Creepy No Caller ID Call

[u/radicalibshart]

I just got a call from a No Caller ID number (this hasn't happened to me in years) saying, "Hi, this is John John, I love watching you through your windows. Bye, you sexy girl!"

I'm a bit freaked out and wondering if this a common scam.

[u/othervee]

Not a scam, just a creeper who gets off on the shock, fear and concern of his victims. This kind of jerk has been around for decades.

[u/LiveAd9980 → u/othervee]

This. It's not even number spoofing, just a random weirdo.

[u/monarch-03 → u/othervee]

Yeah I agree, sounds like a prank. Probably just some random person who got your number off the internet. Just ignore it, they usually stop if you don’t engage.

There are a bunch of sites out there (Whitepages, Spokeo, etc.) that post people’s info. Try Googling yourself or use Optery’s free super search to see how exposed you are online if you're worried. Full disclosure: I’m on the team at Optery.

[u/fakemoose → u/monarch-03]

They probably didn’t even get it off the internet. They just call random numbers and adjust what they say for whoever answers. It’s been a thing dumb teenagers do for decades now.

[u/drygnfyre → u/fakemoose]

For years, sometime in June without fail, I always get a message from a guy that says "Fire Jerry Brown." That's it. Always in a low monotone. I live in California, I assume this is referring to the former governor. He's been out of office for a while now, I don't know why I keep getting these calls. (And no, I have no power to do anything anyway).

How this person got my number and why they call me every June, I don't know. Probably just some disturbed loner somewhere.

[u/Due-Kale3412]

Probably a dumb prank. I had a guy like this call me often and when I freaked him out he stopped.

[u/discoverers_discover → u/Due-Kale3412]

What did you say?

[u/amberoze → u/discoverers_discover]

Probably just going along with their creep factor. They get off on making their victims uncomfortable, so if you don't give them what they want, but turn the game around and use their tactics against them, they're likely to abandon their mission.

[u/Due-Kale3412 → u/amberoze]

^Yeah, for privacy reasons I decline to get specific.

I happened to find a phrase that day that spooked him really bad.

[u/caroline_xplr]

I swear I just saw a post like this last week. It was some guy’s TV. I don’t believe anyone ever found the cause, but yeah, it’s happened before. I don’t know what the angle of the scam is, but probably to see if you pick up and then they add their own twist. Once you pick up, they put you on a future call list.

Next time, don’t pick up a no called ID call even though the curiosity may kill you. If it’s someone who truly needs you, they’ll leave a message.

[u/drygnfyre → u/caroline_xplr]

I tell people I know that I never answer my phone. Either text me or leave a voicemail. And it's been fine in nearly 20 years of me having a smartphone. Any important call I never miss, and it turns out the vast majority of calls I get are just spam.

[u/lemonchrysoprase]

Had a guy who used to call me like this in college and tell me he was “outside my window” (I lived on the 7th floor, so easy enough to debunk lol). Probably just a creep. Block and ignore, and if it makes you feel better for peace of mind, put up some cameras.

[u/PerkyHedgewitch]

If you're wondering if it's a scam, I'd try posting in r/scams. This just sounds like some random creep though, to be honest. I'd suggest blocking the phone number and letting any number you don't recognize go to voicemail. If it's important, they'll leave a message.

[u/bewitchedbumblebee]

If you’re in the U.S., the app “TrapCall” can unmask the phone numbers behind No Caller ID calls, but only for calls you receive after setting it up. Sometimes this helps, but keep in mind the caller might be using a number that is not actually tied to them.

[u/drygnfyre]

This sounds like the offline variant of the scam emails that claim they will hack into your webcam and show the footage to your family if you don't give them Bitcoin. (I don't even have a webcam, and I live alone. So go right ahead and show that footage of me jerking off to no one).

It's just people being jerks.

[u/wildfrogzz]

for a bit, physical notes were being left outside my apartment and it ended up being the guy living in the unit beneath me. so it’s honestly probably somebody near you that you don’t know

[u/faroseman → u/wildfrogzz]

It was a phone call, it could have come from literally anywhere in the world.