Just had a crossed-line on Ratebuster

muffinhead

I just made a phone call to a relative in Ireland using Ratebuster (0844 7202020) and when I pressed the # key, to dial the number, it went onto a phone call between an elderly woman and a woman in an Indian call centre. What was worse, it was a conversation about the elderly lady getting her credit cards replaced .

Luckily I only caught the end of the conversation so I heard no personal details. But because I use these cheap numbers a lot to make a calls I'm just concerned that some of my calls may have been listened into on a crossed-line. And to think how many calls I would have disclosed my personal details in :mad: !

Has anyone else experienced this?

iceburn

I experience this on Sat on just-dial. But experience it on other companies in the past I think even on BT line direct as well

mobilegossip

Strange. Just-Dial and Ratebuster part of same group. Onetel/Centrica Telecoms now owned by Talk Talk.

svkhtn

I experienced once last week with https://www.yourcallworld.com.

hurrah

I guess most people have at some time or another had a similar experience.

raymond

If someone really wanted to listen to your calls there are lots of very easy ways to do it without waiting for a crossed line. Never say anything on any phone you wouldnt say in a crowded room and you should be ok ...

Steve_xx

Crosstalk is a disturbance, caused by electromagnetic interference, along a circuit or a cable pair. A telecommunication signal disrupts a signal in an adjacent circuit and can cause the signals to become confused and cross over each other.

You will often hear the phrase "twisted pairs" in telephony. This is where each pair of wires that carry a converstaion is twisted together. The reason for this twisting is to try and prevent crosstalk, ie to prevent the signal in one pair of wires from leaching out onto other pairs of wires that are close by.