Wrong Numbers Are Nothing Out of the Ordinary
A call arrives from a number you do not know and the voice asks "...-san no o-taku desu ka?" (Is that the so-and-so residence?). What has happened is that the caller has pressed the wrong digits: a wrong number. It is a perfectly ordinary occurrence, and something everybody experiences at least once.
Some care is needed all the same, because there are frauds and personal-information harvesting operations that pose as wrong numbers. The methods used in phone fraud have grown more sophisticated of late in particular, and cases of callers feigning a wrong number in order to draw information out of you are on the increase. Our article on how to prevent bank transfer fraud is worth consulting as well.
Why Wrong Numbers Happen
There are several reasons why a wrong number occurs. The commonest by far is simply pressing the wrong digits. On a smartphone's touchscreen it is easy to tap the digit next to the one you wanted. Another possibility is that a number saved in somebody's contacts has gone out of date, so that calls arrive intended for the person who previously held the number.
In Japan phone numbers are recycled: a number that has been given up is reassigned to somebody else after a set interval. That is why calls sometimes arrive for the previous holder. Strictly speaking this is not a wrong number but a consequence of number reuse, though the way to deal with it is the same. Saying "Sono kata wa kono bango dewa arimasen" (that person is not on this number) is quite enough.
The Right Way to Handle a Wrong Number
Do not give your name or your number
Asked whether you are so-and-so, some people answer "Iie, kochira wa [their own name] desu" (No, this is such-and-such) and give their name away. Avoid doing so. It is quite enough to say only "Bango o o-machigae dewa nai desu ka" (I think you may have the wrong number). Once your name and your phone number are known as a pair, you run the risk of being made a target for impersonation and for fraud.
Establish which number the caller wanted
Ask "Nanban ni o-kake desu ka?" (What number were you dialling?) and establish which number the caller meant to reach. If it differs from your own, the matter is settled: a wrong number. Where the caller cannot give a number, or becomes flustered and incoherent, you may be dealing with a suspicious call posing as a wrong number.
End the call politely
Say "Bango ga chigau yo desu. O-ki o tsukete" (This seems to be the wrong number - do take care) and hang up. The caller is embarrassed at having made a mistake, so good manners mean dealing with it politely rather than taking offence. The trick is to finish briefly and pleasantly.
Beware of Fraud Posing as a Wrong Number
There is a technique of feigning a wrong number in order to draw personal information out of you. Watch for the patterns below.
| What to watch | An ordinary wrong number | A scam posing as a wrong number |
|---|---|---|
| Your name | The call ends as soon as the caller realises the number is wrong | The caller apologises and then asks for your name, building a list that ties phone numbers to real names for telemarketers and scam groups |
| How often it comes | A single misdial, though it can repeat when an old number is still saved in the caller's contacts | Repeated calls from the same number at a different time of day each time, used to work out when you are home or to scout for burglary |
| Length of the call | Ends quickly with a remark that the number seems to be wrong | The caller starts small talk or offers to send a gift as an apology to get your address |
| Requests to call back | The caller never asks you to call back | The caller asks you to ring a different number, which may be a premium-rate paid information line |
The caller asks for your name
The pattern runs: are you so-and-so? - no - "Shitsurei shimashita. O-namae wa?" (I do beg your pardon; and your name is?). You are under no obligation to give your name. Repeat that they have the wrong number and hang up. The reason for drawing your name out of you is to compile a list tying phone numbers to the names of individuals. Such lists are sold on to telemarketing firms and to fraud gangs. Do have a look at how to protect your phone number privacy too.
The calls come again and again
Where wrong numbers keep arriving from the same number, somebody may be establishing the hours at which you are at home. Set up call blocking. Where the calls come at a different time of day on each occasion in particular, the chances are high that somebody is working out when you are in. It is a technique used to scout a property for burglary as well.
The caller tries to draw the conversation out
Where a supposed wrong number turns into small talk, or the caller offers to send you something by way of apology, it is a fraud. Hang up at once. The technique is to work your address out of you, or to extract personal details on the pretext of sending you a gift to make amends.
