Some of the most frightening stories of the paranormal involve ghosts or spirits seizing control of technology, interrupting connections or transmissions to startle the living. Think of the spectral hand reaching through the TV set in “Poltergeist,” or the cursed videotape in “The Ring.” Today, in a world saturated with devices, there are even more opportunities for this kind of meddling. Ghosts no longer have to possess your television, or even make a call—all they have to do is text you.
Unexplained Messages
Lindsay is a 28-year-old who lives in Washington, D.C. She has had an assortment of strange things happen to her. There are many haunted houses and spooky areas in the city, which she enjoys since she has a great interest in the paranormal.
One night Lindsay was lounging around at home by herself, watching television, when she received a text message on her phone: “Linzy i c u.” The message was from a number she wasn’t familiar with. She knew since she was sitting in bed upstairs with the shades drawn, that no one could see her. But she instinctively looked around anyway, and even peeked out the window. Nobody was around.
She texted back, “Who is this???”
The reply was, “Just a friend. sum1 who watches ur every move. ur lil guardian angle.”
Lindsay knew it wasn’t a friend texting her. None of her friends texted like that, and they all knew how to spell. None of them would have misspelled the word “angel.” So Lindsay text back, “You’re no friend of mine if you can’t spell my name right and you can’t even spell the word ANGEL correctly.”
The response was, “doesnt matter. r u havin fun watchin ur tv?” This gave her chills. Who could be watching her? There was nobody around unless this person was in the house. So Lindsay ran around checking the doors and windows and the other rooms, even the garage. She was definitely the only one home.
“I Am Standing Right Next 2 U”
Lindsay settled down in the family room. She texted back, “If you don’t tell me who you are, i am calling 911.”
The reply was, “Good luck with that. I am standing right next 2 u but nobody will ever find me.”
Stupidly, Lindsay looked behind her. Of course, nobody was there, but by this time she was getting pretty frightened. She grabbed the house phone and dialed the number the text had come from. It was what she feared: an automated answering machine said, “We’re sorry but the number you have dialed is not in service.”
Lindsay tried telling herself that maybe the texter had run of minutes. There had to be a logical explanation for this—someone was just playing a sick prank on her.
Then she got another text: “I love ur new blond hair.”
A few days earlier, Lindsay had just gotten her hair done for her 28th birthday. Few people had seen it, including even her friends. She hadn’t even updated her profile picture on Facebook yet. At this point, Lindsay was panicking and close to tears.
So she did the most rational thing she could think of—she called 911. The operator tried calming her down after she explained that she thought someone was in her house and somehow sending her threatening messages from an unidentified number. The operator said that they’d send someone over to investigate.
“U Kno What U Did”
Right after hanging up, Lindsay got another text: “Linzy why did you have to do that?”
“do what?” she texted back.
“U kno what u did.” came the reply.
“No i am sorry but I don’t know what this is in reference to.” Lindsay texted back, hoping that she wouldn’t sound as scared as she felt.
“Linzy, nobody is goin 2 help u. nobody is goin 2 beleve u.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” she texted back, her fear mounting.
“cuz i cannot be found. you will only disapoint..like u always do.”
The texter was starting to get personal and was only upsetting her more.
“Where are you, you stupid psycho stalker!” Lindsay texted back, enraged.
“Aw lindzy that wasnt nice.”
“WHO ARE YOU!!!”
“U will c. someday.”
There was a sudden knock at the door. Lindsay about jumped out of her skin. A police officer was there. He checked out the house and told Lindsay what she already knew: nobody was there.
Then she showed him the text messages and he took down the number and said they would do everything they could to find out who this person was. In the meantime, he said, just turn your phone off. So she did.
Since that night, Lindsay hasn’t received any more mysterious texts. She hasn’t heard anything from the police station either. Still, she worries that whatever was haunting her that night will someday return. It seems that as technology progresses, the paranormal progresses along with it, always finding new ways to contact us.
