Ever gotten a message that gave you chills?
These people share the creepy stories behind the ones they’ll never forget:
1. A Life-Changing Message in the Woods
“I came back from a 5-day camping trip, and as soon as we got phone reception, my phone was flooded with texts and notifications. One of them was from my oldest brother. It was basically a suicide note, he shared his passwords and instructions for what to do after he was gone.
It completely shattered me because the message had been sent three days earlier.
Thankfully, he survived the attempt. It’s been several years now, and he’s doing well, happy and busy raising his two kids on his own.
I’ll never forget that moment.” –David Harper
2. The Creepiest Phone Call of My Childhood
“When I was about 10 or 11, my parents left me in charge of my younger brother, who was 6 or 7, while they went shopping.
They gave me strict instructions: always keep the door locked and never let anyone on the phone know we were home alone.
One day, the landline rang (this was the ’90s, and it was our only phone). I answered politely, and a deep male voice asked to speak to my mom.
I told him she wasn’t available, and he demanded, “Well, where is she?” Flustered, I said, “Oh, um, she’s in the shower.” He insisted, “Go get her.” I stammered, “I can’t…” but he wouldn’t let up. Then he said, “Let me talk to your dad,” and I nervously replied, “He’s not available either… he’s mowing the lawn.”
I hung up, feeling freaked out, but the phone rang again immediately. When I answered, his voice was angrier and more insistent: “Listen, I need to talk to your mom or dad!”
I begged, “Can I just take a message? They’ll call back.” He started yelling again, and I panicked and hung up.
The phone rang again and again. My little brother and I were crying by then. I let the answering machine pick up, and his voice sounded even creepier.
I don’t remember what he said, I think I was too terrified and just blanked out. My brother and I clung to each other and ran upstairs to hide in our parents’ room.
In my kid mind, it felt like the phone rang for hours. When my parents finally came home, we were still hiding. My mom casually answered the phone and laughed.
Apparently, it was an old college friend of hers who thought it’d be funny to mess with us. She brushed it off like it was no big deal, and it was never really brought up again.
To this day, I still feel uneasy thinking about it. If that really was her friend, it was such a messed-up thing to do to two scared kids home alone.” – Kelly Saunders
3. A Text That Nearly Gave Me a Heart Attack
“I once got a text from an unknown number that simply said:
“I am in the act.”
For a moment, I panicked, imagining something sinister—maybe a mysterious serial killer?
Turns out, they meant the ACT, as in the Australian Capital Territory. It was just an old friend with a new phone number.” – Jamie Carter
4. Late-Night Text Scare
“A random number texted me late at night saying, ‘I’m outside, open the door.’
I was home and it freaked me out!
Luckily, it turned out they just sent it to the wrong number.” – Jake Miller
5. When Details Make It Creepy
“The message itself wasn’t creepy, it was the details.
I got a friend request and a message on Facebook from some guy with a car as his profile picture.
The message said, ‘Hey, remember me?’ I didn’t, so I asked, ‘Who are you?’
Turns out it was a guy from a Chinese restaurant near my house. He remembered my name from my debit card and looked me up.” – Emily Carter
6. Recycled Number Gone Wrong
“I got a recycled phone number, and the previous owner had used it for everything, from his bank to shopping websites.
Because of that, I kept getting spam calls. I even tried explaining to the bank when they called about his account.
One day, someone added me on Snapchat through my number. After seeing my story about watching Star Wars, the woman replied, ‘I attended your funeral.'” – Sarah Bennett
7. Creepy Call Turns Bizarre
“A couple of years ago, I was running late for work when I got a call from a local number I didn’t recognize.
I asked who it was, and a deep, muffled voice said, “It’s Mike.” I didn’t know any Mikes, so I figured it was a wrong number, told them that, and hung up.
Then my phone started going off repeatedly.
When I checked my texts, I saw a series of messages from the same number, like, “I’m at the hotel,” “I’m opening the door to your room,” and “You’re on the bed.”
By that point, I’d had enough, so I replied:
“If this is (a friend who loved pranks), screw you. If this is a psychopath, can we do this later? I’m late for work. Thanks.”
They replied: “You’re funny, bye,” and I never heard from them again.
I grilled all my friends about it, but I’m sure none of them were behind the messages.” – Anonymous
8. Chilling Late-Night Voicemail
“I got a voicemail at 3:00 a.m. that was just a man whispering, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”“
-Rachel Hayes
9. The Doppelgänger Mystery
“About 10 years ago, I got a random picture from an unknown number. It was a woman in her bra and underwear taking a mirror selfie.
Not creepy by itself, but the woman looked exactly like my wife (she was my girlfriend at the time). There were tiny differences, though, so I knew it wasn’t her.
It made me feel insecure for about a month before I finally asked her if it was her.
She was shocked and showed me a picture she had received from a number almost identical to the one that sent me the photo, except it was one digit off.
Her picture was of a guy in underwear taking a mirror selfie, and he looked almost identical to me.
Both numbers never responded to any calls or texts. Totally bizarre.” – Ethan Cole
10. The Mystery Voicemail
“I once got a voicemail that said, “Hi Sophia (my actual name), we really need to talk. Don’t be mad, but your boyfriend got me pregnant. Call me back.”
It came from a private number, so I couldn’t return the call.
The weirdest part? I’d been single for about five years at that point. I still have no idea who it was.” – Sophia Turner
11. The Haunting Text
“I got a text from my sister’s number. It was just random gibberish.
The thing is, she’d passed away two years ago at that point.” – Lily Morgan
12. The Persistent Stranger
“There was this guy on social media who kept saying, “Happy birthday, Anna.” He kept sending photos of himself, and this went on for a week until I finally blocked him.
Anyway, I’m a guy, and I have no idea who Anna is.” – Ryan Carter
These chilling messages remind us how unexpected and unsettling communication can be, leaving lasting impressions and unanswered questions.
From eerie coincidences to outright bizarre encounters, they highlight the thin line between ordinary moments and unnerving mysteries.