Very strange text message

anthonymax

Hi all, I'm hoping a more technical person than me can help me out here! I just got a text from an unknown number which as far as I can tell is not a mobile phone number, as in it doesn't start with 085/6/7. Nothing too strange there maybe, except it is a text I sent to someone myself SEVEN years ago. Can anyone tell me how is this possible? I mean it doesn't even really matter but I'm so curious!

im invisible

Do you work for Skynet?

Thoie

Did you ever sign up for a "Future Me" type text message service?

anthonymax

No , and no

stevenmu

Did you have a Nokia 7 years ago? Their case is so solid and dense that sometimes they accidentally bend space and time.

frag420

Is this you OP

anthonymax

I'm afraid all your replies and I'm presuming now they are jokes, are lost on me.

All I know is I got this text today and it's so weird as I sent it so long ago. Anyway. As I said it doesn't even matter was just really curious.

frag420

anthonymax wrote: »

I'm afraid all your replies and I'm presuming now they are jokes, are lost on me.

This is how they speak in the future...........

or

how is this they speak future in

anthonymax

frag420 wrote: »

This is how they speak in the future...........

or

how is this they speak future in

Thanks for all the help.

hyperborean

anthonymax wrote: »

Hi all, I'm hoping a more technical person than me can help me out here! I just got a text from an unknown number which as far as I can tell is not a mobile phone number, as in it doesn't start with 085/6/7. Nothing too strange there maybe, except it is a text I sent to someone myself SEVEN years ago. Can anyone tell me how is this possible? I mean it doesn't even really matter but I'm so curious!

I dont get it, how could you remember a text you sent to someone 7 years ago?

GerardKeating

anthonymax wrote: »

Hi all, I'm hoping a more technical person than me can help me out here! I just got a text from an unknown number which as far as I can tell is not a mobile phone number, as in it doesn't start with 085/6/7. Nothing too strange there maybe, except it is a text I sent to someone myself SEVEN years ago. Can anyone tell me how is this possible? I mean it doesn't even really matter but I'm so curious!

what does the number start with...

anthonymax

I remember the text because it's very detailed, I am 100% sure I wrote it.

The first three digits of the number are 937.

maximoose

Area code 937 is a telephone area code serving much of the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio and was established September 28, 1996. It covers Bellefontaine, Dayton, Fairborn, Hillsboro, Marysville, Springfield, Wilmington, Xenia, public parts of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and areas north and east of Cincinnati

hmmm

www.skynetmts.com/Cached - Similar
You +1'd this publicly. Undo
SkyNet Managed Technology Services provides extensive computer repair and PC repair in Columbus, Ohio

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, sh*t!

frag420

anthonymax wrote: »

Thanks for all the help.

you are welcome Bill Preston Esq

biko

Only the phone company will ever know for sure. Go in to their shop and show them (be prepared for the men in black to kidnap you as soon as they hear of this though).

Malice

It might be worth contacting your mobile phone service provider to see if they can shed any light on it. It was probably just someone in Vodafone who pressed the wrong button. Of course it's unlikely they'll tell you that .

Kenno90

Malice wrote: »

It might be worth contacting your mobile phone service provider to see if they can shed any light on it. It was probably just someone in Vodafone who pressed the wrong button. Of course it's unlikely they'll tell you that .

I certanly hope not, That means they've been storing our text messages for at least 7 years:eek:

Malice

Kenno90 wrote: »

I certanly hope not, That means they've been storing our text messages for at least 7 years:eek:

While I've no way of knowing, I'd be very surprised if they didn't do just that. Why do you think they wouldn't store them?

SerialComplaint

Malice wrote: »

While I've no way of knowing, I'd be very surprised if they didn't do just that. Why do you think they wouldn't store them?

Because of data protection legislation - they should only retain data for as long as they need it. Why would they need 7 years of text messages?

Malice

SerialComplaint wrote: »

Because of data protection legislation - they should only retain data for as long as they need it.

Of course they should but I'm sure there's an EULA somewhere that has them covered.

SerialComplaint wrote:

Why would they need 7 years of text messages?

Data mining is the first reason that comes to mind. Admittedly I'm not sure what they could glean from millions of text messages except that a lot of people have a deplorable standard of written English but then I don't work in marketing or advertising.

SerialComplaint

Malice wrote: »

Of course they should but I'm sure there's an EULA somewhere that has them covered.

Data mining is the first reason that comes to mind. Admittedly I'm not sure what they could glean from millions of text messages except that a lot of people have a deplorable standard of written English but then I don't work in marketing or advertising.

EULA's don't take priority over legislation.

antodeco

Networks can only store text messages for 3 years. On top of this, theres no button to "resend" the messages. They are stored in a database, as information only (with various network information) but theres no "resend" button beside them.

2rkehij30qtza5

It's possible to send text messages from websites that are not affiliated with O2, Vodafone etc. The texts appear on your phone with strange numbers, as in your case. So, to me, it appears that someone with one of these text accounts in some online site sent this message to you. Someone you know messing with your head perhaps? That's what it sounds like to me..if your text was THAT specific you remember it?

anthonymax

Well I don't know about anyone messing, that did cross my mind, but would someone keep a text for seven years? And it didn't come from the person I sent it to originally! It must just have been stored somewhere maybe all this time and some sort of glitch sent it back to me. Thanks for replies.

Senna

Did you google or phone the number it was sent from?

Devane

anthonymax wrote: »

Hi all, I'm hoping a more technical person than me can help me out here! I just got a text from an unknown number which as far as I can tell is not a mobile phone number, as in it doesn't start with 085/6/7. Nothing too strange there maybe, except it is a text I sent to someone myself SEVEN years ago. Can anyone tell me how is this possible? I mean it doesn't even really matter but I'm so curious!

I can't find it at the moment and don't have time to look for confirmation but....

If memory serves me correctly this came up in the Ray's D'arcys fix it Friday style/Question and Answers section in BBC Focus Magazine. In fact most of the stuff there appears as question on QI.

Anyway they pointed out when the sms system are overwhelmed at busy times, they move them to a temporary server and sometimes some get lost. They are not deleted but somehow not all are retrieved.

Well that was the gist of it. If I find it I'll post the exact words. But in your case you received a text that you sent, much like an undelivered email.

ps an example of sms delays...
Look what happens when I text the Today FM's Last Word 53102 for their competition, which is clearly a busy time.
I rarely text and only to the last word competition but I found none that arrived within the show's time. Always hours or days later.

I haven't bothered since I noticed this. Getting to sms delivered on time is a competition in itself.