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Original poster

really weird phone call

149 replies

livinginthesticks · 08/03/2011 20:44

Hi, I live on my own with my DS and today got a phone call from a company called 'swingers uk' who said they were ringing to confirm a party booking, made in my name and from my phone number and from my address for some party involving S&M and anal. I got really freaked out by it and can't understand it at all. They said the call was made on a date about 2 weeks ago by phone at a time when I would either have just been back from work or my mum would have been here looking after my DS.

There is a man in my life who I've just had a big row with and I wondered if he could have done some nasty prank but they said it was 2 weeks ago that the 'booking' was made so unless he got them to say that it doesn't ring true.

I have looked back at my emails and web browsing on that date but again nothing and apparently it was by phone.

I don't know what to think?

OP posts:
ShavingGodfreysPrivates · 09/03/2011 21:05

Oh dear god I hope you didn't tell him that.

Imagine if a bloke said to you "I never really fanced you but kept shagging you anyway just in case you finally floated my boat". How used and devalued would you feel.

Original poster
livinginthesticks · 09/03/2011 21:08

I didn't tell him that. I told him the truth that I'd had a few messed up relationships and that he seemed more normal! but that I was having difficulty in getting it together with him sexually. I can't remember how I phrased it. but the truth is I didn't fancy him enough.

He hasn't 'defriended' me off facebook yet and I don't want to yet - he may not have been the one to do the prank call.

OP posts:
IngridBergmann · 09/03/2011 21:18

Well, wait for him to make the next move. Definitely don't post about the phone call, because if he did it, he'll be waiting for you to react, and if he didn't, it's pointless posting about it anyway.

Maybe he will come back and it will all work out but when there's no physical spark I don't know if you can really manufacture it.

Original poster
livinginthesticks · 09/03/2011 21:20

no, all this has made me realise that I can't manufacture it. I thought I might be able to but I can't. I'm not going to post about the phone call but I am surprised he hasn't defriended me yet.

OP posts:
Vicky2011 · 09/03/2011 21:33

perhaps he hasn't de-friended you as he wants to see if you do make any reference to the calls when interacting with your other friends on FB.

Original poster
livinginthesticks · 09/03/2011 21:41

yeah maybe, I'm not going to though. I also can't be sure it was him. It's really wierd I have now googled those prank phone call sites and it seems the phone call is made by an 'interactive' robot that responds to what you say. It definately seemed like a real person to me...

OP posts:
garlicbutter · 09/03/2011 22:41

They do, it's really clever! When my team was going through their prank call phase I tried all sorts of random remarks. I remember one, it was an Angry Customer (we worked in sales) and, after I'd become suspicious about the call, I turned the conversation around to sheepskin rugs and sheep ... I'd just bought some rugs, so I guess they were top of mind.

It managed to turn everything I said into a proper reply for several minutes Grin Then it gave up and shouted "You seem obsessed with sheep! What's wrong with you, are you a sheep?!" So I said "Are you a robot?" and it replied ... "Are you a sheep?"

Hats off to the programmers!!

I missed where somebody asked how old your son is - could he have booked a joke call for you?

Original poster
livinginthesticks · 09/03/2011 23:04

no he's far too young - he's 7 and luckily very innocent.

The phone calls were strange though - because there were two of them. The first one said all this about the party, s&m and anal etc and when I got upset said I could write to them to be taken off their database. The 2nd one a few minutes later the woman said that her colleague had been upset at how the phone call had gone and went into details of when the supposed original call i had made had been, what my address was etc. When I said I would call the police she said maybe someone else had made the call as a prank and she would take me off the database.

That all sounds a bit elaborate for a robot? or maybe not?

OP posts:
ShavingGodfreysPrivates · 09/03/2011 23:22

So there were two distinctly different people who made the calls? Sounds like a deliberate wind up rather than some 'joke' website, plus a robot isn't going to be able to tell you your address surely?!

Vicky2011 · 09/03/2011 23:24

Yes I don't think it was a robot, unless one that has been programmed to say S&M and anal! Sounds like a set up prank call and given the timings, I don't think its unreasonable to assume it has something to do with the bloke.

garlicbutter · 09/03/2011 23:25

It does sound too elaborate to me. But, then, I'm out of date! I can't see how you'd have got onto such a database, with sufficient privileges that they would talk to you about "party activities", unless someone who managed their customer list had maliciously inserted you (pardon the pun).

I am sorry this has upset you - understandably, but it does look like somebody's crap idea of a joke. Glad to hear it's not your little boy :)

I really don't think there's any more to it. Look at it this way: plenty of people really do host such parties and it never affects their lives. So, even if the call was genuine, it can't do you any damage. Should the weird calls continue, do get a number (and 1471 it) and tell the cops. Meanwhile, keep the thought of robots & sheepskins in mind Wink - and bin that bloke.

Original poster
livinginthesticks · 09/03/2011 23:30

I have binned him or at least it's mutual. The thing is I have established with my phone company that no phone call was made from my house on that date and I have informed the police so the phone call was complete fabrication.

OP posts:
Original poster
livinginthesticks · 09/03/2011 23:31

I don't know also if they were different people, they sounded similar but I'm not sure if they were different or not.

OP posts:
SpringchickenGoldBrass · 10/03/2011 00:41

It is just possible that the first phone call was an error/prank (in that someone claiming to be you rang a swingers' club and gave them your details) and the person who made it was an overenthusiastic and inexperienced member of the club's crew so rushed into talking to you about sex without checking that you were actually genuninely interested - in which case the second one would have been from someone doing damage limitation.
If this is the case you will never hear from them again and the original caller will be in deep disgrace with the rest of the club staff.

Original poster
livinginthesticks · 10/03/2011 09:36

yes but as no phone call was made on the date they said from my house and they are adamant that it was - this is what I don't understand.

OP posts:
SpringchickenGoldBrass · 10/03/2011 10:27

Either the original malicious prankster made the call on another phone and claimed s/he was calling from your house, or it's as simple as the fact that whoever called the swingers' club has a phone number that differs from yours by one digit and someone wrote it down wrong.
You are really not going to be stalked by swingers, so I suggest you don't worry about it any more - though if you have any other sort of strange calls then it may be that an individual is targeting you for windups.

loopylou6 · 10/03/2011 10:30

So are you worried that someone entered your home and made the call from your phone?

HowToLookGoodGlaikit · 10/03/2011 11:21

But they knew her address - it cant be as simple as her phone number being one digit out!

loopy - the phone company have said no phone call was made at that time?

Original poster
livinginthesticks · 11/03/2011 19:21

have just remembered that the 2nd phone - the woman/girl had a scottish accent and this man's 15 year old daughter lives in Scotland with her mum. Would be really creepy if he got his 15 daughter to make the call...

OP posts:
Original poster
livinginthesticks · 11/03/2011 19:33

it has suddenly made me think that it was him and that worse, he got his 15 year old daughter to make the call.

OP posts:
Underachieving · 11/03/2011 19:38

I think there are two separate questions here.

  1. Was it real or a hoax.
I would be satisfied that it was a hoax, you have established no calls were made from your phone at that time on that day and that this company does not trace.
  1. Was it your ex.
So far all you have to pin it to him is that he probably knows some people with Scottish accents (don't we all?) and that he and you had fallen out. I am not satisfied that you can know it was him.

As long as you know it was a hoax in the first place is there any dire need to know if it was him? You don't want to be with him anyhow so I say assume it was him as a working hypothesis, keep a record of what took place, who you called about it and when and stuff that record in the back of a drawer somewhere... Unless you get any reason to suspect he has been up to anything else, then go back to the police.

Original poster
livinginthesticks · 11/03/2011 19:43

yes but we are still in touch - we did have a good friendship and I would like to keep that - as long it wasn't anything to do with him and so it would be good to know.

OP posts:
OldLadyKnowsNothing · 11/03/2011 20:10

How did you get along with the daughter? Maybe she did it off her own bat? It is pretty adolescent behaviour.

SpringchickenGoldBrass · 11/03/2011 20:20

WHile it's maddening not to know who is behind a rather childish windup, it's just one of those things. I once had a very wierd set of phone calls which was to do with my mobile number having been printed in an advert for someone else. I never found out the how or the why of this and just had to let it go in the end.

Original poster
livinginthesticks · 11/03/2011 20:53

yes I have to let it go. and I didn't ever meet his daughter by the way.

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