# Mystery Spanish language phone call - ??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 19, 2006, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-spanish-language-phone-call/353305 "2006-04-19T15:12:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-spanish-language-phone-call/353305/1 "2006-04-19T15:12:14Z")
Just wondering if anyone has gotten one of these or has some idea what it might be. I got a phone call on my cell phone just now from the 786 area code (web search tells me that’s likely the Florida Keys). Automated voice in Spanish which rapidly asked me to “marque el numero” for some reason, too fast for me to understand even if I had the vocabulary. I am not a Spanish speaker, although I randomly happen to be taking an introductory class & have been to Latin America a few times. I don’t have a Latino surname either, nor one which could be mistaken for it. I understood enough that it wanted me to choose a number so I picked 1. I got a “Gracias” followed by what was either a very rapid short question or another sentence. Picked 1 again out of curiousity, it hung up. Tried calling the number back, got a standard English language phone co. message that the number could not be completed as dialed. Any clue what this was? I live far from Florida & have had this cell number for a few years, never got a call in Spanish before. Was this a survey of some sort, or…? I realize this is all barebones info for getting a response but I figured maybe some Spanish-skilled Doper has gotten these before & fully understood what was going on. Not worried, just curious. Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![robywar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7bcc69/32.png) [@robywar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robywar)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-spanish-language-phone-call/353305/2 "2006-04-19T15:47:21Z")
This won’t help much, but I got the same message on my cell phone voice mail. I live in Alabama, but my cell phone is a 706 (Augusta GA) area code. The message was cut off and garbled (it’s a cheap pay as you go type phone), and I don’t remember the number off hand, but it seems like the same thing. I saved the message, so I’ll try to listen to it again on my lunch break. ---
**Author:** ![Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bag_of_mostly_water/32/1029_2.png) [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bag_of_Mostly_Water)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-spanish-language-phone-call/353305/3 "2006-04-19T16:35:05Z")
I’ve received several of these over the last few weeks. The last was from 954-678-8026. A google search for the number yielded over 26,000 hits. [Here’s](http://www.clampants.com/archives/000232.html) a blog where many others say they received these calls: > [@](#): > > These are autodialers using pre-recorded solicitation messages. It is illegal. If you receive one of these calls, enter the area code and prefix here at [Telcodata.US](http://Telcodata.US). Complaint to the customer service of the provider listed. They will shut the unsolicited phone spammer down. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-spanish-language-phone-call/353305/4 "2006-04-19T17:15:56Z")
Thanks for the responses! Any idea what it is that a spammer decided would be wise to solicit by making random phone calls in Spanish to people who largely don’t speak Spanish? ---
**Author:** ![Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bag_of_mostly_water/32/1029_2.png) [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bag_of_Mostly_Water)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-spanish-language-phone-call/353305/5 "2006-04-19T17:25:29Z")
> [@Crandolph](#): > > Any idea what it is that a spammer decided would be wise to solicit by making random phone calls in Spanish to people who largely don’t speak Spanish? The phone number belongs to Metro PCS. They have a plan for unlimited calling to anywhere in the US for $40/month. So, for $40/month the spammer gets to send his voice spam for as many hours a day as he is willing to annoy people. I could see how this would be cost effective even with a very small response rate. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-spanish-language-phone-call/353305/6 "2006-04-19T17:34:44Z")
I have gotten them on mine as well. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-spanish-language-phone-call/353305/7 "2006-04-19T18:38:57Z")
This blog [http://www.consumerist.com/](http://www.consumerist.com/) has been following some of these. Last update at [http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/calls-from-a-stranger/update-a-big-break-in-calls-from-a-stranger-story-167764.php](http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/calls-from-a-stranger/update-a-big-break-in-calls-from-a-stranger-story-167764.php) Also [http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/calls-from-a-stranger/9546788026-voice-spam-translated-167665.php](http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/calls-from-a-stranger/9546788026-voice-spam-translated-167665.php) ---
**Author:** ![nd\_n8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/439d5e/32.png) [@nd\_n8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nd_n8)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-spanish-language-phone-call/353305/8 "2006-04-19T18:54:23Z")
> [@Crandolph](#): > > Thanks for the responses! Any idea what it is that a spammer decided would be wise to solicit by making random phone calls in Spanish to people who largely don’t speak Spanish? WAG - Preying on ignorance? A lot of spanish speakers are immigrants and might not know what spam is or that this kind of solicitation is illegel. If an autodialer hits every number it can within a certain demographic with a known percentage of spanish speakers, a percentage of them will respond. Perhaps your phone service provider or area code meet the criteria of the marketers demographics. The marketer would have less of a chance of getting caught as non-spanish speaking persons would not be able to report them. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-spanish-language-phone-call/353305/9 "2006-04-20T04:14:02Z")
Great info folks, _gracias_… ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-spanish-language-phone-call/353305/10 "2006-04-20T04:28:44Z")
Hmm, I haven’t got that, but I do get tons of calls from people speaking Spanish. I live in L.A., and it seems like every other day or so some misguided soul calls me, I answer with “Hello?”, and he or she says: “Bueno, bueno? Está Mariana?” And I invariably say: “No. Tiene el numero equivocado.” And it figures, this is about the only time I ever get to really flex my Spanish skills. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-spanish-language-phone-call/353305/11 "2006-04-20T11:52:19Z")
> [@nd\_n8](#): > > WAG - Preying on ignorance? A lot of spanish speakers are immigrants and might not know what spam is or that this kind of solicitation is illegal. Heh, US Spanish-language TV is the same way – it’s like WB for immigrants that don’t know any better. Psychic hotlines; miracle weight loss; cures for things there aren’t really cures for; just the lowest class, cheap, crappy advertising that you’d expect to see on local cable channels. ::shudder:: My wife asks how the government can them get away with it, us being sophisticated gringos and all that. The thing is, everything is legal until someone points out to the government that it’s illegal, and by then it’s rather late – lot’s of poor, ignorant slobs have already been rooked. Hence, I imagine that much the same is occurring with this telephone scam. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-spanish-language-phone-call/353305/12 "2006-04-21T18:16:27Z")
Wow, I’ve gotten two more in the past week, this time from Maryland are codes! Maybe this is what happens when you “marque el uno,” let that be a lesson for everyone else… Will report numbers as per **Ex\_Chemist’s** post.