government phone system, or a call from outside the U.S.

The caller left no message other than some non-verbal background noise that lasted for about five seconds before they ended the call.

[unibikeling]

@idiorythmic

I just got a call from a number that looks like the following: 261-123-123456.

This doesn’t fit the usual U.S. phone number formats because the last group has six digits rather than the usual four. I did a search for U.S. area code 261 and find that no such code exists.

Does anyone recognize this number format? Can anyone guess where this call might be from? I’m guessing it could be some rarely seen government phone system, or a call from outside the U.S.

The caller left no message other than some non-verbal background noise that lasted for about five seconds before they ended the call.

Its the killer! And of course theres no phone number 261-123-1234, especailly orange colored. Thats a given lol. Its probably a telemarketer

[carsonpalooza]

it could be a phone call from the internet.

[Monkeyboy13]

you can do that?

[john_childs]

It is possible to spoof caller ID. Unscrupulous telemarketers do it, kids do it for prank phone calls. There are internet services that make spoofing the caller ID easy. Business call centers with their own PBX can easily spoof caller ID. You can’t trust the number that comes through on caller ID. There is no security in the protocol to verify that the number displayed is the real number the call came from.

[CoreTechs]

I would say that is a Skype number. I use skype and that’s usually what the person on the recieving line gets.

As for the message, maybe they accidentally called you and didn’t know it.

[idiorythmic]

@john_childs

It is possible to spoof caller ID…There are internet services that make spoofing the caller ID easy…You can’t trust the number that comes through on caller ID.

I suspected this, thanks for confirming that it is a technological reality. As long as they can’t look into my contact list and have my phone display one of my friends’ numbers I won’t worry about this; I never answer calls from outside my contact list anyway.

[tobbogonist]

you have been contacted.

i think the usual standard is twelve hours, then your beamed up for probing.

[Jerrick]

@john_childs

It is possible to spoof caller ID. Unscrupulous telemarketers do it, kids do it for prank phone calls. There are internet services that make spoofing the caller ID easy. Business call centers with their own PBX can easily spoof caller ID. You can’t trust the number that comes through on caller ID. There is no security in the protocol to verify that the number displayed is the real number the call came from.

There was a thread about this a while back. It had a link to a site that let you do it three times. I want to find that site now. haha

[idiorythmic]

@tobbogonist

you have been contacted.

i think the usual standard is twelve hours, then your beamed up for probing.

You are so right!

I can’t go into details, but something along those very lines did indeed happen. I don’t know if being released is the typical scenario but I feel very lucky indeed that they beamed me back down. I can’t go into more detail about my experiences; government agents have my signature on a gag order until they get a chance to debrief me. I may have already said too much.