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Strange Numbers on Caller ID?
boohiss asks: "I've been getting a lot of calls on my cell phone from '+001819'. I haven't answered them, of course. But what is this number? I've found some various explanations here and there, but nothing conclusive. There's also the story on Snopes about the famed 809 long distance scam, which may or may not be what this is. Could it be some form of cell phone spam that isn't compatible with my phone? Does anyone else get these calls, and has anyone figured out what they are?" If anyone is unfortunate enough to fall for one of these, what options do they have in terms of damage control?
Office pboxes. I just got a call from my aunt who called form 973-000-0001 (973 is a New Jersey area code). If they have their caller ID tags screwed up, or even spoofed, it'll show up that way. Here's a service which does it for a fee... http://www.covertcall.com/
-Christopher Wu
http://www.christopherwu.net/
I for one, welcome our new Skynet overlords.
I get calls from 0-000-000-0000, how is that possible?
I'll Find You Peer, If It's The Last Thing I Do!!!!
...I get calls from 415-000-0000. Strangely, every time I try to call them back, I can't get through.
... and ask them?
Or you could of course ask 100,000 other people who have no real idea what you're talking about, of course.
Meep meep
Anecdotal evidence:
A friend sometimes calls my cell from Korea using a long distance calling card and the number displayed on my Caller Id is very similar to the one you posted.
Just a guessing:
Strange caller id numbers also originate from a poorly configured (or intentionally screwed up) Voice Over IP phone.
When you use Skypeout [skypeout.com], the number shows up as wacky. It could just be VoIP calls coming in.
This too, will end.
Basically your cell phone provider isn't stripping the right digits from the number being presented to it, and as such the number being presented to your phone is strange...
...
All that number means is
+ (international dial)
00 (in some countries this is also international)
819 (area code)
I saw this same problem when traveling through the midwest a few months ago.
`find / -name "*your_base*" -exec chown us:us {} \;`
When my sister was working at the district attorney office, if she called out house from there, the caller ID showed up as "out of area", but if she called our cell phones it showed up as ( I think ) 0393.
Always the same number, so we knew who it was, but it was odd.
Perhaps your carrier isn't receiving the caller ID info, and your carrier is just sticking some number on there to indicate that.
seriously, if it's a person you want to talk to they will leave a message, otherwise they won't. End of story.
Monstar L
Why don't you just pick up the phone and ask wtf they are and what they want. Answering won't hurt you any way so whats the deal?
I got a few calls over a couple of days a few weeks ago, with no caller ID info. I answered them because I'm not a tin-foil-hat-wearer, and they invariably would hang up after a few seconds. It was a bit odd.
-73, de n1ywb
www.n1ywb.com
It could be a company with an entire exchange. One time a guy from Earthlink called me back (I was rearranging phone cords to fix DSL interference, so I had to hang up) and it only showed six digits of the phone number, i.e. the area code and exchange. Either he used a "generic" outside line and they don't want people calling them back, or they don't give out extensions by policy. (I actually know that for a fact--if you were talking to someone, they're not allowed to forward your call back to them without their permission... quite aggravating sometimes.)
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What you are experiencing is someone calling you through a carrier that does not properly populate the CLI and ANI fields in the SS7 (or ISDN) message to the terminating carrier.
This isn't anything scamy at all, and nothing for you to worry about. All this means is that someone is using some cheap ass long distance to call you... maybe from a prepaid phone card or a VoIP-to-POTS service. Its very easy to not set this up correctly if you are using some crap switching platform like NACT STX, and if the carrier is small enough to be under the radar, they probably aren't filing the PIU forms anyway so they don't give a shit about the tax penalities for not sending ANI.
Your cell phone provider will treat this call the same way it treats all incoming calls. Most likely that means it will just charge you at your normal airtime rate.
I've been watching you, Ne^H^H Boohiss, and I want to meet you. I don't know if you're ready to see what I want to show you, but unfortunately, we have run out of time. They're coming for you, Boohiss. And I'm not sure what they're going to do.
