Recycled Mobile Phone Number

Spankles86

I just wanted to pop a warning to everyone changing their number.  5 months ago my son got a new phone and with that a new number with Sky. Since then he's had so many messages for the previous owner of the number. 

• Solicitors to who this man owes money to
• Debt collection agencies (around 4 or 5 of them)
• Umbrella companies for agencies
• His children's school (I know what school they go to, what year, their teacher's names and where and when they're going on trips!!)
• Delivery companies with his details on (I know his address - confirmed by someone collecting something from his house in another message)
• His bank who cannot pay his endless direct debits
• His work place
• Companies he's bought things from
• Utility companies
• His children wanting lunch money, usual child to parent messages (clearly not one of those spam messages)
• Friends
• DVLA
• Random women on WhatsApp - what an interesting time he's had - again, definitely not the spam type messages!!

From all these messages I've gathered a lot of information on this man, I know his name, where he lives and where his children go to school.  Quick google searches will easily tell me more such as his job.  
I have spent time ringing and emailing as messages and phone calls come through to take off the number, his bank at the moment can't change anything and it's been a struggle with one of the utility companies.
If you are changing your number please change it with everyone you receive messages from, all this information collected together can be dangerous.  If you're sending messages (especially schools) please be careful what you're putting into those messages.

Brie

The problem is that you don't always know who has your number.  I have a recycled phone from work and I get random calls that seem to be due to someone somewhere has this number written down or in their phone as a contact to do X and they are passing this along to others who then ring/text me.  Some are emergency calls needing immediate attention - a bit of an issue as I only work part time so don't have the phone on from Friday afternoon until Tuesday morning at the earliest.  

EnPointe

Brie said:

The problem is that you don't always know who has your number.  I have a recycled phone from work and I get random calls that seem to be due to someone somewhere has this number written down or in their phone as a contact to do X and they are passing this along to others who then ring/text me.  Some are emergency calls needing immediate attention - a bit of an issue as I only work part time so don't have the phone on from Friday afternoon until Tuesday morning at the earliest.  

Even if your work phone wasn't recycled ,  telephone numbers in the UK are recycled fairly quickly  ( as little as 3 months  up to year )

Veteransaver

I'd just consider changing the number rather than putting up with that!

flaneurs_lobster

Veteransaver said:

I'd just consider changing the number rather than putting up with that!

Why? It's a voyer's dream!

Grumpy_chap

flaneurs_lobster said:

Veteransaver said:

I'd just consider changing the number rather than putting up with that!

Why? It's a voyer's dream!

In fairness, the OP has not mentioned the age of the son.
The content of the messages (especially from the ladies) might be highly unsuitable for, say 10-yo son, a point of embarrassing humour for, say 16 yo son, or just tiresome for a more mature son.

It seems odd that the OP has taken to looking up the former owner of the number online.

I also don't understand why most of those messages would not have stopped if simply responded to at first or second receipt with "sorry, you have the wrong number, I'm not the person you are looking for"

Spankles86 said:

I just wanted to pop a warning to everyone changing their number.  5 months ago my son got a new phone and with that a new number with Sky. Since then he's had so many messages for the previous owner of the number. 

• Solicitors to who this man owes money to
• Debt collection agencies (around 4 or 5 of them)
• Umbrella companies for agencies
• His children's school (I know what school they go to, what year, their teacher's names and where and when they're going on trips!!)
• Delivery companies with his details on (I know his address - confirmed by someone collecting something from his house in another message)
• His bank who cannot pay his endless direct debits
• His work place
• Companies he's bought things from
• Utility companies
• His children wanting lunch money, usual child to parent messages (clearly not one of those spam messages)
• Friends
• DVLA
• Random women on WhatsApp - what an interesting time he's had - again, definitely not the spam type messages!!

From all these messages I've gathered a lot of information on this man, I know his name, where he lives and where his children go to school.  Quick google searches will easily tell me more such as his job.  
I have spent time ringing and emailing as messages and phone calls come through to take off the number, his bank at the moment can't change anything and it's been a struggle with one of the utility companies.
If you are changing your number please change it with everyone you receive messages from, all this information collected together can be dangerous.  If you're sending messages (especially schools) please be careful what you're putting into those messages.

forgotmyname

Switched networks recently and they give you a SIM with another number that got spam before my contacts had even refreshed.

Luckily my phone is a dual SIM so the original number went live fairly quickly but I still got a fair amount of spam calls/messages.
I just ignored or deleted them as appropriate.

I think it's a silly procedure to give you a number that you don't require and one that may have been used many times already.
How quickly will that number get turned around?  I should have saved it and tried it once a month.

Someone must have received calls regarding questionable goods or deliveries on their new number?

Neil_Jones

forgotmyname said:

I think it's a silly procedure to give you a number that you don't require and one that may have been used many times already.
How quickly will that number get turned around?  I should have saved it and tried it once a month.

Considering there's only a finite number in the allocated range, its usually enough to just randomly generate a number and it will probably match to somebody somewhere. 074, 075, 077, 078, 079 and then eight random numbers (except for 07911 2 and 07911 8 and 07624 - the former for pagers, the latter for Isle of Man), so you can see why there is a need to recycle inactive numbers.

Though it can get a bit freaky sometimes when a number previously allocated to a now deceased relative appears on your WhatsApp list...

As with regards to the OP - well that's probably why they changed their number if the debt collection agencies are after them...  Just block them if you don't want to change your number

DullGreyGuy

Grumpy_chap said:
It seems odd that the OP has taken to looking up the former owner of the number online.

Why's it odd?

Having started with a new client I had a new desk phone number and was getting a series of calls for "David". Some were clearly marketing calls but others less clear. 

I googled the telephone number to see if I could find out who he was to at least try and push the non-marketing people to the right department but turned out he was the CEO of a failed startup that my client had been providing IT and certain business services to. 

Was much easier to respond to future calls 

Riverstone58

Veteransaver said:

I'd just consider changing the number rather than putting up with that!

Exactly!

I have to be honest but all that degree of investigation just seems a bit spooky to me - just change the number and get on with life.

brewerdave

As a contrast, I've had two "new" SIMs on trial recently to check for reception at home . Haven't had a single call or text on either other than my uses.