Some of the most frightening stories of the paranormal involve ghosts or spirits seizing control of technology, interrupting connections or transmissions to startle the living. Think of the spectral hand reaching through the TV set in “Poltergeist,” or the cursed videotape in “The Ring.” Today, in a world saturated with devices, there are even more opportunities for this kind of meddling. Ghosts no longer have to possess your television, or even make a call—all they have to do is text you.
Unexplained Messages
Lindsay is a 28-year-old who lives in Washington, D.C. She has had an assortment of strange things happen to her. There are many haunted houses and spooky areas in the city, which she enjoys since she has a great interest in the paranormal.
One night Lindsay was lounging around at home by herself, watching television, when she received a text message on her phone: “Linzy i c u.” The message was from a number she wasn’t familiar with. She knew since she was sitting in bed upstairs with the shades drawn, that no one could see her. But she instinctively looked around anyway, and even peeked out the window. Nobody was around.
She texted back, “Who is this???”
The reply was, “Just a friend. sum1 who watches ur every move. ur lil guardian angle.”
Lindsay knew it wasn’t a friend texting her. None of her friends texted like that, and they all knew how to spell. None of them would have misspelled the word “angel.” So Lindsay text back, “You’re no friend of mine if you can’t spell my name right and you can’t even spell the word ANGEL correctly.”
The response was, “doesnt matter. r u havin fun watchin ur tv?” This gave her chills. Who could be watching her? There was nobody around unless this person was in the house. So Lindsay ran around checking the doors and windows and the other rooms, even the garage. She was definitely the only one home.
“I Am Standing Right Next 2 U”
Lindsay settled down in the family room. She texted back, “If you don’t tell me who you are, i am calling 911.”
The reply was, “Good luck with that. I am standing right next 2 u but nobody will ever find me.”
Stupidly, Lindsay looked behind her. Of course, nobody was there, but by this time she was getting pretty frightened. She grabbed the house phone and dialed the number the text had come from. It was what she feared: an automated answering machine said, “We’re sorry but the number you have dialed is not in service.”
Lindsay tried telling herself that maybe the texter had run of minutes. There had to be a logical explanation for this—someone was just playing a sick prank on her.
Then she got another text: “I love ur new blond hair.”
A few days earlier, Lindsay had just gotten her hair done for her 28th birthday. Few people had seen it, including even her friends. She hadn’t even updated her profile picture on Facebook yet. At this point, Lindsay was panicking and close to tears.
So she did the most rational thing she could think of—she called 911. The operator tried calming her down after she explained that she thought someone was in her house and somehow sending her threatening messages from an unidentified number. The operator said that they’d send someone over to investigate.
“U Kno What U Did”
Right after hanging up, Lindsay got another text: “Linzy why did you have to do that?”
“do what?” she texted back.
“U kno what u did.” came the reply.
“No i am sorry but I don’t know what this is in reference to.” Lindsay texted back, hoping that she wouldn’t sound as scared as she felt.
“Linzy, nobody is goin 2 help u. nobody is goin 2 beleve u.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” she texted back, her fear mounting.
“cuz i cannot be found. you will only disapoint..like u always do.”
The texter was starting to get personal and was only upsetting her more.
“Where are you, you stupid psycho stalker!” Lindsay texted back, enraged.
“Aw lindzy that wasnt nice.”
“WHO ARE YOU!!!”
“U will c. someday.”
There was a sudden knock at the door. Lindsay about jumped out of her skin. A police officer was there. He checked out the house and told Lindsay what she already knew: nobody was there.
Then she showed him the text messages and he took down the number and said they would do everything they could to find out who this person was. In the meantime, he said, just turn your phone off. So she did.
Since that night, Lindsay hasn’t received any more mysterious texts. She hasn’t heard anything from the police station either. Still, she worries that whatever was haunting her that night will someday return. It seems that as technology progresses, the paranormal progresses along with it, always finding new ways to contact us.
