# I got a phone call...from the future
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [October 13, 2022, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206 "2022-10-13T20:04:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Joeu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joeu)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/1 "2022-10-13T20:04:34Z")
Sometimes the space-time continuum gets messed up. This morning, I got a call from the future.
The phone rang, and I answered, and a young man said “Hi Grandpa! Good morning!”
I said “You have the wrong number”
And he said “Oh, Grandpa, it’s me! You just don’t remember.”
I said “I don’t have any grandchildren!”
He said “You do! You’re my Grandpa Joe, this is-” and then it cut off.
My first name is Joe.
I don’t have any grandchildren. But I guess one day, years from now, my future grandson will say “Grandpa, I called you this morning and you didn’t remember me!”
And I’ll say “I didn’t get any calls this morning!”
But in a way, I feel kind of good, knowing that one day I’m going to have a nice young grandson who will call me just to say good morning.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/2 "2022-10-13T20:11:55Z")
Another scam avoided. Good job!
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### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/3 "2022-10-13T20:15:50Z")
On January 1, 2000, my family and I were in Taiwan and we called a friend in Houston who was still in Dec-31, 1999, who promptly chuckled about how we were calling from different millleniums.
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### Author:  [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/4 "2022-10-13T20:18:32Z")
It could be a call from the future, a spam call, or a complete coincidence caused by a simple misdial.
Using Occam’s Razor—With competing theories or explanations, the simpler one, for example, a model with fewer parameters, is to be preferred.
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/5 "2022-10-13T20:21:40Z")
Could be a scammer. “Grampa Joe! I’m stuck in a Tiajuana jail and I need bail money!” If he calls enough people named “Joe” he’ll get one with bad memory and/or a shit-ton of grandchildren.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/6 "2022-10-13T20:23:38Z")
> [@Joeu](#):
>
> I don’t have any grandchildren.
That you know of. 😬
Yeah, could well be a scam of the “I’m stranded in Borneo and need bail money” variety. But I thought those were mostly done via e-mail.
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### Author:  [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/7 "2022-10-13T20:27:23Z")
I live in the central time zone but my caller ID time stamps are eastern time, so every call is from the future.
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/8 "2022-10-13T20:30:37Z")
With phone calls you can blame bad connections and/or background noise for a voice not being recognized.
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### Author:  [@Joeu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joeu)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/9 "2022-10-13T20:33:51Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#):
>
> Using Occam’s Razor—With competing theories or explanations, the simpler one, for example, a model with fewer parameters, is to be preferred.
Right! So, clearly, a time warp. 😀
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### Author:  [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/10 "2022-10-13T20:47:04Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> Could be a scammer. “Grampa Joe! I’m stuck in a Tiajuana jail and I need bail money!”
“You never listened to me and this is where it got you! Go rot in jail for all I care!” 😆
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### Author:  [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/11 "2022-10-13T21:01:56Z")
I support the call from the future. It fits the facts better!
Of course, maybe you should check the phone line, see if it got knocked down in a graveyard.
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### Author:  [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/12 "2022-10-13T21:26:50Z")
> [@Velocity](#):
>
> On January 1, 2000, my family and I were in Taiwan and we called a friend in Houston who was still in Dec-31, 1999, who promptly chuckled about how we were calling from different millleniums.
Then you chuckled inaccurately, you were not in two different millennia. The new millennium didn’t start until January 1, 2001. There was no year 0 in the currently accepted calendar. [/annoying pedant]
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### Author:  [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/13 "2022-10-13T22:58:30Z")
I got a voicemail once- an Australian accented voice saying “[My first and last name], ya mahthahfackah! How the hail ah ya?” He went on to say he was in town on a visit and looked me up, and to give him a call back. It was really strange because he sounded like he knew me well but I had no idea who he was. So I called the hotel number that he left, and it turned out he used to work with a guy with the same name as me. I had a hard time convincing him I was not the guy he used to know, because he said I sounded exactly like him.
Another time I called a guy from high school I didn’t really know for some reason I forget, and when someone answered I asked for Tim. They said hold on, and when ‘Tim’ answered it wasn’t the Tim I was trying to reach- I got the number wrong and called a house with another Tim.
So, it happens. But just in case, if he calls back, ask him for stock tips.
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### Author:  [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/14 "2022-10-13T23:18:28Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#):
>
> Then you chuckled inaccurately, you were not in two different millennia. The new millennium didn’t start until January 1, 2001. There was no year 0 in the currently accepted calendar.
Thank you for fighting the good fight.
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/15 "2022-10-13T23:57:47Z")
You should absolutely listen if your future self tells you not to freeze yourself if you can’t wait for the newest videogame console to be released.
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### Author:  [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2022, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/16 "2022-10-14T00:13:57Z")
Maybe it was that lousy commercial from Progressive?
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### Author:  [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/17 "2022-10-14T03:40:14Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#):
>
> Yeah, could well be a scam of the “I’m stranded in Borneo and need bail money” variety. But I thought those were mostly done via e-mail.
Nope - it’s a popular new scam, calling the “grandparents” and saying you’re in trouble somewhere “but please don’t tell Mom and Dad!!”.
My MIL phoned me once and said “Where is your son?”.
I misheard and thought she said “where is MY son” (i.e. my husband) and I said “he’s downstairs”.
“Oh good!. I just got a call claiming to be my grandson…”.
As it turns out, “he” was not downstairs, but he was definitely not where the scammer claimed to be calling from. The claimed location was not completely implausible, however - a state not too far away, which we visit frequently, and where I was born and raised. Luckily MIL was on the ball about that one.
> **[Criminals Target Grandparents by Posing as Grandchildren](https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2019/grandparent.html)**
>
> Scammers exploit grandparents' love by pretending to be grandchildren in need of emergency cash.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2022, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/18 "2022-10-14T03:54:19Z")
The call clearly did not come from the past because the OP would have known if he had a grandson in the past. He’d also know if he had a grandson in the present. That leaves only the future as the source of the call.
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### Author:  [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2022, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/19 "2022-10-14T03:58:02Z")
I choose to believe it was a time warp. Be good to your grandchildren.
Now I am going to call up some ex girlfriends…
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### Author:  [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2022, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-phone-call-from-the-future/973206/20 "2022-10-14T04:09:11Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#):
>
> Yeah, could well be a scam of the “I’m stranded in Borneo and need bail money” variety. But I thought those were mostly done via e-mail.
I got one of those (via email) purporting to be from a good friend who was stranded in some shit-hole country and just needed a quick loan for a plane ticket back home.
It was amusing because I’ve known this guy my whole adult life and absolutely everything being claimed was totally out of character for him – it was a hilariously incompetent scam in every way imaginable. The thing that makes scammers generally easy to identify is that they’re usually ignorant low-life bums who imagine that everyone’s life is just like theirs.
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