To Listen To Someone Else's Voicemail, Press 1

from the whoops dept

I remember, many years ago, dealing with the "crossed line" phenomenon. A friend had a phoneline that somehow got crossed with (we guessed) a neighbor's line. We'd be talking on the phone, and suddenly we'd hear - perfectly loud and clear - someone else start a conversation. We once spent a while listening in on one of these conversations and testing whether or not they could hear us. There was no reaction, so we began mocking everything that was being said (we were kids, and that's what kids do) - which turned out to be a mistake when we (and they) discovered they could hear us. Anyway, I had no idea anything like that still happened - and especially did not expect it to occur on a mobile phone network. However, in Australia, thousands of Telstra mobile phone customers discovered that talking on the phone became a giant party line - and you had no idea who might be listening. They're still not entirely sure what happened, but people trying to answer calls on their mobile phone (correctly indicated by the caller ID) found themselves listening to entirely unrelated conversations. They also found they often had access to the voicemail boxes of others.

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  1.  

    It happens

    identicon
    James Dennis, Aug 27th, 2003 @ 12:32am

    I have come across it myself where calling a number on a PBX Connected to an MSC gave you an ear into converstaions in a particular cell - But even weirder I have also come across data-cross talk where I am dialled up to a console over wireless using a laptop and suddenly get garbage on the screen which I then recognised as Wap content. Somebody elses session.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    jason, Aug 27th, 2003 @ 12:32am

    if i dont trust my girlfriend how can i listen to her voice mai from my phone

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    identicon
    ashley, Aug 27th, 2003 @ 12:32am

    all i want to know is how i listen to sara's voicemail off of my phone... >???

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  

    Not quite as bad as....

    identicon
    dorpus, Aug 27th, 2003 @ 12:54am

    Living in some low-IQ region like Pittsburgh or the Deep South, where the local yokels keep calling up your number to talk to someone else who used to have the number. They cannot understand the concept of a number no longer belonging to someone, so they keep calling back. And even if they do understand, then they want you to "leave a message".

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  

    How to STOP those calls....

    identicon
    Karma Chamelon, Aug 27th, 2003 @ 8:09am

    Idiots on the east coast are just as bad ...
    Several responses: " Tell them you will be happy to provide the message as soon as the receipient is released from child molestors prison "
    " Tell them, you would be happy to let them talk to the party they are trying to reach but unfortunately your cock is in their mouth and they are not able to speak @ this time "
    These two usually STOP the calls.
    Besides, its usually the last asshole that had the # that is still giving it out ... I know I do anytime someone wants a phone # in a bar or for a form and they don't need it, I just tell 'em 717 - 630 - 8041

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  

    classic tel$tra

    identicon
    auomouse, Aug 27th, 2003 @ 8:13am

    its classic ie golden moment, that they say that turning it off & on again fixes it. you get this shite advice from their dialup/broadband heldesk. perhaps they re-installed the tcp/ip stack ! what are they using - win2k ?!?

    tel$tra is the classic public utility thats been part privatised & had its staff massively reduced & plant investment severly curtailed. it now relies on media advertising & political fixes to survive while openly increasing line rentals by 100% over 3 years just to rub it into it customers.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  

    Overlapping cell conversations

    identicon
    Patrick, Aug 27th, 2003 @ 4:42pm

    Have had this happen on AT&T in Denver several times--I'll be talking to some one, I'll lose them, and pick up another conversation. They are unable to hear me.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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