Some of the most frightening stories of the paranormal involve ghosts or spirits seizing control of technology, interrupting connections or transmissions to startle the living. Think of the spectral hand reaching through the TV set in “Poltergeist,” or the cursed videotape in “The Ring.” Today, in a world saturated with devices, there are even more opportunities for this kind of meddling. Ghosts no longer have to possess your television, or even make a call—all they have to do is text you.
Unexplained Messages
Lindsay is a 28-year-old who lives in Washington, D.C. She has had an assortment of strange things happen to her. There are many haunted houses and spooky areas in the city, which she enjoys since she has a great interest in the paranormal.
One night Lindsay was lounging around at home by herself, watching television, when she received a text message on her phone: “Linzy i c u.” The message was from a number she wasn’t familiar with. She knew since she was sitting in bed upstairs with the shades drawn, that no one could see her. But she instinctively looked around anyway, and even peeked out the window. Nobody was around.
She texted back, “Who is this???”
The reply was, “Just a friend. sum1 who watches ur every move. ur lil guardian angle.”
Lindsay knew it wasn’t a friend texting her. None of her friends texted like that, and they all knew how to spell. None of them would have misspelled the word “angel.” So Lindsay text back, “You’re no friend of mine if you can’t spell my name right and you can’t even spell the word ANGEL correctly.”
The response was, “doesnt matter. r u havin fun watchin ur tv?” This gave her chills. Who could be watching her? There was nobody around unless this person was in the house. So Lindsay ran around checking the doors and windows and the other rooms, even the garage. She was definitely the only one home.
“I Am Standing Right Next 2 U”
Lindsay settled down in the family room. She texted back, “If you don’t tell me who you are, i am calling 911.”
The reply was, “Good luck with that. I am standing right next 2 u but nobody will ever find me.”
Stupidly, Lindsay looked behind her. Of course, nobody was there, but by this time she was getting pretty frightened. She grabbed the house phone and dialed the number the text had come from. It was what she feared: an automated answering machine said, “We’re sorry but the number you have dialed is not in service.”
Lindsay tried telling herself that maybe the texter had run of minutes. There had to be a logical explanation for this—someone was just playing a sick prank on her.
Then she got another text: “I love ur new blond hair.”
A few days earlier, Lindsay had just gotten her hair done for her 28th birthday. Few people had seen it, including even her friends. She hadn’t even updated her profile picture on Facebook yet. At this point, Lindsay was panicking and close to tears.
So she did the most rational thing she could think of—she called 911. The operator tried calming her down after she explained that she thought someone was in her house and somehow sending her threatening messages from an unidentified number. The operator said that they’d send someone over to investigate.
“U Kno What U Did”
Right after hanging up, Lindsay got another text: “Linzy why did you have to do that?”
“do what?” she texted back.
“U kno what u did.” came the reply.
“No i am sorry but I don’t know what this is in reference to.” Lindsay texted back, hoping that she wouldn’t sound as scared as she felt.
“Linzy, nobody is goin 2 help u. nobody is goin 2 beleve u.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” she texted back, her fear mounting.
“cuz i cannot be found. you will only disapoint..like u always do.”
The texter was starting to get personal and was only upsetting her more.
“Where are you, you stupid psycho stalker!” Lindsay texted back, enraged.
“Aw lindzy that wasnt nice.”
“WHO ARE YOU!!!”
“U will c. someday.”
There was a sudden knock at the door. Lindsay about jumped out of her skin. A police officer was there. He checked out the house and told Lindsay what she already knew: nobody was there.
Then she showed him the text messages and he took down the number and said they would do everything they could to find out who this person was. In the meantime, he said, just turn your phone off. So she did.
Since that night, Lindsay hasn’t received any more mysterious texts. She hasn’t heard anything from the police station either. Still, she worries that whatever was haunting her that night will someday return. It seems that as technology progresses, the paranormal progresses along with it, always finding new ways to contact us.
