A man endured two years of nonstop wrong-number calls and messages from strangers hunting for someone named Tom, only to learn the original owner was deliberately handing out the number to real estate agents and businesses just to harass him.
Polite explanations went nowhere, so he finally snapped and started replying to every inquiry with an outrageously absurd message claiming to be Tom and unavailable for wildly inappropriate reasons. After just two such responses, furious missed calls flooded in from the prankster himself, and the harassment stopped cold.
Man’s reply stop “Tom” from deliberately giving out his phone number, ending persistent wrong-number calls.
In the US, phone number reassignment is incredibly common: approximately 35-37 million telephone numbers are reassigned to new subscribers each year, meaning roughly 100,000 numbers get recycled daily, often leading to mistaken calls and texts for the previous owner.
While most cases stem from innocent mix-ups like old contacts not updating their info, deliberate misuse like someone intentionally sharing your number crosses into harassment territory and amps up the frustration.
The original poster (OP) dealt with the polite route first: repeatedly explaining it was a wrong number. But when “Tom” escalated by handing it out to businesses just to annoy them, patience ran out. The OP’s genius move was to reply to inquiring callers with a wildly inappropriate, over-the-top message claiming to be Tom and unavailable due to an absurd scenario. It only took two such responses to trigger upset missed calls from Tom himself and poof, the wrong-number plague vanished.
This highlights how opposing perspectives play out in these situations. From one side, the prankster might see it as harmless fun or petty payback. From the recipient’s view, it’s a violation of privacy that disrupts daily life.
Many Redditors shared similar stories: one cancelled expensive orders tied to a misdirected email, another threatened violence in delivery confirmations, and several escalated group texts or church remodel emails with chaotic approvals or outrageous potluck contributions.
The pattern? Polite requests get ignored, but bold, disruptive responses often force the source to stop, proving escalation can work when nothing else does.
Broadening this out, unwanted calls from reassigned numbers contribute to a larger issue of phone harassment and spam, which tops consumer complaints to agencies like the FCC. The psychological toll is real: repeated intrusions disrupt privacy, heighten anxiety, and erode well-being.
As noted on a Call Blocker USA article, “The continuous barrage of such calls has a profound psychological impact on individuals, disrupting their sense of privacy, security, and well-being.”
Neutral advice? Start with polite redirects, document everything, and consider reporting persistent harassment to your carrier or authorities. But when that’s ignored, creative and clean boundary-setting – like OP’s tactic – can reclaim peace. Just tread carefully to stay on the right side of the law.
Here’s the input from the Reddit crowd:
Some people describe maliciously cancelling or approving expensive orders/purchases when someone repeatedly uses their email.
Some people retaliate against persistent wrong-number texters or callers by responding inappropriately or disruptively.
Some people escalate annoyances from wrong-number calls or messages by giving absurd responses, threats, or high-cost quotes.
Some people share petty or humorous ways they dealt with repeated wrong contacts.
Some people express ongoing frustration with people who keep misusing their contact information despite long ownership of the number or email.
In the end, this Redditor’s creative retaliation stopped years of intentional wrong-number harassment after polite efforts failed, showing how far people go to protect their peace.
Do you think the bold message was a fair play, or would you have handled it differently, like changing numbers or legal steps? How do you deal with persistent phone annoyances? Drop your thoughts below!
