Cell phone # madness!

When I was living in NYC, I had a cell phone for a few years before I decided to switch carriers. In a city of 8,008,676 people (in 2000, the year I switched), wouldn't you know it, an acquaintance of mine wound up getting my old number!

If you don't know, cell phone numbers get recycled pretty quickly. My buddy didn't know, but, oh, he quickly found out, as his phone began ringing the day he bought it "“ people wondering what happened to my number.

A similar thing happened to Shira Barlow recently. She started getting calls that went like this:

"˜'Baby girl, how are you?'' went one. "˜'Oh my God,'' another caller texted. "˜'Where's the party?'' And then one day, dozens started texting their condolences.

Who's phone number did Barlow have? Why none other than Paris Hilton's!

That's right, Barlow had been given a recycled phone number that used to be Hilton's. Personally, I can't imagine a more unsettling phone number to commandeer by accident. Anyone have similar cell phone number switcheroo horror stories to share? Leave 'em in the comments below... and, yes, we can hear you now.