Calls from unknown numbers are always strangely troubling. The calls could be bad news from some distant relative, or a debt collector, or someone you’ve been avoiding who is calling from a different number. But sometimes, unknown calls can take on a whole different level of creepiness when you really can’t nail down who the caller is, or what kind of message they’re sending. Here are six of the creepiest calls people have ever gotten!
The Calls from Mothman Prophecies
The film Mothman Prophecies shares the creepy tale inspired by real events in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where residents reported startling phenomena leading up to a catastrophic bridge collapse that killed dozens of people in 1967. Among the eerie sightings of a Mothman-like creature, there were reports of seriously creepy phone calls.
One witness to the unnerving calls was author John Keel, who spent months in Point Pleasant at the time and published a nonfiction book about the events. He believes he was actually warned of the bridge collapse in phone calls he personally received while others were reporting the Mothman sightings. When he tried to record the voice on the calls, all he could capture was static.
Texts from the Grave
While technically not a call, this still merits mention. Upon moving into a new home in Blackpool, a British resort town, Frank and Sadie Jones’ family was harassed by apparent paranormal disturbances. Mysterious noises emanated from the walls and blankets were pulled from beds until an exorcism was performed. For a time, life returned to normal for the family until tragedy struck twice. First, the sudden death of their son devastated the family, then Sadie suffered a fatal heart attack. After Sadie was buried with her cell phone—a nod to her most treasured possession—her husband Frank began receiving text messages of phrases she always used to say, but no number would ever appear.
A Non-Existent Number Wants Sarah
Someone reported getting multiple calls, sometimes in the middle of the night, asking to talk to Sarah—a name not belonging to the phone’s owner. The owner repeatedly told the caller that she did not know Sarah. Exasperated at the repeated calls, the owner tried to call the same number back, only to learn that the number did not exist. Her friends who tried the number got the same result. When she finally promised the caller she would let them talk to Sarah, they informed her they knew Sarah was not there.
Man Makes 35 Phone Calls… After He Dies
Charles Peck’s story is a heart-wrenching one. He hoped to land a job in California because his fiance lived there. But while on a train en route to a job interview, Peck was involved in a horrific train accident near Chatsworth. Tragically, Peck was reported to be killed instantly, as he was seated very close to the point of impact. Soon afterward, a series of mysterious calls from his phone were placed to his fiancee, his sons, and his brother, among favorite loved ones. Each of the calls was several seconds of silence before a disconnection.
Woman’s Stalker Sends Her Photo of Herself in Real Time
While at a public plaza, a woman got a call asking if she had time to discuss Jesus. Figuring a friend was playing a prank on her, she dismissed the conversation though none of the friends with her could identify the number it came from. (Note: you can do reverse phone number searches in Spokeo here to avoid similar creepiness). Immediately afterward, she received a texted photo of herself at the plaza. She could not recognize a single familiar car in the parking lot, and not a single pedestrian was walking from the angle the picture was taken from.
The Call Predicting the JFK Assassination (Down to the Minute)
Combining a mysterious prediction with a bit of conspiracy theory, reports have been made that a woman called to predict the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on the fateful day he was shot in Dealey Plaza. The call was placed to a California switchboard operator and reported that the President would be killed in ten minutes.
After the time passed peacefully, the caller updated her report that the president was going to be killed at 10:30 am. Despite the president’s motorcade being delayed by the president’s handshakes and interactions with the crowd, JFK was assassinated at 12:30 pm in Dallas—or 10:30 am California time, where the caller was located. Conspiracy theorists suggest that the caller was actress Karyn Kupcinet—whose father was friends with Jack Ruby—and who was found dead six days after the assassination.