Or are these phone calls really peculiar?!

[magnumicelolly]

So a couple of weeks ago my phone rang, it came up as a private number. This was at 2.14 in the morning on a Monday! I answered it, a little groggily (it woke me up!) thinking there was a possibility it might be something important... well who phones at that time if it isn't?! Anyway, I do the standard 'Hello? Hello?'' Then as there is no reply think ah bugger it and hang up. Ok, fine, these things happen, phone put on silent and back to sleep.

9 days later (a Wednesday), phone rings again at 2.12. Pick up again in a bleary sleep. ''Hello? Hello?'' This time I'm treated to breathing noises! I respond with 'urrhh think you have the wrong number, night!' followed by hanging up and returning to snoring!

Last night- well, morning (Monday again), same again. This time I was already awake but missed it ringing- again at 2.14am. They rang again, I picked up and said nothing, thinking ok let the bugger rack up a phone bill! They hung up after 40 seconds.

Now, is this some sort of nuisance call from a company- has anyone had similar silent calls at this time of night? Although sure I heard breathing the second time! Or do I maybe have my very own insomniac stalker?! And if so, any entertaining suggestions for how I can get some amusement from the situation?

The regular and oddly precise timing to within a few minutes is just weird, as is the length of time between calls! Didn't really think much of it till the third time it happened!

I assume as it comes up as private number there is no way to trace it?

I had something similar. I think it's some sort of automatic dialler from a marketing company. I got calls at almost exactly the same time every day for about ten days (silent calls) and as far as I remember it turned out to be some sort of marketing thing (perhaps one of those automated things) that was dialling my number on a schedule.

We had this once at work. Lots of silent calls, freaked the bosses wife out. Turned out to be a coffee machine automatically calling it's service provider for maintenance and had been installed with the wrong number. I don't know how they found out but it stopped the calls.

I'm with the poster above that said it's an automated system. Don't worry about it.

So, an update! Had a morbid interest and wanted to see if there actually was a person on the other end of the line, so didn't block/change anything.

Last night at 3.45, same call! This time definitely someone there, so I asked who it was. 'Morgan' they replied. I said 'I don't know a Morgan.' Their response to this (everything they said was quite whispered) was 'tell me about your pig tails!' At which point I laughed and said 'I don't think so!' and hung up!

They rang straight back, my dh had woken up by this point and heard my end, so I gave him the phone to answer. On hearing his voice, 'Morgan' hung up!

So, the verdict = random nutter!

Ah! Whistle would have been handy afterall then

Ah you had my sympathy until you used the word "nutter". That makes me wince.

Just a reminder but you should never phone back or text back an unknown number as it could be a premium rate number

ALL the info is here

IMO It's a good idea to report all spam texts and calls to your mobile network provider and to the INFORMATION COMMISSIONARES office. It only takes a few minutes. The online form to report the spam texts or calls is HERE

Agree with IAlwaysThought - never good to reply to unsolicited emails /texts

I would report this to the police using 101. Poor you.

Ah ok justmyview, sorry you're offended, it is at term I would use interchangeably with crazy person, weird person. No offence intended- different people take offence to different terms, I can see how some people might link it to mental illness, but that wasn't really what I intended! For e.g. some people would be offended by the word idiot because of similar connotations, others wouldn't and would use it quite happily.

Bit odd to say you had sympathy until then though- as though me later referring to them as a nutter makes it ok for them to do that!

Thanks Ialwaysthought, I couldn't call back anyway as it is listed as private number- nothing to call back!

Magnumicelolly - apology accepted, thanks for acknowledging. I know I can be quite touchy and sensitive about terms like nutter, crazy person etc. The back story is that my aunt had severe mental health issues. My Mum never felt able to confide in her friends as she felt society generally was intolerant of mental health issues, and flippant about using phrases which are not very respectful / tolerant / understanding.

I guess the point I was trying to make is that (1) if someone was making calls due to a genuine mental health issue, then I'd like to think that people would show compassion and sympathy, rather than dismissing them as a "nutter" (by way of comparison, if someone with cerebral palsy was struggling to dial the correct number, we wouldn't dismiss them in a public forum as a "spastic" and (2) if someone is being malicious, then they should be derided as such, not compared with people who suffer from mental illness

Anyway that's all a bit PC for so late at night, but that's where I was coming from

No I don't think it was OK for someone to make malicious / unsolicited calls and I'm very glad you got it sorted. I can see that it would be upsetting. Hope it stops now

Well, a better description of this caller would be - sick and sad Fucker?

If the twat rings again, don't hang up. Leave phone on bedside table for a couple of hours (or days) so the SSF gets massive phone bill

No nutters fine... I'm not adding yet another fucking word to the long list of words that could offend.

Whether he's bored.. mentally ill or whatever.. doesn't excuse what he's doing and wouldn't get any compassion or sympathy from me that's for sure.

Did he ring again last night OP?

Tried that BMW6, the second time they rang I think. Didn't take long before he got bored and hung up! No gamerchick, no more calls yet, but the others have had 1 or 2 weeks between them so we will see if it happens again!