Telstra MessageBank issue causes strange missed calls and voicemails

A puzzling one for Telstra customers last night with text messages indicating missed calls or voicemails, but no actual missed calls in their call logs. Turns out it was an issue with Telstra’s MessageBank service – which has now been fixed.

Telstra customers told EFTM they had been “Getting missed call text messages but nothing on recent calls.” With one reader calling back “3 people and they said they never called”.

Another said they had ” 3 missed calls that never rang in the last hour. I just received a voicemail that was left last Friday.”

And the problem wasn’t only with Telstra’s direct customers, wholesale MVNO customers also seem affected with “2 in this household.. Both androids 1 with Telstra one with Woolworths (Telstra)”

The internet lit up with concerns:

Same thing happened here I’m watching TV on phone next to my partner and she just got a text saying she missed a call from me right now. Can confirm wasnt calling her. She’s also relieved 2 imaginary missed calls from her mother tonight said one Reddit user

Others piecing together a potential delay in the system, saying “got two in the last 20 minutes. But they’re old missed calls (from over a week ago) that I’ve only just got texts about now”

Imagine being this user : “I just got 56 of these messages in the last 20 minutes”

Telstra say the issue has been resolved, admitting it was a MessageBank problem – telling EFTM “We experienced an issue with our MessageBank service earlier today, which has now been fixed. You might notice a number of delayed missed call and voicemail notifications arriving all at once. We’re sorry for how confusing this must be.

There is no impact to Triple Zero calls, voice calls or mobile data.“

Perhaps Telstra was just trying to bring people together. One user saying “the last two hours multiple people calling saying they’re receiving text messages saying they’ve had a missed call from me and now I’m receiving multiple text messages saying people have called me with nothing showing in call history on iPhone on Telstra”

Everyone calling people back, who either never called them, or called them days ago.

Conspiracy theorists on other platforms are adamant this was a cyber attack. There’s zero evidence of that.