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Comment on Why are wrong numbers so common in the US?

bstix@feddit.dk ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

It’s not a specific US thing and it happensbecause people save the numbers.

It’s less likely that someone types in a wrong number these days, but wrong number calls/messages still happen when a number is reused.

It’s good practice for operators to allow a period in-between reuse, but it can still happen between people who don’t get in touch very often.

Also, prepaid simcards reuse the same numbers very quickly, because the operator only reserve about as many numbers as they need. So if you’ve stored the number from someone using a temporary prepaid simcard, it might very well be someone else on that number whenever you try to call them back just a month later.

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w2qw@aussie.zone ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Do people not keep the same number when they change phone companies?

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- Nemo@midwest.social ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  It used to be an optional paid extra. I was always too broke for that.
  
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- kent_eh@lemmy.ca ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  When people change cities or provinces/states thwy typically change numbers.
  
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JossyBop@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
What is a prepaid sim card?

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- Delphia@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  In Australia when you register a simcard you have to provide a drivers licence. As I understand it in the US you can just buy a simcard thats valid for X days or X call value whichever comes first. No ID required.
  
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  - rikudou@lemmings.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Wait, you don’t have prepaid SIMs? That’s wild.
    
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    Delphia@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Yeah but they still require some form of ID to register the sim before it can be used.
    
    Its hardly a foolproof system because you just need to key in a drivers licence number, but theres a name or company associated to every number.
    
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  - Baku@aussie.zone ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Oh holy shit this makes so much sense… I’m also Australian and I’ve always wondered how a prepaid sim would help drug dealers in TV shows and movies and such because I just never thought that requiring ID to activate any sim card might not be a thing elsewhere
    
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- bstix@feddit.dk ⁨8⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  The ones you buy in supermarkets for burner phones.
  
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