What should I do? Either my cell phone is possessed, or...

In My Humble Opinion
1

…someone is trying to give me a subtle hint. Someone who is technologically savvy.

The story:

I went to a party last night, and left my phone in the car. I was at the party for a couple of hours, and then I went home. I didn’t really look at the phone, took it inside, and eventually went to bed.

In the morning (a rare Saturday without obligations) I checked email upon waking. One of the emails I’d received was…FROM MY OWN PHONE…SENT LAST NIGHT…AT THE TIME I WAS AT THE PARTY!

The email was only a picture, with a title (“VIKING PRINCESS PIRATE”).

Could I have taken this picture myself, and my phone sent it to me by means of some kind of automation?

No. I checked my phone, and I’d never taken such a picuture on my phone. I certainly would’ve recalled taking it.

So I checked the phone, and indeed, while I was at the party, and while the phone was in my car, the phone received–among others–a message containing only this photo (with the title).

So I checked to see where this photo had come from. It was clearly sent from another phone, but the area code of the phone is an area where I don’t really know anybody…at least, so I thought at first.

This area code was expanded to areas where people I know and have known live. I checked my MS Outlook database, but couldn’t find the number.

Was this simply a wrong number and a technological abnormality, or was it a subtle hint that I have sired an illegitimate child with an ex, sent by someone who really knows how to manipulate technology?

So two questions, for your advice:

  1. Should I get a new phone, or reprogram it?
  2. Should I call this phone number, and if I do, how do I start the conversation? Or was it just a “wrong number”?
2

The important thing is - do you have an ex that is extremely manipulative of technology?

Actually, I would call and see what’s up. I’m nosey though.

Brendon Small

3

99% certain that a) this was a wrong number, and b) it was an MMS - perhaps you’re not familiar with them?

As for why it was emailed to you - perhaps you registered your email with the phone company, and your account automatically forwards MMS messages to your email? Have you received an MMS before?

4

A lot of spam e-mail has your own e-mail address as the “sender” so it wouldn’t surprise me if it could be done with a phone too.

5

Oh yes, I’m familiar with them. But I’m hoping that the answer is a). My given name is essentially nordic, so I have this lingering fear that the “nordic” cliche of the girl dressed as a viking is some kind of message. After all, Halloween was five months ago. Why is this girl, in the Three-County area, dressed like a viking and why did I receive her picture? Hollywood and Thousand Oaks are not that far apart.

6

Any chance this was an advert by Flickr?

7

Check your phone records to see what calls are being made.

My spouse once had her phone ‘cloned’.

I called her and a man speaking in spanish answered. I thought that maybe she left her phone in a restaurant so I called a friend that I knew was with her. She said that spouse was right there and I spoke to her on the friends phone and my wife had her phone with her. I tried calling again and still got Mr. Spainish.

Then later, we got the phone bill and there was about $400 worth of call to the Dominican Republic. You can call that by dialing an area code and a number, though you get international rates. It took more than six months of fighting with Sprint to get rid of the charges.

8

I have seen that girl out of the corner of my eye in my house at night. I am glad I am not the only one she torments.