# My phone is texting a number with not-quite-gibberish code. What??



## Mation (Dec 8, 2014)

Er..  My phone seems to be texting a number every few days, with some unintelligible alphaneumeric strings every few days.

I didn't pay much attention at first, thinking it must be a randomish pocket event, but the last time I noticed was in the middle of the night, when I know I hadn't touched my phone and that it was just sitting by the bed.

The receiving number is the same each time: 88850900003886

And the texts each begin with the same characters, before varying to different degrees as in the pictures to come, momentarily).

What am I missing?


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## weltweit (Dec 8, 2014)

I would try your service provider tech support line, if they have one.


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## Yelkcub (Dec 8, 2014)

First contact! You are chosen!


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## quimcunx (Dec 8, 2014)

Dunno. you've got a virus or summat texting a number for an extortionate fee? 

I'd speak to your network provider.


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## free spirit (Dec 8, 2014)

> 88850900003886


get's one of those google things which only returns this thread as a result.

I wanted to shout bingo but forgot the correct terminology.

So anyway, if it's a bot / virus thing then it's probably fairly new.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Dec 8, 2014)

I got one like that once, but couldn't find what it was or from where it originated.  Only happened the once though


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## Quartz (Dec 9, 2014)

+888 is the country code for disaster relief.  I believe Americans also use 888 for toll-free numbers  but your number has too many digits for that.


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## StoneRoad (Dec 9, 2014)

Does anything show up on your bill ? Do you have any apps that update automatically ?
Go for your network provider as well as the phone's tech support.


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## twentythreedom (Dec 9, 2014)

Have you got delivery reports on?


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## Mation (Dec 9, 2014)

twentythreedom said:


> Have you got delivery reports on?


I haven't, no.
Thanks for the replies, urbs. My bill should have have been my first port of call, tbf!

I'll have a look and report back.


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## Mation (Dec 9, 2014)

Hmmmmm.

Whatever it is, I'm not being charged for it.

I just looked up - again, I don't know why I didn't do this before - the start of each text. They all begin,


```
%mvelDnX
```

Google turns up only 4 results for that, of which 2 mention "Project Honey Pot".

What??


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## weltweit (Dec 9, 2014)

Mation said:


> "Project Honey Pot".


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## Mation (Dec 9, 2014)

And searching for %mvel turns up these results 

Have I been targetted by Google SkyNet?


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## fishfinger (Dec 9, 2014)

Mation said:


> And searching for %mvel turns up these results
> 
> Have I been targetted by Google SkyNet?


Is your name Sarah Connor?


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## Mation (Dec 9, 2014)

fishfinger said:


> Is your name Sarah Connor?


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## Mation (Dec 9, 2014)

(No. Phew!)


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## ricbake (Dec 9, 2014)

Its lulling you into a false sense of security before it starts calling a number that cost £69.95 every time it connects


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## Mation (Dec 9, 2014)

Well I just spoke to my phone provider and to the phone manufacturer. I'm getting a new SIM, preminum numbers are blocked, just in case (the phone provider said that 888 numbers are premium, apparently) and I'm just downloading a software upgrade. If that doesn't work, factory reset.

If that doesn't work, I'll nuke it from orbit 

None of that answers the question of what the hell is going on, though.

Phone company said it was "Extremely weird."


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## weltweit (Dec 9, 2014)

Glad there is light on the horizon..


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## Lemon Eddy (Dec 9, 2014)

Mation said:


> Well I just spoke to my phone provider and to the phone manufacturer. I'm getting a new SIM, preminum numbers are blocked, just in case (the phone provider said that 888 numbers are premium, apparently) and I'm just downloading a software upgrade. If that doesn't work, factory reset.



I'd reset, then upgrade.


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## mauvais (Dec 9, 2014)

Is this Android?


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## Mation (Dec 9, 2014)

Lemon Eddy said:


> I'd reset, then upgrade.


Ah yes, I probably should have, but I couldn't bear to go for reset as I'd forget what I should do beforehand and would be bound to lose stuff 



mauvais said:


> Is this Android?


Yep. Why?


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## Nancy_Winks (Dec 9, 2014)

Oooh I love a mystery!


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## mauvais (Dec 9, 2014)

Mation said:


> Ah yes, I probably should have, but I couldn't bear to go for reset as I'd forget what I should do beforehand and would be bound to lose stuff
> 
> 
> Yep. Why?


It's probably an app doing it.

Look in the Play Store for 'F-Secure App Permissions' (this). Install it.

Press the menu thing in the top left. Choose Filter. Scroll down and tick the box next to SEND_SMS. Click 'Apply And' at the bottom.

Now you have a list of everything that can send SMS. Some are legit like Facebook Messenger, and some you might wonder why on earth they'd be sending messages. Those ones might be dodgy.

No need for a software update, no need to reset your phone.


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## Mation (Dec 9, 2014)

Cheers, I'll have a look


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## Mation (Dec 9, 2014)

free spirit said:


> get's one of those google things which only returns this thread as a result.
> 
> I wanted to shout bingo but forgot the correct terminology.
> 
> So anyway, if it's a bot / virus thing then it's probably fairly new.


A googlwhack: two words, no quotation marks, one result. Not quite this, but close enough for the responsible enjoyment of tobacco


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## laptop (Dec 9, 2014)

Mation said:


> A googlwhack: two words, no quotation marks, one result. Not quite this, but close enough for the responsible enjoyment of tobacco



And according to _New Scientist_'s Feedback, "googlewhackblatt" = one word, one hit. 

Not sure whether numbers count as words.


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## Pingu (Dec 9, 2014)

charlie charlie this is Golf four one, message wait out
operation is compromised. repeat operation is compromised,  out


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## equationgirl (Dec 9, 2014)

Pingu said:


> charlie charlie this is Golf four one, message wait out
> operation is compromised. repeat operation is compromised,  out


The penguins are in the cooler. Repeat the penguins are in the cooler.

abort abort abort


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## Pingu (Dec 9, 2014)

Accorn copies, Relocate to Grid One Niner Zero Four Three One
Sunray requests you bring Hobnobs, over


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## Crispy (Dec 9, 2014)

Mation said:


> close enough for the responsible enjoyment of tobacco


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## kittyP (Dec 9, 2014)

If you download "Clean Master" it tells you if apps are doing something they shouldn't be.


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## xenon (Dec 9, 2014)

equationgirl said:


> The penguins are in the cooler. Repeat the penguins are in the cooler.
> 
> abort abort abort


What about the Kit Kats?  Please not the KitKats.


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## story (Dec 9, 2014)

Is is where we park this stuff, then?

I had an odd mobile phone thing happen. I was at a gig and bumped into a bunch of old friends from before when the internet. So I asked some of them to send their name as a text to my phone so I could store their numbers. All but one was fine. But that one.... I found the number a week later with a message from me, just my name. So I texted it and said "Who is this?" and it arrived back in my own phone. I tried again, and again it was my own message arriving in my own own phone. And no, it wasn't my own number. So I sent a longer message, which also arrived as if I'd texted myself.

So what the fuck was that?

I phoned the number in the end, half expecting to hear myself answer.

Sadly, this did not happen.


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## Mation (Dec 10, 2014)

Pingu said:


> charlie charlie this is Golf four one, message wait out
> operation is compromised. repeat operation is compromised,  out





equationgirl said:


> The penguins are in the cooler. Repeat the penguins are in the cooler.
> 
> abort abort abort





Pingu said:


> Accorn copies, Relocate to Grid One Niner Zero Four Three One
> Sunray requests you bring Hobnobs, over


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