</snark>
According to http://decoder.americom.com/cgi-bin/decoder.cgi it might be:
I have a PRI (23 voice channels) with a national carrier and manage our phone system. I can set my CLI (caller id) to anything I want like 5551212 . I _cannot_ set my ANI (the real billable phone number) though. You cannot see ANI on your phone unless you have a very special agreement with the phone carrier (e.g. 800 numbers)
Those are all cities in Quebec province, which have an area code of 819. Other area codes in Quebec are 514 (Montreal island), 450 (Montreal's south and north-shore), 418 (Quebec and Saguenay).
Did you see this one?
Breaking down the number,
+ = Standard phone number convention outside the US
00 = International Dialing
1 = North America / Caribbean
819 = Quebec City, Quebec
Unless you know someone in Quebec, I'd recommend you not answer it. Even if they can't rip you off, why let them waste your time and your air time?
Finally, you do realize that even this number may be a complete fake. Thanks to VoIP you can now setup your own inexpensive PBX and manipulate the caller id numbers as you see fit. There are even companies popping up, like this one, that offer faked caller id as a service.
Anyone who posted an answer, thanks. I've never seen a number like that on my cell before, and I was just curious.
As far as answering goes, why should I waste minutes or risk a scam? Why even post a reply like that? A wise man once told me the only stupid question is the one not asked. And apparently the slashdot mods though it worthy of a green light, so plllbbttt
Earn a free iRiver
Could be someone spoofing ANI from a land line as well. It's trivial to spoof with the right soft/hardware. I guess I read too much 2600...
US Democracy:The best person for the job (among These pre-selected choices...)
Spoofing ANI and CLI only requires that you have an oob signaling link to your upstream carrier. Every upstream carrier is going to populate whatever the one before them had in the message for ANI and CLI. You can probably do that with any old ISDN or T1 without much trouble.
If you just have a regular DS0 land line, its a bit different. ANI and CLI are transmitted out of band, so you can't reall effect that. The terminating switch will have the same ANI and CLI that your originating switch trasmitted in the SS7 message. However, the "caller id" information (taken from the CLI field) is transmitted in band from the terminating switch to the receiving party's handset... and this is very easy to spoof. Once you are connected, you can send your own in band "caller id" signal which will be picked up by the receiving part's handset. You can probably do it with sound card.
When my friend calls my Verizon cell phone from France using Skype I get 000-123-4567[89] as the caller ID on my cell...other than that it's the only way I can tell it's him
I typically get 000-000-0000 on my cell once a month or so, answering the call makes a really cool 'beep' sound so either I'm being tracked by forces unknown or Sirius Cybernetics works for Verizon.
Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things?
That looks similar to the From address when Cingular spams their customer via text message.
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
How else would you expect it work?
When my best friend from high school calls me from Morocco (she's in the peace corps), it shows up as only half the phone # with a + next to it, looks a lot like that.
Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
In many places in Europe, at least, it's the caller who pays for the call (unless it's a toll-free call, of course.) Why should two people pay for one call?
How else would you expect it to work?
Yes. Cellular works a bit differently in the US. You are charged for both incoming and outcoming calls.
On the other hand, the calling party does -NOT- pay more for calling a cellular than a landline. In most other countries, cellular has a special city code that is billed at a higher rate. Here in the US you can port any number to cell or landline, so its not usually possible for the calling party to know he is calling a cell.
Of course, free nights and weekends.. don't forget those.
/should prob. stop complaining considering I have a "pay as you go" plan
I do like the British/Euro system where the caller pays, but where are my free nights and weekends?
Opinionated Law Student Strikes Again!
Along those lines... I have a friend who buys cheap-ass calling cards from who-knows-where, that show up on my caller id as `999-999-9999'.
I would agree with the subject line; I'm with Rogers in Canada and when I use their web based text messaging system to send a message to my wife's cell phone, also on Rogers, it shows up as a + 'number' and not an actual number I can return a call to.
