# Very odd phone calls: shortwave number-station style **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2007, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812 "2007-03-28T11:25:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/1 "2007-03-28T11:25:31Z")
Every night at about 8:00 PM over the past few days, I’ve been getting a very odd phone call. The phone rings with no Caller ID. After I pick up and say hello, there’s a couple of DTMF tones. A pause, and then a recording of a six digit number - “Seven. Four. Eight. Four. Three. Nine.” The number is repeated three or four times, and then there’s silence - no disconnect. Anyone have any idea as to what this could be about? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/2 "2007-03-28T11:31:58Z")
The blueprints are in the park inside the hollow log by the footbridge. Duh! Seriously, that’s friggin creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/3 "2007-03-28T12:04:41Z")
The apples are green in Moscow. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/4 "2007-03-28T14:16:59Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] Every night at about 8:00 PM over the past few days, I’ve been getting a very odd phone call. The phone rings with no Caller ID. After I pick up and say hello, there’s a couple of DTMF tones. A pause, and then a recording of a six digit number - “Seven. Four. Eight. Four. Three. Nine.” The number is repeated three or four times, and then there’s silence - no disconnect. Anyone have any idea as to what this could be about? [/QUOTE] Hey, I got a call yesterday evening that started out with the tones, but I hung up since I could tell it wasn’t a person I wanted to talk to. If it happens again, I’ll listen all the way through. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/5 "2007-03-28T16:01:04Z")
The duck walks at midnight. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/6 "2007-03-28T16:27:05Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] A pause, and then a recording of a six digit number - “Seven. Four. Eight. Four. Three. Nine.” [/QUOTE] Is that the actual number? Googling “748439” suggests 601 possibilities. ---
**Author:** ![DustyButt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc348/32.png) [@DustyButt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DustyButt)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/7 "2007-03-28T16:45:35Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] The duck walks at midnight. [/QUOTE] Tell “The Teacher” that the rain in Spain has nothing to do with the weather in Bejing, but the crickets are getting hungry. ---
**Author:** ![cantara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6f9a4e/32.png) [@cantara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cantara)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/8 "2007-03-28T16:52:28Z")
Telemarketing for spies? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/9 "2007-03-28T17:37:23Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Is that the actual number? Googling “748439” suggests 601 possibilities. [/QUOTE] Yes, that is! I grabbed a pen the moment the numbers started reading off. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/10 "2007-03-28T17:56:17Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] Yes, that is! I grabbed a pen the moment the numbers started reading off. [/QUOTE] What is you area code and prefix? You can PM them to me if you’d rather not post them publicly. ---
**Author:** ![flex727](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@flex727](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flex727)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/11 "2007-03-28T20:26:28Z")
Just this last week I was calling a toll-free number and got 2 digits transposed. The result was very similar to the OP. Dial 1-866-717-1701 and a mechanical voice answers and recites the following: One thousand six hundred ninety two seven one one four zero two zero eight four three. which I interpret to be: 16927114020843 Try it - it’s pretty creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/12 "2007-03-28T20:28:33Z")
[QUOTE=flex727] Just this last week I was calling a toll-free number and got 2 digits transposed. The result was very similar to the OP. Dial 1-866-717-1701 and a mechanical voice answers and recites the following: One thousand six hundred ninety two seven one one four zero two zero eight four three. which I interpret to be: 16927114020843 Try it - it’s pretty creepy. [/QUOTE] One thousand six hundred ninety **three** , actually – I just tried it. ---
**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/13 "2007-03-28T20:35:57Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] One thousand six hundred ninety **three** , actually – I just tried it. [/QUOTE] That’s interesting. I just tried and got One thousand six hundred ninety four. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/14 "2007-03-28T20:47:08Z")
It’s evidently running a count, I got ninety six. After it got finished reading the numbers it started doing tones like it was dialing a number so I hung up. That’s all I need is the boss asking why a 900 sex chat number showed up on my extension. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/15 "2007-03-28T20:53:56Z")
When I called it said “Three Five Four One Two Five GO!” Then I was transferred to some 900 number in Warsaw. ---
**Author:** ![flex727](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@flex727](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flex727)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/16 "2007-03-28T21:17:53Z")
When I called back just now it was 1699. I thought, cool, it will go to 1700 on the next call, but it didn’t. It went back to 1690 and stayed there on the next call. This is very strange. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/17 "2007-03-28T21:31:35Z")
[QUOTE=flex727] Try it - it’s pretty creepy. [/QUOTE] Sure, that’s what they _want_ you to do. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/18 "2007-03-28T22:22:01Z")
Yeah, that reminds me of that old joke about the guy jumping up and down on a manhole cover, yelling “93! 93! 93!..” Some guy comes along and asks “Hey, why are you jumping up and down on that manhole cover yelling 93! 93 93! ?” So jumping guy opens the manhole and says “climb down here and I’ll show you” So the curious fellow climbs down the manhole, then jumping guy slams the manhole cover on and starts jumping up and down on it, yelling “94! 94! 94!..” ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/19 "2007-03-28T22:27:51Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] The duck walks at midnight. [/QUOTE] But there is no echo. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2007, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812/20 "2007-03-29T00:28:31Z")
[QUOTE=Duke of Rat] It’s evidently running a count, I got ninety six. After it got finished reading the numbers it started doing tones like it was dialing a number so I hung up. That’s all I need is the boss asking why a 900 sex chat number showed up on my extension. [/QUOTE] I like living on the edge so I let the tones finish. After that I just got a busy signal. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-odd-phone-calls-shortwave-number-station-style/397812.md?page=2)