The caller asks you to ring back
There are also cases in which the caller says they have made a mistake and asks you to ring them back on a different number. The number you are given may have been set up as a paid information service, that is to say a premium-rate number, so never return the call. The technique is the same one used in the one-ring scam.
Wrong Numbers From the Same Person Over and Over - What to Do When They Persist
Where wrong numbers arrive repeatedly from the same caller, the cause is usually an incorrect number still saved in that person's contacts or in their system. The same applies where you are receiving calls for a previous holder as a result of number recycling: the caller believes they are ringing the correct number, so the calls will keep coming however often you answer. Begin by making it plain that the number is wrong: "the number you have dialled does not belong to so-and-so; please check the number you have saved". If that does not stop them, there is no need to force yourself to go on answering.
Where you know the caller's number, call blocking is the surest remedy. On a smartphone, both iPhone and Android let you pick the number out of your call history and block it, using nothing but the handset's standard features. On a landline, a combination of Number Display and a telephone with nuisance-call features is effective. The mobile operators and NTT among others offer services that block nuisance calls, but the names, the charges and the way you sign up all differ from one provider to another, so check the official website of the provider you are with. The settings are explained step by step in our guide to seeing off nuisance calls.
Repeated wrong numbers in themselves are not a matter the police will act upon, but the case is different once things reach the level of harassment: the caller goes on ringing from other numbers after you have told them the number is wrong and blocked them, the calls come again and again late at night or early in the morning, or the caller becomes threatening when you answer. Where the matter is not urgent, seek advice on the police consultation line, #9110; where you feel you are in danger, dial 110. When you do consult somebody, a record of the dates, times and numbers of the calls - screenshots or notes - makes it easier to explain the situation.
If You Have Dialled a Wrong Number Yourself
You too may press the wrong digits at some point. If you do, deal with it as follows.
- Apologise: "Sumimasen, bango o machigaemashita" (Sorry, I have dialled the wrong number)
- Say "Shitsurei shimashita" (My apologies) and end the call
- Check the correct number before you dial again
Hanging up without a word leaves the other person uneasy, so apologise briefly first. For them the experience is the same as a silent call, and they may well find it suspicious or even take it to the police.
Where you have dialled the same wrong number twice or more, apologise properly: say that you are the person who dialled by mistake a moment ago and that you are extremely sorry. Wrong numbers arriving repeatedly make the recipient feel they are being harassed.
Wrong Numbers to a Landline
Because a landline number is tied to a locality, wrong numbers to landlines often come from a misdialled number within the same area code. Older people in particular sometimes dial a wrong number after misreading the small print in a telephone directory.
Where wrong numbers to your landline are frequent, installing Number Display so that you can see the incoming number is a convenience worth having. It lets you check a call from a number you do not know and then decide whether to answer. NTT's Number Display is available for 400 yen a month excluding tax, and shows the caller's number on the telephone's display as the call comes in.
On a landline, moreover, wrong numbers caused by number recycling are especially common, because a number that has fallen out of use through a house move or a cancelled contract is reassigned to somebody else after a set interval. Where calls for the previous holder arrive frequently, either tell the callers that the number does not belong to that person, or, if they are simply too numerous, consult NTT and consider changing your number.
When a Child Takes a Wrong Number
A child left at home alone may take a wrong number. Teach them the following rules in advance.
- Do not tell a stranger your name or your address
- Do not say that your father or mother is out. Answer that you cannot come to the phone just now, or do not answer at all
- Hang up straight away if you feel frightened
- Tell a parent that a wrong number came
Summary
Three things are all you need for a wrong number: do not give your name, establish which number the caller wanted, and end the call politely. Where the calls come again and again, or the caller tries to draw the conversation out, fraud is a possibility, so set up call blocking. Where suspicious wrong numbers continue, searching for the number on this site to see what other users have reported is also worth doing. Do consult our guide to seeing off nuisance calls as well. Setting up the Number Request service lets you block wrong numbers from withheld numbers automatically too.