I should mention a few things about Rogers, you get 2500 incoming text messages a month, but have to pay to send one from your cell. They farmed out their web based system for sending text messages to ZimSMS.com probably because they didn't want to deal with cell Spam (?Spim?) - and ever since, the delay in sending and receiving computer to cell messages has become outragous (4 or more hours on weekdays) [under Rogers control it never took longer than 30 minutes - and most of the time messages would be received within 5 minutes]. Hell the delay was so minimal that I had a perl script use the Rogers site to send my cell weather updates.
Caller One on Carrier A calls Caller Two on Carrier B.
Both Carrier A's and Carrier B's wireless equipment is being utilized.
Why should Carrier A charge Caller One and Carrier B get nothing?
As was mentioned, this work differently here but overall I believe things end up being cheaper.
Thank you for helping me understand what I sound like when I try to explain a RAID setup to my uncle.
In-band = information transmitted the same way your data (or voice in this case) is. In an analog phone network, in-band signalling and control is done with things like audible tones and voltage changes.
Out-of-band = signalling and control that happens by some other means outside your data (voice) link. For instance with an ISDN line, the out-of-band signalling is on the D channel, whereas the voice/data are on the B channels.
CLI/ANI info, posted from the first hit of a google search:
CLI , ANI
Calling Line Identification , Automatic Number Identification
CLI = ANI
A service available on digital phone networks that tells the person being called which number is calling them.
The central office equipment identifies the phone number of the caller, enabling information about the caller to be sent along with the call itself. (Osicom)
The providing of the Directory Number from which a terminating call has originated ( NI )
A service available on digital phone networks that tells the person being called which number is calling them.
The central office equipment identifies the phone number of the caller, enabling information about the caller to be sent along with the call itself. ( WorldCom )
At a minimum, the calling line identification includes a single calling party number; it may also include a second calling party number, a calling party subaddress, and redirecting number information.
Calling line identification may not include any calling party number due to interworking, or because of an interaction with the CLIR supplementary service. ( TG )
11*43+456^2
I've been getting calls that traceback to 825 area code .... too bad there isn't one.
Don't ignore the possibility that it's your own equipment malfunctioning. I was getting the weirdest junk on caller ID a couple months ago, until I figured out that the batteries in my caller ID display had died...
That was me calling you with my new VOIP. Just pick up the bloody phone next time I call.
We don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are.
-- Anais Nin
Yup.
I work for a telecom company (if you know which one, you also know I don't speak for them) and when I'm abroad roaming and someone calls me from home, I sometimes get these types of numbers.
Basically it means they're not passing a proper caller ID, but also not telling the destination network that the number is not for display.
I suspect it's a network identifier, for accounting purposes within the telco. All it means is that whoever is calling is calling from overseas... That's not to say it's not a scam - but it doesn't mean it necessarily is!
Mark
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Here in Brasil, Caller One pays for his airtime (unless he's calling from a fixed phone) AND for Caller Two's airtime. There are regulations here that prevent you for paying to receive calls.
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
That's the number they call from to implant a bug in your brain!
That "8" is Something Bad, according to your intrinsic warning.
In the US, companies look for new and innovative ways to double bill their customers. Phone companies and television providers are on the forefront of this new way of doing business. This is to increase profits while mitigating the impact of running out of ideas for good products.
When both caller and receiver are cellphones and they are both on the same network, normally nobody pays.
"Avoid employing unlucky people - throw half of the pile of CVs in the bin without reading them." -- David Brent
Of course. This is very smart of you. If you had gotten the notion to pick up the phone and, well, ask who they are, control of your brain would have automatically been siezed by the worldwide deadly Communist Gangster Frankenstein Computer God, who controls all of the brain-bank-brains on the far side of the moon that we never see.
Consider yourself lucky.
Note, that before LNP, there were quite a few exchanges which were typically cellular-only.
In my area code (561), the 632, 512, and 236 exchanges were all purely cell phones, and there were several others I can't remember offhand.
Now it's a little murkier, but even still, *most* numbers in those exchanges are cellular phones.
That number format is usually associated with text messages. For example, as the return number of someone messaging from MSN. Not sure why it would be used when actually calling though, perhaps something to do with VoIP.
