Calls Calls Calls, Calls from the Public...

[eregyrn]

So this morning, the phone rings at 10am. I'm awake, but most people who know me probably wouldn't bet on that. I look at the phone, which shows me which number is calling. It's "011352464010307".

"Huh!" I say to myself.

At the same time I also see there was a call to my phone last night, when I had it turned off because I was at a hula recital. That was from "011352241616".

Now, I know my international country calling codes well enough to know that this isn't someone I know in Britain calling. Immediately, I think of my friends in New Zealand... but the thing is, with the time difference, the call at 5pm yesterday evening would make sense, but a call from them at 10am this morning EST wouldn't make sense (unless they were up at 5am, or 4am, or whatever the time difference is right now). raqs points out that one of them is a farmer who was always known for waking at insane hours anyway, but still, it seems odd to me.

Plus, you have to notice that these are two very different numbers. As in, one is 3 digits longer than the other.

So I finally look it up on the internet and I find, first of all, that New Zealand's country code is "64". And second, that "352" is Luxembourg.

I'm getting random calls from LUXEMBOURG? Needless to say, unless something very odd has happened, I do not know anyone in Luxembourg.

The upshot of this is: I am not going to answer random calls from completely unknown international numbers. If anyone out there is trying to reach me by phone and something's gone haywire -- drop me an email and let me know.

Comments

[telepresence.livejournal.com]

Why not answer? The call can't give you a virus or anything, and if it's a slaesperson or whatever, you can just hang up. Picking up, determining the call is useless, and hanging up takes about 2 seconds more than looking at the number and deciding not to pick up.

I guess I'm just paranoid that if it is someone unusual but legit trying ot reach you, maybe email isn't an option for some reason.

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

Dude -- if it was someone unusual but legit trying to reach me? Then they would have left a voicemail when they got the "Holly Hutchison is not available right now" or whatever message.

I know, I know. I can't get a virus -- but I can be charged for an international call, if I pick up. Yes, if I stay on the line only a few seconds, it won't be much of a charge, but it still irks me. Look, people -- dialing a wrong number is fine. But when you get a voicemail message which tells you the name of the person you're trying to reach, you should have the brains either to know you've gotten a wrong number because this isn't who you were trying to reach; or else you should leave a message.

But if they call again, my curiousity may indeed get the better of me. Even though I don't particularly want to listen to a fax signal at international rates, or engage in a long-distance multi-lingual "YOU HAVE A WRONG NUMBER" exchange.

Besides -- a *salesperson* from *Luxembourg*?

[jenlev.livejournal.com]

yup, that is *odd*. meep. there was a period of time a few years ago when i was getting fax sounds on 2am calls....it turned out some guy had a business in his garage and his wife (who answered their fax/phone combo machine when i hit *69) offered to put her spouse out of my misery for me. hee!

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

That's really odd. I was visiting people over the weekend, and on Sunday morning, one of them was checking his cell phone and noticed that he had missed an international call during the night. We couldn't figure out the country code at the time, but 352 sounds familiar, so perhaps he was also getting random calls from Luxembourg. Some Luxembourgian phone scam? That just doesn't sound right.... *g*

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

Huh! That'd be... weird, yes.

They haven't tried to call back, at least.