Woman 'stalked' by call-center worker

PORTSMOUTH, England, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- A British woman said she received a barrage of personal text messages after she gave her phone number to a call-center employee.

The 24-year-old Portsmouth, England, woman, who gave her name as Jane, said she gave her cell phone number to a British Telecommunications call-center employee who offered to text her updates while her landline was being set up, The Daily Mail reported Friday.

Jane said the call center worker, who identified himself as Hemant, called her moments after she finished placing her order and began asking personal questions, including where she worked and her plans for the day.

"I told him I was unpacking due to the move but then realized there was something very odd and tried to get him off the line as quickly as possible," Jane said.

She said the call sparked a barrage of text messages from Hemant, who used an Indian phone number, telling her she had a "wonderful voice" and asking for her friendship. She said she reported the message to British Telecom's security department, but continued to receive the messages throughout the day.

"I definitely felt like I was being harassed and stalked," Jane said. "BT investigated and have now given me a huge apology and told me he has been disciplined but I have no idea if he still works there or not which worries me."

Jane said the company paid her $380 in compensation.