Those Mysterious "Personal" Toll-Free Numbers by phantasm December 2018 Any phreak who's exchange scanned a lot of toll-free numbers has more than likely dialed up numbers that, at face value, appear to be personal toll-free numbers. I'm not talking about AT&T Easy Reach 800 numbers or other similar services that require the correct access code in order to route the call; I'm talking about toll-free numbers that ring directly to seemingly ordinary citizens. You know you've found a number like this when the person picks up and simply says, "Hello?" or "Yo!" I never used to think much of these kind of numbers until recently when I was scanning an 800 exchange where there were a lot of numbers that rang to what seemed like ordinary citizens. I found it kinda odd that all these people had costly personal toll-free numbers in this day and age. There is a plethora of free alternative services available that render the need for a personal toll-free number obsolete. It really makes no sense to have one these days unless it's for business purposes. I decided to start asking the people who answered if they were aware that the toll-free number that I had called rings to them. Some were well aware, but many were unaware of this fact. When I informed them of the number that I had dialed, they seemed rather perplexed. They had no knowledge of the toll-free number at all. I usually suggest to the person that they give the number a call and see for themselves before going on my merry way. So what exactly is going on here? Why do these toll-free numbers ring to random people without their knowledge? I really don't know for sure, but I do have some theories... One theory I have is the fact that it's common for large corporations and other big companies to have toll-free numbers that forward to local numbers which are the direct lines of extensions within the company. It's also very common for a company to restructure and/or reassign their numbers. They may even disconnect some of their local numbers. When this happens, they might hold onto the toll-free number that was forwarding to the now disconnected local number for future use. After a certain length of time has passed, a new customer will more than likely be assigned the company's old disconnected local number. At this point, when someone calls the company's toll-free number, they reach that new customer because the toll-free number is still forwarding to that specific local number. If the company is really big, this could last for a very long time without anyone at the company realizing it. Another theory, which is a slight variation of the first, is that a company may have gone out of business and disconnected both their local and toll-free numbers, but for whatever reason the toll-free number still forwards to the local number. Then, after a certain length of time, a new customer is assigned the local number with the toll-free number still forwarding to it. I would think this scenario would be rare. The phone companies hardly ever make these kind of mistakes, but hey - you never know. Anything's possible. The cool thing about this is the fact that the people who these toll-free numbers are forwarding to don't have to pay a single cent for any calls made to the numbers! However, they might have to pay for airtime if they're on a cell phone plan without unlimited minutes. In most all other situations, the companies/businesses of which the toll-free numbers are assigned will be the ones footing the bills for all the calls made to the toll-free numbers. Now, this whole notion might seem rather outdated or unimportant nowadays being that the need for a personal toll-free number is very low. However, it's still pretty interesting and it's definitely an oddity that these "secret" toll-free numbers are out there ringing to people without their knowledge. So next time you're scanning a toll-free exchange and come across a number that seems like a personal line, go ahead and ask the person on the other end if they know about the toll-free number. You might be surprised by the answer. Who knows, if you scan enough toll-free numbers, you might just find one that forwards to your own personal line!