# Phone call answered by: "You'll mark the word..." **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 15, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200 "2015-07-15T01:34:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/21 "2015-08-08T04:53:27Z")
> [@SanibelMan](#): > > Question for you: Which cell phone company do you use? I’m wondering if this is something in the cell phone network equipment itself or if it’s somewhere else. This is what I was thinking. Sounds like an error message from a voicemail system. Perhaps the OP didn’t hear the message correctly, or the message was an inside joke for those working on the system. ---
**Author:** ![RunSilent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@RunSilent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RunSilent)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/22 "2015-08-08T13:04:23Z")
A few nights ago, my cell phone called itself! Phone rang in the middle of the night, the caller ID showed my number. I was afraid to answer… what if I had been at the other end of the line!? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/23 "2015-08-08T14:03:52Z")
> [@RunSilent](#): > > A few nights ago, my cell phone called itself! Phone rang in the middle of the night, the caller ID showed my number. I was afraid to answer… what if I had been at the other end of the line!? You fool! You foolish fool! Now we’ll _never_ know what your future self was trying to warn you that you needed to do - unless, of course, doing what he said would have caused the bad thing to happen in the first place, in which case, by Jingo, you’ve saved us all. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/24 "2015-08-08T14:11:58Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > You fool! You foolish fool! Answer next time. You were/will/are (this sort of thing is damned confusing) calling yourself with stock advice, or future sports scores. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/25 "2015-08-08T15:03:06Z")
But why would his future self make that call, when he remembers that his present self didn’t answer? Perhaps he was just waking him up to prevent him from having that horrible nightmare that’s been haunting him. –Mark ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/26 "2015-08-08T15:11:41Z")
Future self was drunk dialing present day self. Clearly. Probably to say something like “Don’t have that fifth Jack and Coke, or you’ll wind up with the fat chick from the dance club.” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/27 "2015-08-08T16:31:12Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Future self was drunk dialing present day self. Clearly. > > Probably to say something like “Don’t have that fifth Jack and Coke, or you’ll wind up with the fat chick from the dance club.” Good God, man, answer the phone! ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/28 "2015-08-08T16:42:59Z")
> [@RunSilent](#): > > A few nights ago, my cell phone called itself! Phone rang in the middle of the night, the caller ID showed my number. I was afraid to answer… what if I had been at the other end of the line!? Caller ID is _trivially_ faked. No one thinks to block their own number. So telemarketers/scammers set their equipment to show the Caller ID as the number being called. OTOH, if you see your own number in the Caller ID, you know not to answer. (But the targets of these jerks, usually the elderly, don’t think to filter stuff like this. So they know they have a fish when the victim picks up.) ---
**Author:** ![KaylaLynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@KaylaLynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KaylaLynn)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2015, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/29 "2015-08-09T17:03:52Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Caller ID is _trivially_ faked. No one thinks to block their own number. So telemarketers/scammers set their equipment to show the Caller ID as the number being called. > > OTOH, if you see your own number in the Caller ID, you know not to answer. (But the targets of these jerks, usually the elderly, don’t think to filter stuff like this. So they know they have a fish when the victim picks up.) What is the best way to handle these annoying calls? I’ve tried not answering, I’ve clicked speaker to connect and disconnect, I’ve answered and politely asked not to be called anymore, and I’ve answered and swore like a sailor as loudly as I could. I’ve also called Verizon about some harassing telemarketers, and they basically said there was nothing they could do and good luck with that. There must be some way to trick their machine into erasing me… right? ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/30 "2015-08-09T17:18:17Z")
Many phones have a call blocking feature. Just add the offending number to the block list and you won’t get the calls any more. There are also separate add-on blocking devices if your phone doesn’t do blocking. –Mark ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/31 "2015-08-09T18:40:46Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Caller ID is _trivially_ faked. No one thinks to block their own number. So telemarketers/scammers set their equipment to show the Caller ID as the number being called. So as a rule, it’s best for everyone to block their own number? And BTW, just how trivial is it to fake caller ID? Does one do it simply with a PC and some software? Or do they have to get into the phone system? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/32 "2015-08-10T20:43:07Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > And BTW, just how trivial is it to fake caller ID? Does one do it simply with a PC and some software? Or do they have to get into the phone system? Any sane telemarketer uses Internet telephony to make calls. Much, much cheaper than traditional long distance. At their end is a set of computers. The Caller ID is merely a setting within the software. Easy enough to program to change. I have VoIP for my “landline”. The Caller ID number is something I can (optionally) set on my account settings page. I have it set to our actual number but I can change it in a moment to another number, no problem. Note that there can be legitimate reasons for not having he Caller ID number be the actual number. E.g., a business might be making real calls to notify customers and they want the ID to show a helpline number for return calls rather than the individual agent’s phone. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/33 "2015-08-10T21:27:37Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Any sane telemarketer Well, there’s your problem right there. ---
**Author:** ![Taryndipity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Taryndipity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taryndipity)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/34 "2015-08-19T01:49:06Z")
This happened to me at work today. I was on a land line and figured I dialed the wrong number so I hung up immediately. It wasn’t until after that I realized it was pretty weird/creepy. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/35 "2015-08-19T11:33:55Z")
> [@Taryndipity](#): > > This happened to me at work today. I was on a land line and figured I dialed the wrong number so I hung up immediately. It wasn’t until after that I realized it was pretty weird/creepy. Hmm, that blows a hole in my theory that it’s something in Sprint’s equipment. Thanks for adding another data point, though. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/36 "2015-08-19T13:16:01Z")
It would be useful to correlate all the particulars: [ul] [li]what carrier were you dialing from[/li][li]what carrier was the target number[/li][li]was the target number a landline, mobile, etc[/li][li]do you think you misdialled[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/37 "2015-08-19T14:22:15Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > It would be useful to correlate all the particulars: > > [ul] > [li]what carrier were you dialing from[/li][li]what carrier was the target number[/li][li]was the target number a landline, mobile, etc[/li][li]do you think you misdialled[/li][/ul] Good point. I don’t think I answered all of that in my OP. - I was calling from my Sprint iPhone - I called my sister’s cell phone. Not sure what carrier she uses – will let you know if I find out - I’m sure I didn’t misdial, because I called from a saved contact and the call went through correctly on the second try ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/38 "2015-08-21T02:58:15Z")
> [@DataX](#): > > The seems like the most likely explanation - there is a method to test the line quality - using this modified rhyme test - and probably is usually activated with some sort of special number/key press/whatever. But does this explain why so many people are getting the test message when they correctly dial a regular phone number? I don’t think I’ve ever–in the last 20 years (since the advent of call logs)–gotten an incorrect connection when dialing a number correctly. (In the U.S., at least. It happens all the time in Colombia.) And why hasn’t someone come out to explain it, after so long–someone who has worked with the testing system? ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/39 "2015-08-24T21:59:04Z")
Maybe it is connected to the [SCP Foundation](http://www.scp-wiki.net/). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200.md?page=1)