Other people in a specific area are suddenly receiving my group texts

[Dandy]

So my two best friends and I were going about our usual routine group text as life has moved us states away from each other. I responded with a text that merely said “Thank you,” when all of a sudden additional group texts with the three of us and one random phone number with a Nashville area code responded. So far, three separate Nashville phone numbers have group texted the three of us questioning who we are or why we texted them. One asked if I was a specific person, “Mr.Wyatt,” so I thought I should respond with an answer to let them know I was not. I explained what was happening and they responded that my explanation was very professional and asked what I do for a living.

This is weeeeeird. We are having fun with it though.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Could be somebody who's spoofed that area code/phone number?

 

[Dandy]

I don’t see how.

Picture a group text between you and two of your friends that has been going on for years. All of a sudden, three different phone numbers respond to your group text, effectively creating three new group texts. Our original group text is going on, and no one seems to be getting those messages. It was merely my on response of “Thank you” that apparently was sent to random Nashville numbers as one person responded, “Whoever this is, you’re welcome.”

It is very weird and not sure how my one text inadvertently reached multiple people living hours and hours away from each of us.

 

[vivisectvi]

Is this all over iPhone and iMessage? It could be a fuck-up through iCloud as I've had something similar happen before..

If you get tried of it, you and your pals should get a data messenger like WhatsApp or switch to an encrypted SMS app like Signal.

 

[Dandy]

At least one of the three of us do not have an iPhone and thus the group texts are not using iMessage (that I know of).

 

[JHawk]

Not texts but I had one guy call me four times in a week wondering why I kept calling him when I'd never called that number. I finally after the fourth time told him to block my number because I wasn't calling him

 

[Dandy]

I can explain that one. People will spoof numbers and then call from that spoofed number. It happened to me this year. Luckily, a friend of mine also had his business number spoofed earlier in the year and explained it all to me as AT&T had explained it to him.

In our area, they were spoofing the number and dialing the same area code and exchange code. For instance, if your number is 513.341.2897, they would dial all 513.341.XXXX numbers. The thought is you are more likely to answer that number because you automatically assume it is someone decently local and may have a legit reason for calling.

So I was receiving all these call backs from people saying they had missed my call. Even though I knew what was coming after the first call, I answered each one of them because my number is published for my business and I need to take each call. I briefly explained what was happening to us with the calls and said they may soon have their number spoofed so they need to know. I also told them that they could look my number up and see that it is my business number to verify who I was and that if they ever receive a call from my number, they would know it is a scam and should not answer it. We also talked about how they could verify this with their phone provider.

I went through all of the trouble of explaining this to each call I got because 1) it was my business phone and I did not want people to circulate bad information about my business, and 2) my wife received a call back when her number was spoofed and she merely denied that she had called. The person called her a liar and was extremely rude because he knew he did indeed miss a call from that number. I figured it was better to handle the calls in an explanatory way.

 

[Smues]

Am I the only one who doesn't call a number I don't know that I get a missed call from? If I don't know who they are and they didn't leave a message then I ignore it.

 

[Dandy]

I have to call people back because I use my personal number as my business number. I do know plenty that do not call unknown numbers back but surprisingly quite a few people call wanting to know why they received a call.

 

[SFH]

Eh, I almost hooked up with an amateur model in 2008 because of a friend's group texts. I had an old Nextel phone that replied all when I answered him with an "LOL" and she started messaging me directly asking who I was, friended me on Myspace, etc.. etc.. Turns out she was dangerously insane and living in a hotel with her three kids trying to find someone to leech off of.


Basically, be careful as to who you respond to on these things. Could be spam, could be Glenn Close.