Baffling Phone Problem.....

[10ClarionSt]

....not my phone, but here goes.

I sent a txt msg to one of my contacts, phone number ending, say, 555.

Contact replies.

I respond to contacts' reply.

Contact replies, but this time the reply comes via a completely different phone number, ending say, 666.

I am now txting 555, who is receiving the texts, but I'm doing it via 666.

I have now blocked the 666 number and deleted all msgs.

I can't understand how that could happen. I asked if he'd recently changed is phone. He said he had, 2 weeks ago, new phone, new provider, new contract but kept the same number. However, he has had his number (the 555 one) for over 5 years. He said he has not had any problems at all since changing his phone and this is the first time.

The thing is, in the first instance, I received his reply on the correct number, the 555 one. The rest of the msgs came via the 666 one, so it has automatically switched from one number to another, in mid-flow.

Makes me think this might be a virus (is that possible?) or some sort of scam.

Has anyone else had anything like this happen to them?

Thanks in advance. Please excuse me if I don't respond straight away. Today is very busy!! :o)

[Ken4155]

I sent my brother a text wishing him a happy birthday at the end of January. He replied but i noticed his number was different to the one i had texted. When i pointed this out to him, he said it happens occasionally? I haven't noticed it happening anytime since and i do send quite a few texts.

[roslyn251254]

Possibly..... (this recently happened to me when i changed from O2 to giffgaff) when you change your phone or your service provider there is sometimes a delay in your number being continued.....in the interim period they allot you a new number until "everything has gone through"

[10ClarionSt]

Thanks folks. That could explain it in a way, roslyn, but he hasn't had the problem with anyone else. Only my number. But wouldn't they have given him prior warning that this could happen?

[Ken4155]

I ought to have pointed out that i was given a 'smart' phone as a Christmas present (daughters dragging dad into the 21st century and all that) and it was the first text i had sent him from the phone. That said, it didn't happen with any 'first' texts to other numbers.

[Stickybottle]

666 ?
I guess the devil is in the detail

[10ClarionSt]

This problem is still continuing. I can text to him, and he gets the msgs. His replies in txt msgs to me are still coming from him, via a completely different number. I can phone him; he can phone me on the usual numbers, but txt msgs from him are not reaching me because I have blocked the strange number. He's been to the shop where he got the phone from and explained the situation. They have never heard of this before and can't advise. So there you are. Has anyone heard of this before? Is it possibly a virus on my phone as he says no-one else has had any problems? Any ideas? Thanks

[chelle7272]

This does sound like a temp / holding number due to the change of supplier as Roslyn suggests. They wouldn't necessarily tell him about it as it wouldn't normally show to anyone - a bit like when people get your voicemail- it's a completely different number but usually not seen. Was the shop he got it from network supplier shop? He needs to contact his network supplier rather than the handset supplier.
It may be you can see a different number where others don't due to the network you are on and how it talks to his network.

[10ClarionSt]

Thanks for the reply, chelle. I took my phone into the phone shop. They said the fault was on my phone due to an auto update that had changed the chat settings. He did something on the phone, don't know what, then said it will be ok now. And it is. The odd thing though is that it only happened with one phone number in my contacts. Isn't technology wonderful?!!

[chelle7272]

How bizarre! Glad you got it sorted :)