Have you gotten a strange text message from a number that’s strikingly similar to yours?
If so, it’s very likely your “number neighbor” just saying hello.
You might be wondering, “what the heck is a number neighbor?” Don’t worry, it’s simple – and the person likely means no harm. Texting a message to one’s number neighbor is just a new trend that’s taking the internet by storm.
Here’s how it works. The initiator sends a text to someone with their same phone number, only one digit off. (For example, if your number is 555-867-5309, your number neighbors are 555-867-5308 and 555-867-5310. Basically, you just add one or subtract one number for the last digit.)
That person very likely intends to post the ensuing conversation on social media.
According to BuzzFeed, the trend was started back in July by a Twitter user named Ryan. After texting his own number neighbor, he posted the conversation he had with the befuddled recipient on Twitter.
Countless others have since attempted to get in on the trend – some even making friends with their number neighbors.
With the new challenge gaining traction, people have been making all sorts of crazy claims. One woman even purportedly reached Avengers star Chris Evans as her number neighbor. Her Twitter post blew up when she posted what appeared to be screenshots of a FaceTime call with the actor.
However, Evans debunked the post a couple of days later.
He’s not the only celebrity to get involved – wittingly or not – in the craze. Pop singer Bebe Rexha reached out to her number neighbor and posted the conversation to her Twitter account on Saturday.
Last week on Live with Kelly and Ryan, the phenomenon was explained by Ryan Seacrest and Vanessa Hudgens.
Seacrest described it as “one of those ridiculous things that has completely caught the world by storm.”
Hudgens said she wasn’t into it. “I can’t even keep up with the people I love in my life,” was her reasoning.
Then Seacrest proceeded to text his own number neighbor right there on live TV. Unfortunately, the response was rather boring.
“Wrong number,” the person responded.
Not all responses are so innocuous, however. So, those interested in partaking in the challenge should proceed with caution.
One California woman reportedly even ended up filing a police report after finding her number neighbor was rather unstable.
The recipient of her text message, according to NBC, “threatened to kill her in a series of terrifying messages.” The person purportedly even insisted he was “on his way to her house.” Even after blocking her number neighbor, she continued to receive dozens of phone calls and videos of a person loading guns.
The woman told the news outlet, “I just really don’t think you should even talk to any strangers.”
So, it seems you’re texting at your own risk if you do choose to participate in the trend.
