Texas Man Receives Thousands of Calls After Justin Bieber Tweets Phone Number
A tweet sent out by teen sensation Justin Bieber had one Texas man's phone ringing off the hook, as "beliebers" from across the country hoped to be his "Somebody to Love."
The tweet, sent out Wednesday around 10:30 p.m. CST, included a phone number with a Texas area code, saying, "Call me right now at 214 - -?" with a question mark in place of the last digit, and dashes representing actual numbers in his tweet.
Thousands of Bieber's 18.2 million followers filled in the blank and started dialing, but instead of the pop star, fans calls were answered by a Dallas native with no connection to Bieber.
Kent, who wished to be identified only by his first name, said his phone hasn't stopped ringing since Wednesday night. The tweet was quickly deleted after it was sent out, but that didn't stop the thousands of fans from making the call.
"They all said, 'Justin?'" Kent said. "As fast as I could pick it up and put it down, it was ringing again. The caller ID was exploding with numbers from all over the country."
Kent said he has had the number for more than 20 years. He has both personal and business ties to it, making him hesitant to disconnect the line.
This wasn't a "One Time" incident for the teen icon. In 2010, Bieber tweeted Kevin Kristopik's phone number as revenge for hacking a friend's Facebook page. The onslaught of phone calls and text messages to the Detroit teen forced him to disable his number and Twitter account. Bieber, at the time, had only 4.5 million followers on the social media site.
Another incident, this time involving a high-profile television star, caused a similar problem. Former "Two and a Half Men" actor Charlie Sheen accidentally tweeted his phone number when he meant to send it only to Bieber in a direct message.
As for Kent, he said he and his attorney have tried to reach out to Bieber and his representatives to get some answers about the tweet, but have not yet had their calls returned. Kent said he is considering taking legal action in the matter.