10th August, 2011
Texter: “Busy?â€
Me: “Iâ€
Texter: “My name is Helen. I saw your number on Frenzo Chat and thought we could get to know each other.â€
Me: ? ? ? (Bewildered……silent. No reply).
Texter: “Please, please, Iâ€
The fpregoing was an actual conversation that played itself out on my mobile some weeks ago and it was as bewildering as it was disturbing. I was just going through my text messages when I saw the text and for the life of me wondered who wanted to know if I was busy. My curiosity was aroused more because the number that texted me was unfamiliar as it started with 547, followed by several other digits. Several thoughts ran through my mind as I stared at my phone that day. My initial thought was that it was texted to me in error and when I responded, I had expected the sender to just apologise and end the conversation there! I also thought the number could be a foreign number and wondered which country code it could be. At the same time, and even whilst responding, it occurred to me to be cautious so as not to fall prey to scammers who use gsms to commit fraud and all that stuff.
What got my adrenalin going and really freaked me out was when the texter claimed she had seen my number on a social network called Frenzo Chat and I wondered how that could have happened. For one, and prior to that text, I had never heard of the network. Secondly, my known friends are forever complaining that I donâ€
The one that has now become a nightmare for me is the fact that ever since that fateful day, I have received and am still receiving texts from uncountable individuals who keep bombarding my phone, disturbing my hitherto peaceful life with friendship requests and telling me to call or text them. I sought the help of one computer guru I know who advised me to call 547, a.k.a Frenzo, maybe Iâ€
I am still confounded about how I got registered or connected to the network in the first instance. I thought I might have inadvertently picked up the 547 call and got registered somehow, the reason being that when my phone rings, I may or may not look closely at the number calling before I pick. But then again, our phones are daily bombarded with various computerized calls nowadays (0404 familiar?). But where you pick your calls and find an unfamiliar voice talking to you, all you need do is drop the call if youâ€
Honestly, the development is quite disturbing to me and I know some people may say, whatâ€
Perhaps I can use this medium to call on the NCC, being the regulatory body for the service providers, to please intervene and help regulate their activities. I accept that the network providers are trying to expand their frontiers and are looking at the bottom line…but shouldnâ€
Finally, let this piece not be misconstrued, please, for I am not against anyone applying to join any social network if theyâ€
•Toyin Onanuga is a senior civil servant based in Lagos, Nigeria.