On getting home from work this evening, I have a message waiting for my on my answering machine: “you shall die in seven days”. Not entirely what expected from my messages, I must say…
I have to say, that I’m not entirely sure what I should do about it. Do I tell someone - if so who? For all I know it could have been kids messing around (the voice sounded like they were trying to disguise it). But as a young, single woman living alone, I’m a little creeped out.
Basically there’s a videotape doing the rounds (in the film) with strange, incomprehensible stuff on it. So you watch it, then when you’ve finished, the phone rings. You answer it. In the original film I don’t think we ever got to hear if there was anything said on the phone, but basically, characters then had a week to live. After seven days they were found dead, I won’t go into the details because it would either spoil the movie or freak you out, or both.
If I were you I’d phone your local police office and ask for advice.
I also vote for calling the police and asking their advice. More than probably they’ll tell you to wait and see if it was a one time thing. If it is a one time thing, then no biggie. But if it happens again, you’ll have the first incidence documented. Even then, it’s probably still just kids screwing around and nothing to really worry about, but you don’t want the little shits calling you constantly either. If they do keep it up, then a visit to their parents by the cops will teach them the error of their ways.
Make sure you do not erase that recording. They may need it for a voice match if this wacko is stalking you.
I agree with Larry. It sounds like someone watched the Ring and is acting all goofy. They fail to realize it loses something if the person they are calling has never seen the movie. The Japanese version is much better than the English version btw. IMHO
Still, if you don’t have Caller ID, get it. It’s useless if the caller blocks the ID info, but you can usually also get a service that blocks unidentified calls.
A few years ago, we went through a spate of daily phone calls, always at about 1 PM, from a male voice, who would immediately say “sorry, wrong number” when we picked up the phone. The calls showed up as unknown on Caller ID. Phone company was useless - their only suggestion was that we change our phone number.
So we got the anonymous call blocking service and never heard from him again.
I’d get creeped out by that, and I’m a 38-year old guy who doesn’t live alone.
I agree with the others – most likely a prank. Get caller ID and anonymous call blocking anyway. They’re useful for preventing prank calls.
On preview…
Did he really say “shall”? Definitely a prank – nobody really talks like that if they’re threatening. Too much risk of the “victim” giggling, which ruins the effect.
Over a week ago there was a message on the machine at work which was obviously a recording of a scene from a movie (a co-worker said it was from “Phone Booth”) the voice was saying such things as “don’t hang up on me there is a rifle trained on you” then the recording stops and you can hear a youngish voice whispering “hang up!” which wasn’t part of the recording. I was there at the time the call came in and played it back right away and checked the caller id for the number. I think using movie quotes is the new fad for prank calls, the stupid kids probably didn’t think a business would have caller id or meant to call a friend and got a wrong number. I debated with calling them right back but decided not to, just saved the info for about a week in case it happened again.
Although I believe it was a prank call, please be careful. Since you live alone, maybe you could get a friend or relative to stay with you for a few days, or stay with them, just to be sure.
The caller ID and blocker is a good idea too.
From my own experience, some years ago, I got a late night call (2AM) and when I answered, a man with a West Indies accent said, “This is Johnny. The chicken bones say you will die tomorrow”.
Since I’m still here and we all know chicken bones don’t lie, Johnny must have dialed the wrong number and some poor shmoe died without knowing it was going to happen.
I personally guarantee that the seven days will pass and the OP will be very much alive and she doesn’t even have to leave her house. “Go stay with relatives for a few days” in response to some jackass kid dicking around with a single crank call message? Have we as a society really gotten so terrified that this is considered rational advice?
The creation of Internet sound boards would probably help. Basically, someone takes a bunch of related audio clips–they could be from a specific movie, like Phone Booth (also Full Metal Jacket and Reservoir Dogs seem to be popular), they could all be from one actor (for example, Schwarzenegger and Nicholson seem to be favorites)–and puts them in a Flash program so that all you have to do is push a button to get the clip to play. I’ve never quite figured out how you’re supposed to get the recording out of the speakers into the phone with any good fidelity, but maybe I’m missing the point of prank phone calls. Often with the sound board there will be some sort of audio stream or download of prank calls–generally fairly extended conversations–with the caller using only the soundboard for their end of the call.
A few years ago my mother-in-law received some strange phone calls late at night by a male caller that just said ‘I am watching you’ and ‘I know you’re alone’. It freaked her out because my father-in-law is a commercial airline pilot and was gone a lot. We told her it might just be kids making pranks (whatever happened to “is your refrigerator running?” type of phone pranks?) but she might want to call the police just in case. I don’t think she called the police, but the phone calls only kept up for a few days. Heck, it weirded me out!
I also get “creepy” messages on my answering machine, but I know who it is. It is a lamo-ex-boyfriend who hasn’t figured out that in the last, oh, 8 years I want nothing to do with him-especially since he stole all of my money and perpetrated ID theft on me (whole 'nother story). It happens once in a while and the calls come in spurts. I have caller ID now, but he has yet to “strike again”. If I can get a number where he is calling from, I can turn it into the police as harrassment and such. I have already changed my phone number once and he still managed to get my new number, but that is my own fault, because I refuse to pay the phone company $0.75+ per month to be unlisted.
I got the most bizarre phone call of my life just last night. It was some girl who initiated our conversation by loudly declaring “Your boyfriend just made me smoke crack! He put the pipe to me lips. *Eeehhuhh. * He made me!”
Now, I don’t have a boyfriend, so this girl obviously had the wrong number (It was a semi-new cell phone). I told her so.
“I don’t have the wrong number. *Eeennnuhhh * Don’t act like you don’t know me. Your boyfriend made me smoke crack!”
“I don’t have a boyfriend, I’m married.” (barely, but she didn’t need to know that)
“Well your husband then, he put the pipe to my lips! Uhhnneehhh”
“Really, what’s his name?”
“We call him crack-man down here on Cherry St.”
“That’s funny because he lives in Kentucky.” >click<
Totally bizarre, it was the weird pooping sounds she was making as she spoke that really got me.
Well, I made it through the night - only 6 days left
Listening to it again, I’m pretty sure it’s not a recording from a movie - whoever it was has an Australian accent.
I really can’t tell if it’s kids or not - it sounds like whoever was saying it was trying to disguise their voice (or if it’s a prank make a scary voice, I guess). The result is a voice somewhat like yoda.
I will ring up and get caller ID this morning - the $5 a month it will cost me seems like a solid investment at this point.
