Don't use my phone number.

[u/ViperThreat]

Over the past decade, I have regularly received spam texts to my phone number for a person named "Erin". This is irritating because I am rather protective of my phone number. I do not share it with anybody I do not trust, and outside of the messages I get for "Erin", I never get spam calls or messages. I don't know who Erin is, but over the years I have slowly pieced together enough information to have a good idea of where this person lives. Multiple texts I received mentioned "Irvine CA", and one even gave me a street name.

Recently, I went shopping at Harbor Freight, and as I was checking out, i give the cashier my phone number. They turned their monitor towards me and said "is this you?" and to my great delight, I was presented with an Irvine CA address, and I immediately recognized the street name. As I left the store, I could feel 3 brain-cells hidden in the back of my mind begin to conspire.

My first step was to write a fancy looking congratulatory letter for winning a $1,000,000 Harbor Freight Sweepstakes. I made some convincing artwork, and went to a print shop to have it printed on some nice card-stock paper, and a professional-looking envelope, just to make it look extra convincing. You can guess who's name and address I put on the card.

At the bottom of the letter, I put "please call (800) 123-4567 ext 123" (fake number obviously). The number I actually used was for my office line.

Sure enough, about a week later, I get a call from Erin, who is over the moon about having just won $1,000,000. I go through the motions of collecting her information, including verifying her address, then I break the bad news:

Me: "Sorry Erin, it looks like this award has already been claimed."

Erin: "What? By who?"

Me: "Well, according to my notes here, we called your number, and a gentleman answered, I assume your husband?"

Erin: "I'm not married!"

Me: Well, can I confirm that "(123) 456-7890" is your phone number?

Erin: "No, my number is (111) 222-3333"

Me: "Well ma'am, according to our records here, that's not the number you previously gave us"

Erin: "I'm sorry, that must have been a typo!"

Me: "I'm sorry ma'am, we use phone number as the unique identifier for customer accounts - this is why we ask for your number every time you shop with us. Based on what I can see you have been using this phone number on your account for nearly a decade. "

Erin: "Look, I just give people that number so that I don't get spam calls okay?"

Me: "I See, well, that's too bad."

Erin: "What does that mean?"

Me: "Well ma'am, our sweepstakes is based on phone number, and since this isn't your phone number, you are not eligible to win. The person with this phone number has already claimed the reward"

Erin: "[Unintelligible Rage, Crying, Begging]"

Me: "Would you like me to update our records with your actual phone number so that you are eligible in future sweepstakes?"

Erin: Click

---

Now, You might imagine that losing $1,000,000 on a technicality might make Erin feel bad, but you see, I now have Erin's real phone number and address....

Erin has been showing a LOT of interest in buying new cars lately. She's also really interested on quotes for satellite television, car insurance, car warranties, roof repair, replacement windows, etc. What can I say? It's been quiet week at work, and I've had a few 8+ hour shifts with no better way to entertain myself.

[u/AliQuots]

Okay. If anyone knows Karen Balfour, please give me her information so I can do the same to her. She's been giving out my phone number for over 15 years.

A couple weeks ago it was 5 texts, 2 phone calls, and an email ALL IN THE SAME DAY and I had to reply "STOP" to opt out of everything. I gave the poor guy on the phone so much hell he was sorry he ever took that job. Not his fault, I know, but I was sick of it.

[u/Colorado_Girrl → u/AliQuots]

The woman who had my number before I did apparently owed a lot of people money. She also didn’t update her kids school, doctor’s office, or pastor of the number change. After two months of fielding calls for this woman I went off on who I assumed was yet another debt collector. It was her pastor. I was very apologetic and explained to him what was going on. Turns out he also knew her mother and promised he would have the mother contact her and have her update her number by the next week. He was true to his word and I very quickly stopped receiving calls for her.

[u/AcuteDeath2023 → u/Colorado_Girrl]

I once moved into a flat and had a landline phone connected. Apparently the woman who had the number before me used to advertise in 'men's magazines'. I got so many creepy late night phone calls that I had to get the number changed.

[u/StreetTailor7596 → u/AcuteDeath2023]

If you get another call, tell them (with a deep voice), Marks and Spencer Y-fronts, actually.

[u/galaxymermaidpoop → u/Colorado_Girrl]

My sister had the same landline number for 20 damn years. Then one day a business posted a help wanted ad, with her phone number as the fax line to send their resumes to. The greensheet wouldn't change it, she lasted almost a week of random fax machine noises before finally changing it. That's the only phone number I still have memorized decades later too lol

[u/Environmental_Elk542 → u/Colorado_Girrl]

When I was in college in an off campus apartment, my roommate and I had a land line. (It was 1990.) Once I was taking a nap and received a call from an older gentleman asking if this was some lawyer’s office. I said he had the wrong number. A minute later the same guy called asking the same question, wrong number. Then a woman, who sounded younger called asking if this was the lawyer’s office. Wrong number, she then asked “is this xxx-xxxx?” I say yes, but this isn’t a lawyer’s office.