Is There a Killer Phone Number in Nigeria?
There are all sorts of ways a cell phone can supposedly kill you in the movies. Hollywood's favorite? A ghost giving you a call. After all, nothing's scarier than somebody from the other side of the veil wasting your minutes.
But apparently, in Nigeria, they take horror movies a bit more seriously than we do. How seriously? So much so that the authorities have had to step in to prevent mass panic.
It all started with some viral text messages that said seven (or 10) people who answered a call from the number 09141 and dropped dead. It's basically the equivalent of your crazy Aunt Gertrude forwarding you those emails about how Microsoft will give you a million billion dollars if you keep forwarding the email, but it started being treated as fact and then people starting really freaking out.
The Nigerian communications authorities have stepped in and explained that, no, getting a call from a phone number will not kill you, and that in fact it is impossible to kill you. Unless you answer it while walking and step in front of a bus, we guess, but that's kind of your fault, not the phone's.
People are still concerned, but we're not worried. Eventually the panic will wear off and they can go back to being scared of other things, like some angry American showing up demanding to know where the Prince who owes them $4 million is.
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