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Original poster

Do pervy phone calls still happen?

54 replies

scalt · 31/01/2025 16:01

Nowadays, with the internet, and calls being much more traceable than they used to be, the perverts have many other ways of frightening people, but I remember that it was quite a scary thing in the 90s and earlier; there were documentaries about it, and in one book of safety stories for children (stranger danger, etc.), there was one story about a child who answered the phone to one of these callers, and the story was full of advice on what to do about it, including the now discredited advice of blowing a whistle down the phone.

Scam phone calls tend to be the unwanted ones now, but I'm just wondering if the lewd ones do happen nowadays, and if it's something we should warn our children about, as well as all the many, many other things.

OP posts:
DonaldJohnTrump · 31/01/2025 18:31

Course they do. I've just bean very busy with other things recently.

Chesssetofslate · 31/01/2025 18:39

Yes. I'm a therapist and have had one or two disguised as potential clients seeking help.

It's quite common for therapists to receive them, according to forums I'm on.

I've heard it happens on Samaritan phonelines, too, which is distressing – both for the volunteers receiving such calls and because it's misusing a service for people in urgent need of support.

Chipstock · 31/01/2025 18:42

I don’t think it’s to random house landlines anymore more business/call centres, I worked at home for a call centre years ago and it wasn’t uncommon

rumred · 31/01/2025 18:42

I had a whatsapp video call of a man wanking a few years ago. Horrible.

Jiyty · 31/01/2025 18:45

I had one when I was a child, he must have been a friend of my father's as he knew his name and asked which of his daughters I was :(

I remember my stomach dropping when he said what he was doing.

fathertedcraggyisland · 31/01/2025 18:49

Not a pervy phone call as such,
A chap, I'm assuming it was a man. I have no idea who he/they are, accidentally sent me a dick pic. Don't know where he thought he was sending it. Maybe it was random?

I'm happily married, I have been for many years, no desire to have an affair.

Before I blocked him I sent him a stern message about the legality of sending unsolicited photos like that. Ew.

SirQuintusAurelius · 31/01/2025 18:54

Yes. A friend of a friend works as an at home masseuse ( genuine sports and rehab massage) and places online adverts with her phone number. Apparently she has had a number of phone calls from men trying to get her to talk sexually starting off with can you massage me here so it sounds like a genuine enquiry and leading up to can you massage me there

I was really shocked that this still goes on because of the easy access to free porn on the internet and sites where you can online chat - so if getting your rocks off or getting into a free sex chat is your bag, there are other easier an more anonymous avenues requiring less effort. I suppose it must be a control/invasion issue these men have.

Noodge · 31/01/2025 18:57

Yes. I have a case of 'stalking' currently ongoing with police as a fella has been calling me since 2022, heavy breathing and saying my name over and over. Police told me they couldn't do anything at first when I called not long after it began, but when he began ringing later at night I was scared (especially as he knows my name) and they said as it had gone on for so long, they will try to help with it.

Blarn · 31/01/2025 19:04

Yes, I had one a couple of years ago on my voicemail. It was really unsettling, especially not knowing who it was.

Kw1234hhggf · 31/01/2025 19:08

DonaldJohnTrump · 31/01/2025 18:31

Course they do. I've just bean very busy with other things recently.

Edited

🤣🤣🤣🤣

EgyptianMommy · 31/01/2025 19:09

I volunteered on a helpline for 5 years and I never received one but on a team of 60 people I heard of one pervy call by a man to a female helpline operator. There might have been more that I didn't hear about.
I imagine they happen less as there is call screening, recording and tracing much more easily now.and different opportunities to cyber flash like on social media.

EgyptianMommy · 31/01/2025 19:11

With children i think its more like snapchat, tiktok, whatsapp, telegram and social media dangers than pervy cold calls.

sixtyandfabulousofcourse · 31/01/2025 19:16

years ago there was a heavy breather who kept ringing mum at all hours getting a real pain especially when mum had work in the morning. a heavy breather at midnight is not good! trouble is with the old house phones you dont know who it is and in those days you used to get so few calls you did not dare ignore it in case it was an emergency
it went on for a bit then mum had enough so she got a genuine loud police whistle then when he rang next time she blew it full force down the phone! funny never heard from the heavy breather again!

Bbq1 · 31/01/2025 19:25

Years ago i received a text from an unknown number just saying, "Hope you got home safely last night". I replied that sorry but they had got the wrong number. He then responded by sending me a head and shoulders shot of himself! I think I just blocked him straight away. Very weird.

Original poster
scalt · 31/01/2025 19:25

Blowing a whistle down the phone used to be the advice for deterring them. Now it's "they have human rights, you're physically assaulting them by making them deaf".

OP posts:
Bbq1 · 31/01/2025 19:31

scalt · 31/01/2025 19:25

Blowing a whistle down the phone used to be the advice for deterring them. Now it's "they have human rights, you're physically assaulting them by making them deaf".

People can still do it though if they're harassing them and a complete random oddball.

Helpel · 31/01/2025 20:04

When I was a teenager in the 90s my mum picked up the phone to a dirty caller who said 'take your knickers off!' My mum replied 'I'm not wearing any!'. He hung up. Seems such a low key perverted act now, compared to what we witness on the internet.

doneandone · 31/01/2025 20:44

Yep. Dd had them recently and reported it to the police, surprisingly they took it seriously and they've caught the guy who did it. It'll be going to court unless he pleads guilty (he apparently did something similar in the past)

ChunkyMonkey2020 · 31/01/2025 21:06

Yeah they do.

We got them all the time at my old work. We were a small team and it was pretty easy to find out who we were.

When he didn't get what he wanted he started threatening us.

It got to the point that we had to e escorted out the building by a male to our cars and the police were involved

It was scary.

Doggymummar · 31/01/2025 21:08

It's worse these days, you never know who will be in your zoom room. Serious 🤯

MabelMora · 31/01/2025 21:14

Noodge · 31/01/2025 18:57

Yes. I have a case of 'stalking' currently ongoing with police as a fella has been calling me since 2022, heavy breathing and saying my name over and over. Police told me they couldn't do anything at first when I called not long after it began, but when he began ringing later at night I was scared (especially as he knows my name) and they said as it had gone on for so long, they will try to help with it.

Is this on a mobile? Can't you block the number or just not answer if it's an unknown caller?

Original poster
scalt · 31/01/2025 21:34

When I was at university (in 1999), I remember hearing the advice "if you are in an all-girl shared house, ask a male to record your answerphone message".

I can just imagine AIBU if somebody's DD had been told that.

OP posts:
whataballbag · 31/01/2025 21:44

We have very frequent callers that ring 999/111 and wank down the phone Daffodil

whataballbag · 31/01/2025 21:45

Not sure where the accidental flower came from there!

RIPVPROG · 31/01/2025 21:45

I work in the justice system. Yes they do.

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