topic Re: Crossed texts/phone numbers? in Discussions & Feedback

Crossed texts/phone numbers?

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 12:41:17 GMT

Hi,

Not sure if this is the place to post, so apologies if it's not.

Yesterday, my friend texted me and a phone number showed up beside her name. I don't know her phone number by heart so I just assumed that it was her number and that my phone was just being a bit weird and displaying both her name and number for some reason. I texted her back today and after I sent the text, I noticed that I had 2 message histories showing up - one with all our conversations, and one just with the text she sent yesterday and my reply. She texted back a few minutes later so the message went through.

However, I've just had a text from this other number that showed up beside her name asking who I am and saying I have the wrong number. Apparently, the text went through to both my friend and this random number.

Strangely enough, I told this to another friend of mine and she said the exact same thing had happened to her yesterday as well!

I just wondered if anyone knows what was going on here? I'm assuming it's a network error since it's happened to both me and my friend (we're both on O2). I'm concerned that my texts aren't going only to the people they're supposed to, and unsure if this error is causing random people to receive my number/texts as well. I've had nuisance phone calls (silent/heavy breathing types) several times in the past so I'm very reserved when it comes to giving my number out so obviously this is a concern for me.

Any info on this would be appreciated. Thanks

Re: Crossed texts/phone numbers?

MI5 — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 12:45:54 GMT

Was this a group message of some sort?

Re: Crossed texts/phone numbers?

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 12:54:21 GMT

Was thinking the same thing @MI5 .Sounds like a group Hangout or message or something. Only question is where did the other number come from, if neither the OP or the perosn that text her know it's owner?

Re: Crossed texts/phone numbers?

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 12:54:54 GMT

I've heard of crossed lines where you can hear another conversation but this is the first I've heard ref what you say.

I'm wondering if a simswap may help which moves your number and tariff to a new sim card just incase yours is faulty ! Any O2 store can do this. I appreciate you say this has happened to a friend too

Re: Crossed texts/phone numbers?

Cleoriff — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 13:19:08 GMT

I hope the OP comes back to clarify further as I would be interested to know exactly what caused this. Particularly as it happened to another friend ?

Re: Crossed texts/phone numbers?

MI5 — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 13:32:32 GMT

In the first post the OP said "my friend texted me and a phone number showed up beside her name."
This implies to me that the sender of that text sent it to 2 people - the OP and maybe by mistake, to another random number. A reply to that text would send the reply to both the numbers on the original text, so the friend and random would get the reply. Nothing strange in that at all other than a mistake by the original sender of the text.

Re: Crossed texts/phone numbers?

Beenherebefore — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 13:33:27 GMT

I'm sure there was another thread recently about a similar text problem

Re: Crossed texts/phone numbers?

Cleoriff — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 13:48:40 GMT

@MI5 wrote:
In the first post the OP said "my friend texted me and a phone number showed up beside her name."
This implies to me that the sender of that text sent it to 2 people - the OP and maybe by mistake, to another random number. A reply to that text would send the reply to both the numbers on the original text, so the friend and random would get the reply. Nothing strange in that at all other than a mistake by the original sender of the text.

Thanks for that explanation @MI5 I only questioned it because I send group texts and when I have a reply they come in as individual replies from each one I send to (with no additional strange numbers)

So I am pleased my system is in order

Re: Crossed texts/phone numbers?

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 14:20:50 GMT

Edit: Not sure how this forum works but I'm not sure if it's registered who I'm replying to so just in case, this was a reply to what MI5 said.

This is a pretty good explanation, and one I didn't think of for some reason. I guess with it happening to my friend on the same day, and with us both being on the same network, it registered in our minds as weird/a technical issue, rather than just a funny coincidence.

But, yeah, what you said makes a lot of sense, and is probably what happened. Thanks!

Re: Crossed texts/phone numbers?

MI5 — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 15:02:59 GMT

Mine was a possible scenario that kinda "makes sense"
It is also possible that I am way off the mark - Can you ask your friend who sent the message to check her sent log to see if that rogue number was added by accident?