Sorry I've reached you in error phone calls mystery

I recently read some of my documentation and was reminded of this.... It has had me curious for years...

In 2003, we received phone calls at home approx once or twice a month for maybe 6 months. As soon as I would answer, a woman's recorded voice (at least I think it was recorded) would say, “Sorry I've reached you in error”. Did a google search on this– but found nothing. Thought these calls were weird.

Well one day at work, I got this same type call. It was the same voice and it sure gave me cold chills...

. The last call logged was on Nov 28, 03 at work. There could have been a time or two more that I didn't log. (*Just found another dated 10/30/03 at home) Have had other weird calls...hang ups or silence. I, to this day, and for several years have had a half ring call problem. See my SeekerLou Experiences thread.

Can anyone explain this? Or has anyone else had this type call? Kind of strange for how the heck would they even know they reached you in error if they haven't even ASKED for someone?

After all of these years, still curious here, with no luck or explanation from google.
Hoping you can clear this little mystery up for me.

Surely someone here will know!

Thanks in advance,
SeekerLou

Sorry, I replied to this thread in error.


Eh, could be wrong #'s, who knows. I don't think it's anything to be worried about.

Originally posted by SeekerLou
Can anyone explain this? Or has anyone else had this type call? Kind of strange for how the heck would they even know they reached you in error if they haven't even ASKED for someone?

I'm just going to have a guess here but could it be a fax machine? Or maybe some hang over from dial up days with computers trying to dial into each other? - Because that would quite easily explain how the caller 'knows' they have dialled a wrong number - the fax machine would expect another fax machine - when it does not get the high pitched fax squeals it defaults to a recorded message.

lol..@first line. And thanks for your reply.

Well, at home AND at work several times, with the SAME woman's voice, I doubt it is just a wrong number.

Definitely was harrassing...whoever was doing that.

Am wondering if anyone might be familiar with their company's marketing recordings >that says "Sorry I've reached you in error". That's the only explanation I can think of but can not confirm this. Anyone?

This message, btw, was also left on the answering machine: It wasn't just on me answering.

Thanks again for your reply. Hoping to get to the bottom of THIS mystery lol.. Hey, Scooby Dooo...where are you?

reply to post by Now_Then


Must have beaten me posting! THanks for replying!

Hey, now that's an idea! Hmm... but same voice on fax software too? at home and at work? And for months ?... Hmmm..thinking out loud here lol.

Can anyone come up with software that does this, that has this recording of a woman's voice "sorry I've reached you in error"?

Sounds like a good answer... but why leave a msg on an answering machine? Wouldn't it (the fax software) be able to determine between a fax and an answering machine when calling?

Would love to add this to the OP :

Son and I had switched around our assigned IP addresses on July 16, 2000 unintentionally during networking. I had been reading some weird conspiracy topics before and during this time.

dwstuchliki.wff.nasa.gov scanned my son's ports on July 30 which had been MY assigned IP.

Another portscan log shows hourglass.jpl.nasa.gov.

My logs: US Dept of Justice - I had 7 warning alerts logged on 09-27-2000.

Another was on 01/05/07 by SITA SIDTA - SITA Societe Internationale de Telecommunication/SIDTA Aeuronautiques, 112 Ave Charles de Gaulle Neuilly, France 92522.

I have others logged but they are not accessible at present with these being the main eye catchers. Why would THESE PLACES be scanning our ports??

Should I have posted this in the conspiracy forum? Sorry, about this mods. Please forgive and move it if best to do so. Thanks.

[edit on 12-7-2010 by SeekerLou]

The phone thing was likely some kind of phone number harvester or perhaps a very polite war dialer, I wouldn't worry too much about either really given how long ago it was.

As for the port scans they are pretty much considered background noise on the internet anymore, I had to set my SSH setup on both of my home servers to NOT run on the default TCP/22 port because I was tired of logfiles growing by leaps and bounds. Chances are some system on those respective networks got some crapware on it and became part of a botnet that gets assigned an chunk of IP space on the internet to scan. As long as you run an up to date firewall with a good configuration your computer shouldn't be at any real risk, port scans are just information gathering techniques, chances are if all your ports came back filtered (blocked) then the scanner doesn't even bother to remember the IP address it scanned in the first place.

reply to post by Helig


Thanks for your reply, Helig.

Not really worried here, merely CURIOUS.

You probably hit the nail on the head there, about their servers being used by bots! It could very well have been this and not the actual govt itself... It's possible! Thanks.

I'm the type that wants to KNOW the WHY's to nearly everything and there AREl a lot of weird things going on around here still, btw, is why I ask.

Thank you once again for this explanation!