760-705-8888 is a Google Chat Phone calling you

With the rollout of a live domestic-call phone capability in Google Chat, everyone should expect a lot of calls from 760-705-8888 to start appearing in to their caller IDs.

760-705-8888 is the generic Google Chat Phone number all Google chat users are assigned as caller ID, and it is the same number no matter what Google account a person is calling you from.

Just remember that a call from a 760-705-8888 number may not be from the same person as the last person who called you from 760-705-8888!

Also of note, Google kept the Grand Central numbers “live” for all us original beta (alpha?) testers. So everyone who has/had a Grand Central account that was absorbed into Google Voice and is now Google Chat still has the same phone number as before, and not the generic 760-705-8888 number.

Thanks Google!

22 thoughts on “760-705-8888 is a Google Chat Phone calling you

    • The Grand Central number was actually a custom phone number you could keep if you were chosen as one of their early alpha/beta testers. Grand Central gave us a random list of 5 custom phone numbers to choose from on signup approval, or we could force-refresh the phone number selection page to call up another random list of 5 phone numbers. You couldn’t get the “old” numbers back when you force-refreshed, so it was really was up to us to stop when we found a phone number we liked.

      I selected a 972 area code for my phone number location, but I do remember they had a lot of 469 area codes, a few 209 (or some other California area code) and very *very* few 212 New York City area codes (which I still kick myself for not picking when I saw them!).

      I then tied that individual Grand Central phone number to my personal cell phone and a Grand Central email address. When someone called my Grand Central number, it rang on my cell phone. If I didn’t answer, the voicemail showed up in the Grand Central email box as a WAV file! I thought it was an awesome service, but then Google moved in and made a big announcement they were buying them out.

      It turned out to be a very good thing. Both Google and Grand Central management agreed all alpha/beta testers could keep our custom individual numbers if we tied them in to a specific Google email account. From there, it worked the same as before… any unanswered call made to that Grand Central phone number wound up in that Google email account as a WAV file.

      Google really is awesome for keeping all the “legacy” Grand Central phone numbers around even though they didn’t have to. I’m *really* hoping Google intends to give individual phone numbers for every email account as part of their plan of absorbing Grand Central, but I think the phone companies will go absolutely postal if they try it on a nationwide scale. That should be real interesting!

      TL;DR – Looooong time ago. 😉

      Thanks!

  1. Google bought GrandCentral a while back (around late 2007 or so) and in early 2009 they started Google Voice (the newer GrandCentral) while still running GrandCentral for the remainder of the year so that everyone could upgrade. Naturally, Google would allow it’s GrandCentral users to transfer their number to Google Voice as they’re part of the same service and Google Voice was replacing GrandCentral. Since Invitations and sign ups were closed at the time it would have been senseless not to let people migrate from their old service. So, Google has already absorbed the GrandCentral users that complied with the mandatory (as of right before Christmas of 2009 when the site was shut down completely which making the upgrade process impossible after that time) upgrade got to keep their number while others who either didn’t comply or have long abandoned their accounts had their number disconnected and possibly thrown back into the pool of available numbers to new Google Voice users.

    Google eventually opened up the service to people on an invitation-only basis by Google themselves, and eventually from other Google Voice users so that they can invite family and friends. Recently, Google opened up sign ups completely so that anyone with a Google Account (and a valid US telephone number and IP address) can simply sign up anytime they want.

    The reason why the 760-705-8888 shows up is because those people simply haven’t signed up for a Google Voice account and received a Google Number (yet), therefore the Caller ID defaults to that disconnected number. Google does not and will not assign every Gmail user a Google Voice number just because they use the call feature. It would just be ridiculous wasting that many numbers on users who probably don’t want to use the whole service, or already have a Google Voice number on a different Google Account.

    I was also one of the people lucky enough to get an account on GrandCentral back then. 🙂

  2. My husband keeps getting prank called and thousands of other people too. This service needs to be discontinued.

  3. My dad told me this number (415) 366-0260 and (760) 705-8888 called and said they were the Health Dept. and they were going to need 5 phone numbers and some kind of code. He didn’t give them any numbers because my dad thought it was kind of suspicious. I googled these 2 phone numbers and realized it was a prank/scam.

