# So why is someone from Ecuador calling my cell phone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 29, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-is-someone-from-ecuador-calling-my-cell-phone/736085 "2015-10-29T14:34:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-is-someone-from-ecuador-calling-my-cell-phone/736085/1 "2015-10-29T14:34:34Z")
I get a “phone call missed” message. I check the phone call number “593.” I google it. Ecuador? My family is pretty far reached, but none of them that I know of are in South America. Any clues how that happened? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-is-someone-from-ecuador-calling-my-cell-phone/736085/2 "2015-10-29T14:51:21Z")
Someone in Ecuador dialed a wrong number? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-is-someone-from-ecuador-calling-my-cell-phone/736085/3 "2015-10-29T14:56:11Z")
Spoofed number from a li’l scamster. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-is-someone-from-ecuador-calling-my-cell-phone/736085/4 "2015-10-29T15:45:52Z")
Pablo Escobar is actually still alive and living in Ecuador. Through a series of complicated relationships and coincidences, he is actually your third cousin, once removed. He has a sum of money that he needs to have laundered through a US connection. He’d like to give you some of it for the assistance you will render him. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-is-someone-from-ecuador-calling-my-cell-phone/736085/5 "2015-10-29T17:16:42Z")
They called me to tell you that you won the lottery, but you’ll have to pay $10,000 in taxes before you can claim your winnings. Oh, and after that, they’ll surprise you with a $5,000 currency conversion fee. It’s a great deal; so much better than the Jamaican lottery. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-is-someone-from-ecuador-calling-my-cell-phone/736085/6 "2015-10-29T18:46:28Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Someone in Ecuador dialed a wrong number? Someone in Ecuador looking for a person who had that number previously? [Happened to me twice, except the call was Filipino.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9157455&highlight=collect#post9157455) ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-is-someone-from-ecuador-calling-my-cell-phone/736085/7 "2015-10-29T19:11:38Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > They called me to tell you that you won the lottery, but you’ll have to pay $10,000 in taxes before you can claim your winnings. Oh, and after that, they’ll surprise you with a $5,000 currency conversion fee. It’s a great deal; so much better than the Jamaican lottery. 🙂 Or they say a family member is hurt or in some kind of trouble and you need to spend money to them fast . I heard of people getting calls like this too. I read that a woman got a call from the ‘police department’ saying she need to send them money so she won’t be arrested . The poor woman fell for it and cleaned her bank account out of $800. The police phone showed up her caller ID it was spoofed . I got 2 calls that had my phone # showing up ! There are too many assholes around trying to steal people money ! ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-is-someone-from-ecuador-calling-my-cell-phone/736085/8 "2015-10-29T20:26:47Z")
He wants to know if its true that your toilet water swirls in only one direction? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-is-someone-from-ecuador-calling-my-cell-phone/736085/9 "2015-10-29T21:00:31Z")
593 what? If it was just “593” then that has nothing to do with Ecuador and everything to do with caller ID spoofing.