Some of the most frightening stories of the paranormal involve ghosts or spirits seizing control of technology, interrupting connections or transmissions to startle the living. Think of the spectral hand reaching through the TV set in “Poltergeist,” or the cursed videotape in “The Ring.” Today, in a world saturated with devices, there are even more opportunities for this kind of meddling. Ghosts no longer have to possess your television, or even make a call—all they have to do is text you.
Unexplained Messages
Lindsay is a 28-year-old who lives in Washington, D.C. She has had an assortment of strange things happen to her. There are many haunted houses and spooky areas in the city, which she enjoys since she has a great interest in the paranormal.
One night Lindsay was lounging around at home by herself, watching television, when she received a text message on her phone: “Linzy i c u.” The message was from a number she wasn’t familiar with. She knew since she was sitting in bed upstairs with the shades drawn, that no one could see her. But she instinctively looked around anyway, and even peeked out the window. Nobody was around.
She texted back, “Who is this???”
The reply was, “Just a friend. sum1 who watches ur every move. ur lil guardian angle.”
Lindsay knew it wasn’t a friend texting her. None of her friends texted like that, and they all knew how to spell. None of them would have misspelled the word “angel.” So Lindsay text back, “You’re no friend of mine if you can’t spell my name right and you can’t even spell the word ANGEL correctly.”
The response was, “doesnt matter. r u havin fun watchin ur tv?” This gave her chills. Who could be watching her? There was nobody around unless this person was in the house. So Lindsay ran around checking the doors and windows and the other rooms, even the garage. She was definitely the only one home.
“I Am Standing Right Next 2 U”
Lindsay settled down in the family room. She texted back, “If you don’t tell me who you are, i am calling 911.”
The reply was, “Good luck with that. I am standing right next 2 u but nobody will ever find me.”
Stupidly, Lindsay looked behind her. Of course, nobody was there, but by this time she was getting pretty frightened. She grabbed the house phone and dialed the number the text had come from. It was what she feared: an automated answering machine said, “We’re sorry but the number you have dialed is not in service.”
Lindsay tried telling herself that maybe the texter had run of minutes. There had to be a logical explanation for this—someone was just playing a sick prank on her.
Then she got another text: “I love ur new blond hair.”
A few days earlier, Lindsay had just gotten her hair done for her 28th birthday. Few people had seen it, including even her friends. She hadn’t even updated her profile picture on Facebook yet. At this point, Lindsay was panicking and close to tears.
So she did the most rational thing she could think of—she called 911. The operator tried calming her down after she explained that she thought someone was in her house and somehow sending her threatening messages from an unidentified number. The operator said that they’d send someone over to investigate.
“U Kno What U Did”
Right after hanging up, Lindsay got another text: “Linzy why did you have to do that?”
“do what?” she texted back.
“U kno what u did.” came the reply.
“No i am sorry but I don’t know what this is in reference to.” Lindsay texted back, hoping that she wouldn’t sound as scared as she felt.
“Linzy, nobody is goin 2 help u. nobody is goin 2 beleve u.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” she texted back, her fear mounting.
“cuz i cannot be found. you will only disapoint..like u always do.”
The texter was starting to get personal and was only upsetting her more.
“Where are you, you stupid psycho stalker!” Lindsay texted back, enraged.
“Aw lindzy that wasnt nice.”
“WHO ARE YOU!!!”
“U will c. someday.”
There was a sudden knock at the door. Lindsay about jumped out of her skin. A police officer was there. He checked out the house and told Lindsay what she already knew: nobody was there.
Then she showed him the text messages and he took down the number and said they would do everything they could to find out who this person was. In the meantime, he said, just turn your phone off. So she did.
Since that night, Lindsay hasn’t received any more mysterious texts. She hasn’t heard anything from the police station either. Still, she worries that whatever was haunting her that night will someday return. It seems that as technology progresses, the paranormal progresses along with it, always finding new ways to contact us.