  4. Hello,

    While this is supposed to be such a great feature I guess no one ever thinks about the obvious, the abusive users. There are numerous complaints of this ever so popular number: 760-705-8888 and how people are getting harrassed in their homes, places of business, various hours of the day and night. I know that a lot of people that use this feature wisely but there is always the select few who ruin it for all.
    People have children who answer phones, and her the name and profanity rolling off of the abusers tongues.
    I feel there should always be a way that a caller can be traced, unfortunately, the ways of this world are more of the unsavory than savory and you have to always be cautious.
    Be careful of what you stand behind because it is free or cheap for you, it is usually at a cost to someone at some point.
    Everyone be safe, careful and have a wonderful night. Please pass the word, that to abuse is to lose. I am certain with enough complaints on state and federal levels Google will change the game.

  5. Anyone who has a GMail account can go on their computer and click on Chat Window. Then they can enter a phone number. It will dial that number. The recipient (you) always sees the 760 number because it is Google’s number in Escondido, California. If a user has their own inbound phone number at GMail, it will show their number. See here: phonenotes[DOT]org/7607058888

  6. Hi! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing a few months of hard work due to no backup. Do you have any solutions to prevent hackers?

    • The only thing I do is keep up with the WordPress core updates (as soon as they are released, I update), change my SQL password in my hosting plan every other week, and change all passwords monthly. It’s kind of a pain, but totally worth it so far. Best of luck!

  7. I had a call in the midnight hour, nothing but silence and clicking from this number. blocked it completely using my call screen option.apparently a lot of people are getting prank calls as individuals use this service getting their kicks waking people up and just being disrespectful.

  8. This guy is actually affiliated with this number 347-727-9566, he is located in bothel,wa. He sells electronic devices and claims he wanted to purchase me laptop. We simultaneously calling me on 760-705-8888 and 347-727-9566, he had a hard accent to hear so I hung up and text him telling him that I knew who he is. Here is his youtube account http://www.youtube.com/jsingh0605 and has been seen selling Iphones on Seattle Craigslist, stop this man from making prank calls!

  9. I just got a call from this number and they wanted my credit card number. That was not going to happen. If I get another call, I’m going to contact my police dept. and see if they can investigate this. The lady on the other line was kinda rude. My caller id only said it’s from California. I just called that number back and it said try your number again. It’s a total scam.

  10. Just had a call and the person asked for grandpa. I asked what name, and he told me mine. I don’t have grandchildren. And the I asked who he was — and he hung up.

  11. I found this number on my husband’s cell phone, and found this site, so tell me, is he getting calls from a chat line or is he calling a chat line?, is this the direct line to the chat line person???? or is the other person calling his cell to chat and this number is showing up?

    • Someone is calling his cell to chat and this number is showing up. It’s a number that shows up whenever someone is making a call from Google Voice to a phone with caller ID. Unfortunately, the only thing it definitely shows it that he is getting phone calls from someone with a Google Voice number. If you call that number back, it does not go to any one particular person. Sorry I couldn’t be any more help.

  12. when will google control the spamming of the 760-705-8888 number? it’s a little insane that anyone could harass you at anytime, and there’s no way to find out who’s behind it. how do they even get our cell numbers? is it someone who knows us, or are they getting our info from the web?

  13. Something is not right about these con-artist complaints. This number, 760-705-8888, is Google Chat. Go to your g-mail account and accept the calling terms. It’s free to make some calls, and place one to your (say) cell phone. It will cost nothing (free, at least currently) and then you will see the number that displays on your cell phone. It will be 760-705-8888! Again, this is Google Chat and you generate it yourself, unless someone else is calling you from Google Chat. At any rate, you cannot call the number back because it will state you call cannot be completed as dialed… Create a g-mail account and try placing a call if you do not believe me. Someone may have been yanking your chains, but this IS MOST DEFINITELY Google Chat. And it’s most likely not from overseas because that costs the caller money from their own identifiable account.

  14. Yes, overseas calls are routed through this number. I received one from a friend in China. ANYONE with a GMail account has access no matter where in the world they are located.

  15. I’m blocking this number. I’m in Canada and keep getting annoying calls from this number. If someone wants to use this service to call me, sorry but, I will not answer calls with no caller I.D. so this number goes on “block” This “feature” should have been better thought out. It was some online stalker nut calling my home phone!

  16. I used this Google Voice number to get back at scammers. Today, a so-called IRS Criminal Investigator called named Jonathan Francis. The number he called me from was 202.779.9496. So I used the generic Google Voice number to call back. I spoke to this Jonathan and he said I can be arrested if I don’t settle, asking for the last digits of my social security. So I told him 1234. He said that cannot be. I told him it is. He said he will send over the Feds to arrest me if I don’t cooperate. I said I will wait. And then I told him I was recording our conversation. To which he hung up.

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