Our editorial office was contacted by a reader, who describes an unusual situation involving an unknown telephone number. According to her account, the number beginning with 793 4** first tried to contact her by phone.

The call ended with a message being left on voicemail. The problem was that instead of normal speech, the recording allegedly contained only repeated sounds.

The reader decided to reply by SMS and ask for an explanation because she did not know why the unknown person was contacting her:

An unknown person first called me and left a message on voicemail. There was no normal statement in the recording—only strange, “specific” repeated knocking sounds could be heard for several seconds.

According to her account, the contact was then repeated. This time there was again no normal conversation, and the woman later received two unsolicited photos depicting male genitals.

I replied by SMS, asking for a regular text message because it was unclear what this was about. The contact was later repeated—again without a normal conversation and with similar sounds—and I then received two unsolicited photos of male genitals.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

The reader emphasizes that she does not know the person who allegedly contacted her. She also does not know how the sender obtained her telephone number.

After receiving the photos, she blocked the number. The woman also saved screenshots and the contact history. The woman said:

I do not know this person and have no idea how they got my telephone number. The number was blocked, and I saved the screenshots and contact history.

Her report is primarily intended to establish whether other people from Bolesławiec and the surrounding area have also encountered similar situations:

I am asking because if someone had a similar experience, I would like to check whether it concerns the same number.

Concern About Accidental Recipients

The woman also draws attention to another aspect of the matter. If this kind of material is sent to random people, it may also reach people who should not be its recipients.

I am also concerned that if such things are sent randomly, one day they could, for example, reach a child.

For now, it is not known who is behind the contact described or how the reader’s number came into that person’s possession. It is also impossible to determine whether similar reports concern the same number.

What should we do if we receive unwanted messages?

In the event of similar contact, it is important above all to preserve the evidence—screenshots, call history, messages and voicemail recordings. Correspondence should also not be deleted before the matter is potentially reported.

If the contact is repeated, causes a feeling of danger or otherwise violates privacy, the matter can be reported to the Police. Officers will assess whether the described behavior may constitute a misdemeanor or an offense. In cases of persistent harassment, Article 190a of the Criminal Code may apply, but the final legal classification depends on the circumstances of the specific case.

It is also advisable to block the number and not continue contact with the sender. If messages contain links or content indicating an attempted fraud or phishing, a suspicious SMS can be forwarded free of charge to CERT Polska at 8080. However, this number is intended primarily for reporting suspicious SMS messages, not for reporting any unwanted calls or numbers.

Phone features and call-identification apps can also be helpful, as they warn about numbers that users have marked as spam. However, they do not guarantee that every unwanted number will be identified or blocked.