Panic spreads in Nigeria over cellphone numbers rumoured to cause death

[Wonk]

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - Oluchi Azubogu took no chances after receiving an ominous text message stirring fear in Nigeria.

The message warned that she would die if she took calls from two listed phone numbers. "I switched off my mobile phone and took no calls at all," the 22-year-old university student said. Quickly she alerted her parents and six friends. :dunce:

The text-message rumour has been spreading this week through Africa's most populous country: "Beware! You'll die if you take a call from any of these phone numbers: 0802 311 1999 or 0802 222 5999."

more...
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/07/22/553200-ap.html

[ContinentalOp]

1. Woah, it's like The Ring.

Or more like the Rrrrring...........Rrrrrrriiiiing..............Rrrrrrrrrring.......

[LoZoccolo]

2. That reminded me of this old email chain letter.

It sounds so adolescent that it's funny.

The creator of this mail has a program that will track down everyone who sent this mail and whoever that didn't send it will DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE because this program can actually track down your address.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blthreat.htm

The comments that people appended to it are quite funny as well.

[NuttyFluffers]

3. curses and witchcraft are still taken quite seriously there.

brings back memories about my african studies classes... :D ahh those were good days, fascinating stuff.

so no, this doesn't surprise me much. kinda like some people and chain letters here (though for the most part, their power has waned recently).