# The Phantom Phone Line - Still getting calls on a disconnected line? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 7, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phantom-phone-line-still-getting-calls-on-a-disconnected-line/535315 "2010-04-07T19:43:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phantom-phone-line-still-getting-calls-on-a-disconnected-line/535315/1 "2010-04-07T19:43:47Z")
So I’ve recently encountered a very strange phenomenon. I had a land line and a cell phone, and decided to disconnect the land line in order to go full-cell. The disconnect seems to have worked, since when I call my old land line number I get a message that the number has been disconnected and my new number is blah blah blah, all as it should be. But here’s the really weird part. Out of sheer laziness I didn’t disconnect the physical phone / answering machine unit when the phone company terminated service. And since then (a couple days ago), I’ve _received 2 messages_ for different people on the phone’s answering machine. One was a very brief voice message and the other was an automated call that seemed to be from a debt collector. If I pick up the phone, there is a dial tone, but if I try to call another number (like my cell or even the previously disconnected number) it just rings off the hook but doesn’t actually connect, or cause the phone to ring. How can I still be receiving messages on this phone? I live in an apartment complex… am I somehow receiving calls intended for a neighbor? I will disconnect the phone of course, but I’m really curious as to why this is happening. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phantom-phone-line-still-getting-calls-on-a-disconnected-line/535315/2 "2010-04-07T19:54:29Z")
Either you had a party line or something is wrong with the phone company equipment. I’m doubting you had a party line. Unplug the answering machine and turn off the ringer on your phones. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phantom-phone-line-still-getting-calls-on-a-disconnected-line/535315/3 "2010-04-07T20:00:32Z")
Run!, the calls are from _ **inside your house** _! ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phantom-phone-line-still-getting-calls-on-a-disconnected-line/535315/4 "2010-04-07T20:29:08Z")
It sounds like your land line provider never removed your number from their switches and are somehow routing someone else’s calls to your old number. I can fix that: unplug your phones. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phantom-phone-line-still-getting-calls-on-a-disconnected-line/535315/5 "2010-04-07T20:48:40Z")
Like I said in the OP, I know I can unplug the phone (and already have), but am just curious what went wrong that it was happening in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Luongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Chris\_Luongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chris_Luongo)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-phantom-phone-line-still-getting-calls-on-a-disconnected-line/535315/6 "2010-04-08T06:42:23Z")
Maybe the phone in your home has been assigned another number, that also isn’t allowed to make outgoing calls? There is (or at least was, this was a long time ago) a special number you could call and an automated voice will read out the number of the phone you’re calling from. Follow either of these links to see the appropriate number to dial (it depends on the area code where you live), and see if you get anything. [http://www.jeremybroomfield.com/ref/anacs.txt](http://www.jeremybroomfield.com/ref/anacs.txt) [http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Automatic-number-announcement-circuit](http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Automatic-number-announcement-circuit)