Wrong number update

Last week I made a post about some mysterious wrong numbers I've been getting. The callers who have been dialing me up were really trying to get Bank of America.

I may have finally figured out why callers who thought they were calling Bank of America got little ol' me instead. One of the callers provided a key clue. He told me the number he was trying to dial, which was an 800 number.

In doing a little research, it appears the number he was trying to call is for Bank of America mortgage in Tennessee. Which explains why so many people were asking me about whether they could refinance their loans. And perhaps this whole mortgage crisis may help explain why I've been getting more calls like that in recent months. If more people are calling, that would increase the odds of more people misdialing and getting me.

But just why the calls were coming through on my line was still perplexing. The 800 number people were calling did not match my direct line number, which has a 503 area code.

The other crucial clue in the puzzle came from our new editor, Joe Beach, and a job applicant for one of our California reporting positions for Capital Press.

Joe had given out a toll-free number he found on some note pads we had made up years ago. I'm not sure when they were made up. I've been here three and half years and they were here when I got here. The pads list an 800 number at the bottom. And that number is exactly the same as the 800 number the caller trying to reach Bank of America gave me, except for the last digit. But that number, our number, is not listed on any of our contemporary in-house phone lists. So, we had a toll-free line we (or most of us anyway) really didn't know about. And, for whatever reason, that line doesn't go through our switchboard. It rings right at my desk.

So, if you need to talk to me, let me know. I can give you a toll free number that will put you right through to my desk. But be careful. If you misdial you might get someone in Tennessee from Bank of America who may ask a bunch of questions about your mortgage.

Suddenly, I have the chorus from a classic Blondie song running through my head:

Call me, on the line
Call me, call me any anytime
Call me