2006-2008 News Articles Where Important Telephone Numbers Are Misprinted and Lead to Sex Lines - i.e. Duck Stamp Incident

After recently hearing about the mix-up for duck hunters on my local news, where the number on the carrier card to call for the 2008 migratory bird stamp was actually a sex line, I thought to research to see if this sort of misprint problem was common in the USA. I found a rather amazing amount of this sort of mistake throughout the news, just since 2006. I’ve posted a summary of and links to twelve related articles in addition to information on the duck stamp incident.

Duck Stamp error sends callers to sex line
The Associated Press on 09/04/2008

The number on the carrier card which you should call to order the duck stamp, which permits you to hunt migratory fowl, was misprinted; instead of a number spelling out 1-800-stamp-24, it spells 1-800-tramp-24 – two numbers were transposed, leading the caller to a sex line. The wildlife service will not reprint the carrier cards this year, as they state the action would be too expensive.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h3YHaxK2RAFewrpPI81edXHUq_fwD93055RO1

Error Leads NCAA Media To Phone Sex Line
KITV Honolulu 09/03/2008

The University of Central Florida’s athletics communications director mistakenly sent media members to a sex line, instead of dialing in to a teleconference with the football coach; the number the UCF gave out was one digit off the teleconference number.

http://www.kitv.com/sports/17378609/detail.html

Job hotline was sex line
USATODAY.com 07/03/2008

The misprinted number for the Maryland Job Service Hotline listed on the state’s Family Health Administration’s website led job seekers to a sex line.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2008-07-03-job-line-sex_N.htm

Mom offered phone sex in number mix-up
UPI.com 05/18/2008

An Alabama mother found the number for Poison Control was misprinted in two different phone books when she was connected to a sex line.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2008-07-03-job-line-sex_N.htm

Report: 800 Sex Line Number in Kids' Book Sends Librarians Scrambling
FOXNews.com 11/07/2007

Florida librarians working for the Hillsborough County Library Cooperative rushed to remove the 30+ out-of-print Magic Attic books, targeted for girls ages nine to twelve, from shelves, because a 1-00 number inside the book sent a parent to a sex line. Librarians plan to tare out the offending page and then reshelf the books.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,309038,00.html

Girl Seeking Counseling Gets Sex Line
Associated Press 07/25/2007

The North Central Florida Sexual Assault Center closed down months ago, but the state attorney general’s office never removed the toll-free number from their website. A sex chat line acquired the center’s former number. The telephone number was removed from the state’s website after an eight-year-old girl called the hotline and was put through to the chat line.

http://www.mywire.com/pubs/AP/2007/07/25/4072621?extID=10051

Sex Predator Hotline Goes to Sex Line
FOXNews.com 04/18/2007

Long Island legislators, in an effort to help keep their constituents safe, gave out a telephone number to help track sexual predators; unfortunately, the number was incorrect and led callers to a sex line.

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Apr18/0,4670,TooHotHotline,00.html

AIDS hotline number rings up sex line
Advocate.com 03/03/2007

Bookmarks providing a hotline number for AIDS and HIV education, printed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, were handed out in Missouri schools to children and teenagers; the number was a misprint and rang up a sex line.

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid42495.asp

Sex-Line Number Printed On School Ids
KNSD - San Diego 02/06/2007

Identification cards at San Diego’s Patrick Henry High School were taken up, because the number listed for Crime Stoppers was, in reality, the number for a sex line; the printer reprinted the cards at no cost to the school system, as the fault was theirs.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/education/10947600/detail.html

Misprint Leads to Foot Fetish Line
ABCLocal.com 04/17/2006

The Arkansas Teacher Retirement System sent out letters to assist current and retired teachers with estate planning. The telephone number listed on the letter was a misprint and led callers to a sex line.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/bizarre&id=4089817

Road-Construction Callers Get Sex Line
CBS News 03/24/2006

The Illinois Department of Transportation put up signs along the Dan Ryan Expressway to provide a telephone number to drivers, delivering information on alternate routes as the road goes under construction for the next two years; embarrassingly, the number printed on the signs was that of a sex line.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/24/ap/strange/mainD8GHK9VG0.shtml

L.L. Bean misprint led callers to sex line
Portsmouth Herald 02/10/2006

On the first page of the 2006 LL Bean catalog sent to fishing enthusiasts, 1-800-FISH-LL-B was misprinted; a mix-up of two of the letters occurred, leading subscribers to a sex line.

http://archive.seacoastonline.com/news/02022006/maine/85793.htm

University: Have a Chat With 'Hot Girls'
FOXNews.com 01/30/2006

On applications for Seton Hall, a catholic university, sent to overseas applicants, the telephone number for admissions was misprinted and linked callers to a sex line.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,183259,00.html

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