Reply All: #104 The Case of the Phantom Caller
September 7, 2017 4:45 AM - Subscribe

A woman in New Jersey is getting strange phone calls to her office from unknown numbers. Every time she picks up, she finds herself eavesdropping on the life of a different stranger. Unsure what else to do, she calls in Super Tech Support.
posted by noneuclidean (9 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Alex Goldman, if you are reading this, is there any chance that you guys can make the recordings available to the public? They are incredibly fascinating, almost like a new form of those numbers stations. I'd imagine they would also be really good to sample in a Boards of Canada track.
posted by theartandsound at 10:35 AM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]


I just finished listening to this. Super fascinating, and one of the most fun shows they've ever done.
posted by rp at 10:49 AM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]


Loved this! I was a little surprised at first that PJ did a Super Tech Support, but my fears were for naught. The point where James Brown played the two recordings and they were the same, gave me shivers down my spine.

There's a link to a profile of James on his company's website.
posted by radioamy at 11:31 AM on September 7, 2017


This was a great episode. I've heard about the 3 second version of these calls with nobody there, but I hadn't heard of this type and I think I'd be with Jody that I'd sit and listen to them as well. They're creepy enough standalone but all put together they're really something.

I especially liked the turn from the somewhat bothered "You're a reporter? *sigh* "He's a reporter!" tone of Harley at Precision Interconnect to fascinated and along for the ride (and still bothered, but no longer at PJ) after she heard the calls.
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 11:51 AM on September 7, 2017 [2 favorites]


This was a GREAT episode. I was hooked right from the start! Those phone calls were so strange and disturbing, and the explanation was fascinating. Human ingenuity is an amazing and alarming thing.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:00 AM on September 8, 2017


Fascinating episode! Definitely did not go where I was expecting. I'd love a follow up if they ever catch the guy (s).
posted by harujion at 6:03 AM on September 8, 2017


I listened to this last night, and yes, fantastic episode! It's a great story, but the team also did a great job telling it - the writing and editing served the story well.
The only thing that keeps it from being my all-time favorite Reply All episode is the sad sad dearth of those boys cackling like maniacs at themselves/each other.
posted by janell at 8:57 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]


I hope PJ did call that nice Montana woman back to tell her what the story was. The people whose caller ID the scammers are faking are victims in this too: I bet the scammer's calls cause quite a lot of "hey, did you just call me?" callbacks.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 8:17 PM on September 17, 2017


Really good episode.
posted by bq at 5:39 PM on September 22, 2017


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