A phone number featured in the extremely popular Netflix series Squid Game has put the real-life person that shares the number under a lot of stress after claiming to be inundated with random calls from fans of the show. To aid in the situation, Netflix and the series' production company, Siren Pictures, have announced that they will be removing the phone number from episodes where it is visible to hopefully put an end to these calls.
Squid Game is a nine-episode original series where people in extreme debt are called upon to play a deadly set of children's games for the chance to win a large sum of money. Each player is given a card with a set of shapes on one side and a number on the other. They have to call the number on the card to be invited to the games. Despite the deadly consequences, some people want to try their luck and call the number from the show, but the person on the other end doesn't seem interested in inviting them to a set of deadly games.
"After Squid Game aired, I have been receiving calls and texts endlessly, 24/7, to the point that it's hard for me to go on with daily life," the owner of the number told Koreaboo in an interview. "This is a number that I've been using for more than 10 years, so I'm quite taken aback. There are more than 4,000 numbers that I've had to delete from my phone and it's to the point where due to people reaching out without a sense of day and night due to their curiosity, my phone's battery is drained and turns off."
This individual is not the only one suffering from Squid Game's success when it comes to endless calls and messages as someone else who has a similar number with a one-digit difference has also reported a similar situation. Via The Korea Times, the owner of this slightly different number has said that "The stress from incessant prank calls is driving [him] crazy."
This was a situation that Netflix attempted to avoid as they deliberately only showed the last eight digits of the number, though they were not aware that upon dialing those numbers, the prefix would automatically be added to complete the number, allowing the call to go through. Netflix made the announcement that they will be editing out the number on Wednesday, saying, "Together with the production company (Siren Pictures), we are working to resolve this matter, including editing scenes showing the phone number where necessary."
Squid Game has seen an unparalleled amount of success since debuting on Netflix, topping their list of series in all 83 countries where the company provides OTT service. Watch the trailer for the uber-popular show down below: