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Read more here ![\\"democrat_symbol\\"](\\"/design/images/democrat_symbol.png\\"/) Fact Check # Is Netflix Removing Phone Numbers That Appear in \'Squid Game\'? ## An unidentified person reportedly received thousands of calls after a number was displayed on the hit show. ### Madison Dapcevich ### Published Oct. 7, 2021 ![\\"](\\" Image courtesy of Netflix Claim: Netflix is removing an authentic phone number displayed in the hit television series “Squid Game” after an unidentified person in South Korea claimed to have received harassing calls and messages. Rating: True About this rating Netflix announced it would be censoring phone numbers displayed on its hit, limited series “Squid Game” after a person in South Korea who owned a phone number complained about receiving thousands of prank calls and texts. An unnamed person told the South Korean newspaper Money Today that he/she had been using the number for 10 years, but since the show aired, the person has received phone calls and text messages 24 hours a day totaling more than 4,000. Advertisement: It has been reported, and Snopes has independently confirmed, that Netflix intends to edit the scenes with phone numbers in question. > “Squid Game” has quickly gained in global popularity since its Netflix > launch on Sept. 17, 2021. The gory South Korean drama hit number one on > Netflix in more than 90 countries, putting it on track to succeed > \"Bridgerton\" as the most-streamed show on the platform. Advertisement: Snopes watched the first three episodes of the series on Oct. 7 to determine where and when the phone number in question appeared. We found three scenes that showed the number in question. The number first appeared in the first episode “Red Light, Green Light” around the 29-minute mark, when lead character Seong Gi-hun, Player 456, called a phone number listed on the back of a business card he was given by a stranger. We have blurred the number for the privacy of those affected. ![\\"\\"](\\" FEATURED-IMG-1.jpg\\") Screengrab/Netflix Advertisement: That same number once again appears in the second episode “Hell” around the 20-minute mark when Seong Gi-hun gives the business card to a police officer. ![\\"\\"](\\" FEATURED-IMG-4.png\\") Screengrab/Netflix Advertisement: Its last appearance was at the 24-minute mark of the second episode when Seong Gi-hun attempts to redial it on his cell phone. ![\\"\\"](\\" FEATURED-IMG-5.png\\") Screengrab/Netflix Advertisement: Snopes contacted the South Korean Film Council, a government body that issues fictitious phone numbers for entertainment purposes, to determine whether there was a national policy that legislates whether individual phone numbers can be shown on screen, either in a movie or on a television series. We did not hear back, but as The Wall Street Journal reported, the nation restricts how films can use phone numbers but not television shows. As Money Today pointed out, the mishap may be violating Article 59 of South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Act, which prohibits the leak of personal information without legal or proper authority or providing it without permission. ![\\"\\"](\\" Shot-2021-10-07-at-1.09.40-PM.png\\") Screengrab/South Korean Film Council Advertisement: At the time of this publication, the phone number in question was still visible in all three scenes. Netflix declined to further comment on the timeframe for which the number would be removed from the nine-part series. > Sources > > Martin, Dasl Yoon and Timothy W. “Real Phone Number Featured in ‘Squid Game’ > Leads to Prank-Call Apocalypse.” Wall Street Journal, 6 Oct. 2021. > > inundating-real-people-with-calls-11633539087. > > Napoli, Jessica. “‘Squid Game’ on Track to Overtake ‘Bridgerton’ as Most- > Streamed Show on Netflix.” FOXBusiness, 6 Oct. 2021, > > bridgerton-netflix. > > Watch: Netflix’s Squid Game Now Number One Most Watched Show in 90 > Countries. > > vbe1126b1. Accessed 7 Oct. 2021. > > 머니투데이. [단독]\"10년 쓴 내 번호 \'오징어게임’에…밤낮 전화와\" 고통 호소 - 머니투데이. 23 Sept. 2021, > ### By Madison Dapcevich Madison Dapcevich is a freelance contributor for Snopes. ## Article Tags Entertainment Recommendations Advertisement: ![\\"Snopes.com\\"](\\"/design/images/logo-main.png\\") Company About Us FAQs Contact Us Submit a Topic Navigate Home Search Archive Newsletters Random Sections Latest Top Fact Checks News Account Join Login Game FactBot Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter © 1995 - 2024 by Snopes Media Group Inc. This material may not be reproduced without permission. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com Terms of Use Privacy Policy DMCA Policy
Netflix is removing an authentic phone number displayed in the hit television series Squid Game after an unidentified person in South Korea claimed to have received harassing calls and messages