The reason for this is mostly historical. When mobile phones were added to the telephone network, they were given normal telephone numbers. Instead of that number being terminated at a regular telephone, it was routed to a mobile phone base station, where a mobile radio operator would setup the call to the mobile phone subscriber. Later, this was automated, and then replaced with cellular radio hardware. The mobile phone subscriber paid for all air time and for the landline portion of calls that were originated from the mobile phone. The telephone company didn't have to change their billing system. The wireless company charged their subscribers a bill for monthly service, air time, and any charges from the telephone company.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
This is true for the most part, but it can't be relied upon for billing purposes. Every NPANXX is associated with an OCN, but the OCN no longer owns the number. The biggest problem here is not cellular, which as the parent said is usually all together in one area code. What is much merkier is trying to identify if you are calling a number attached to a RBOC or a CLEC. Its very common now to change your local service provider for your landline. LNP for cellular is a new development.
Back in the old days you could just do a lookup of the NPANXX in the LERG to determine who the final terminating carrier is. But now, even though a NPANXX is associated with an OCN, you can't rely on that.
However, thanks to SS7's national roll out in '92, you can now dip the NPAC database to determine which LEC you are sending the call to.
Reference Guide for non-telecom nerds:
NPANXX ~ The area code and exchange. i.e. from 617-333-3456, the NPANXX is 617/333.
OCN ~ Operating Company Number. This is a reference number that identifies a particular local service provider. For instance, Pacific Bell (I believe) is 9147. Cellular providers and CLECs have their own OCN numbers as well.
LERG ~ Local Exchange Routing Guide. This is a database published in monthly updates by Telcordia
on a CD-ROM that shows (amoung other things) which OCN is associated with which NPANXX. It also shows the geographical coordinates of each NPANXX (for those who bill calls by mile), ratecenters (local calling areas), and about 2 dozen other things.
LEC ~ Local Exchange Carrier. This is the company who's switch is connected via copper wire to your handset. This can also be a cellular company. In the United States, a LEC originates and terminates every call, though there may be 1 or more Interexchange carriers (IXCs) in the middle.
CLEC ~ Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. This is a LEC that wasn't part of the Bell Breakup, but uses parts of the local bell company's network and systems to get to that last mile customer. For instance, your cable company is a CLEC if it offers local phone service.
RBOC ~ Regional Bell Operating Company. This is a company born out of the Bell Breakup. i.e. Verizon, Qwest, BellSouth, SBC, etc.
LNP ~ Local Number Portability. This is taking a local phone number (whether it originally belong to a cell phone or a landline is now irrelevant), and PORTING it to another local exchange carrier's network. This allows a customer to keep his phone number but change providers.
SS7 ~ A very reliable and complex out of band signaling system now used in the United States, Canada, Western Europe, and other developed parts of the world. SS7 has redundancies all over the place, allows for dipping external databases (for instance to identify a ported local number or where to route an 800 number), and most importantly, provides a continuous stream of data between every switch along the call path. This means that the terminating switch at the end of the last call leg has the call setup information before it gets the call (faster call setup = connect to your party faster), and it also means that the first switch in route will know that the 6th switch in route is having problems before it sends the call there, so it can reroute the call somewhere else.
NPAC ~ World Zone 1's database of what number belongs to what LEC-- i.e. to identify ported numbers.
World Zone 1 ~ All the countries you dial 1+area code+number for. US, Canada, Guam, some carribean islands.
I have my answering machine pickup after four rings. Someone keeps calling and hangs up at the third ring.
I know at least one of the callers I get is Vonage even though I told them I don't have broadband.
If you don't know who is calling you, don't answere the phone. If it is important or someone you know, they will leave a message and you can correlate the numbers to the person. This is the best thing to use on a Cell and what I do on my land line.
Fly me to the moon Let me sing among those stars Let me see what spring is like On jupiter and mars
Why should the rules be different for wireless phones? Do you pay for calls you receive on your land line in the US? I don't. Why should I pay for calls I receive on my cell?
Well, I'll be damned!
Wikileaks, no DNS
Why yousa Foe me? :-)
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."