Seeing an incoming call from your own phone number in your MetroPCS (now Metro by T-Mobile) call history is almost always a normal log entry created when you check your voicemail. It is not typically a sign that your phone has been hacked, cloned, or that you received a real call from yourself.
While it can look strange and concerning, this is a common and usually harmless system quirk. This guide will explain the most likely reasons for this happening, how to tell the difference between a normal log entry and a potential scam, and what you should do about it.
The Most Common Reason: Checking Your Voicemail
This is the definitive explanation in over 99% of cases. When you call your voicemail service—either by holding down the ‘1’ key on your dialpad or by calling your own 10-digit number—your phone makes a call to the network’s voicemail server.
The carrier’s logging system needs to record this action. For technical reasons, it often categorizes this self-initiated call to the voicemail server as an “incoming call” from your own number.
How to confirm this:
Think back to the date and time of the call listed in your history. Were you checking your voicemail messages around that time? If so, you can be confident that this is the reason for the strange log entry. It’s simply a record of your own action being displayed in a confusing way.
A Less Common Reason: Caller ID Spoofing
In some rare cases, an actual incoming call from your own number can be the result of Caller ID spoofing. This is a tactic where scammers or robocallers deliberately fake the caller ID to show a different number.
One technique they use is to make the call appear to come from your own number. They do this for a few reasons:
- Curiosity: It’s a strange sight that might make you more likely to answer.
- Bypassing Blocks: It can bypass call-blocking apps that are set to allow calls from your own number.
How to Tell the Difference
The distinction is simple:
- A voicemail check is a call you made that just gets logged strangely in your history. You will not remember your phone ringing at that time.
- A spoofed call is a real, ringing call that you answer. You would remember your phone ringing and you picking it up.
If you don’t remember answering an actual call from your number at that specific time, it was almost certainly a voicemail check.
What Should You Do About It?
Your course of action depends on the cause.
If It Was a Voicemail Check:
Do nothing. This is a normal, harmless system quirk. There is no security risk, and you can safely ignore or delete the entry in your call log.
If You Believe It Was a Spoofed Call:
Hang up immediately. If you happen to answer a live call that shows your own number on the caller ID, do not speak. Do not confirm your name, number, or any other personal information. Just hang up. The goal of the scammer is to engage you, and hanging up is the best defense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an incoming call from my own number mean my phone is hacked?
It is extremely unlikely. The voicemail log entry is a far more common and logical explanation than a complex hack that would show up in this specific way. This is a logging issue, not a security breach.
Why does Metro by T-Mobile log voicemail calls this way?
This is a standard practice for many mobile carriers. The call is technically “incoming” from your line to the network’s logging and voicemail systems, which is how it often gets categorized on your detailed usage history.
Will I be charged for this incoming call from my own number?
No. Checking your voicemail is included in your Metro by T-Mobile plan and does not incur any extra charges. A spoofed call that you don’t answer also costs you nothing.
Can I stop this from appearing in my call history?
No, you cannot change how your carrier’s system logs your voicemail checks. It is a permanent part of their billing and logging process and is not a setting you can change on your device.
Conclusion
In summary, seeing an incoming call from your own number in your MetroPCS history is normal and almost always means you checked your voicemail. It is a harmless logging quirk and not a sign that your phone is compromised. In the rare case that you receive a live, ringing call from your own number, it’s a spoofed scam attempt that you should hang up on immediately. In either scenario, you can be confident that your account is safe.
