A phone number so deadly, it had to be disconnected. Three men, each seemingly successful, each meeting a violent end—all whilst in possession of the same set of digits. Coincidence? Or something far more sinister…?
In the early 2000s, the number 0888 888 888 became infamous in Bulgaria, linked to the sudden deaths of its owners. The first fell to a mysterious illness, the second was gunned down in broad daylight and the third was executed outside a restaurant. Then, without explanation, the number was permanently shut down.
What was behind this chilling pattern? A criminal underworld power play? A supernatural curse? Or was it simply a string of deadly coincidences? Find our as we dial into the ‘Bizarre But True!’ mystery of ‘The Cursed Number’!
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People have long been fascinated by numbers, believing some bring good fortune whilst others invite disaster. Superstitions dictate that certain digits should be avoided, whether it’s the fear of 13 or the whispered warnings about numbers that summon spirits. But rarely do these stories have real-world consequences. That is, until you look at what happened in Bulgaria.
The story begins with 0888 888 888, a seemingly ordinary phone number issued by the Bulgarian mobile provider Mobitel. Reserved for high-profile clients, it was first assigned to Vladimir Grashnov, a wealthy businessman and CEO of the very company that owned the number itself. Grashnov was a powerful figure in Bulgaria’s corporate world, but his success was short-lived. In 2001, just months after acquiring the number, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. He died within the year.
Officially, it was a tragic but natural death. However, whispers soon emerged that Grashnov had been poisoned, possibly by a business rival. Some claimed he had been exposed to radiation as part of a targeted assassination. Yet, no evidence was ever found to support either of these theories. At the time, no one linked his fate to his new phone number. Why would they?
Telecoms providers often recirculate cancelled numbers after a period of time. And valuable numbers in particular are rarely left unused, so Mobitel reassigned 0888 888 888 to its next high-profile client. This time, the number went to Konstantin Dimitrov, a notorious Bulgarian crime boss. Dimitrov was no ordinary businessman—he controlled a massive drug empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He was powerful, feared, and had many enemies.
In 2003, Dimitrov travelled to the Netherlands to oversee a drugs shipment. Whilst dining at a restaurant in Amsterdam, he was suddenly gunned down by an unknown assassin. He died instantly, his phone still clutched in his hand. Authorities suspected a rival Russian gang had orchestrated the hit, wanting to take control of his lucrative drug operations. Once again, no connection was made to the cursed phone number.
But then came the third death…
Two years later, the same number was given to one Konstantin Dishliev, a Bulgarian real estate agent with a secret double life. By day, he dealt in properties, but by night, he too was running a secret cocaine trafficking operation. In 2005, after leaving an Indian restaurant in Sofia, Dishliev was shot multiple times in the street. He died instantly and just like before, his phone was found beside him. With the same number active.
With three consecutive owners meeting violent and untimely deaths, rumours began to circulate. Was this a deadly coincidence, or had something sinister attached itself to the number? The idea of a cursed phone number might sound like an urban legend, but in Bulgaria, people weren’t willing to take any chances.
Shortly after Dishliev’s murder, Mobitel quietly removed the number from circulation. Anyone who tried calling it was met with the same automated message saying: “Outside network coverage.” The company refused to comment on the growing speculation, simply stating that they did not discuss individual numbers. Whether or not they believed in the so-called curse, they clearly wanted nothing more to do with it.
But is there a logical explanation for this deadly streak?
Sceptics argue that the deaths were not the result of a curse but a consequence of the dangerous lives these men led. Grashnov was a high-profile businessman in a cutthroat industry, Dimitrov was a major crime figure dealing with powerful enemies and Dishliev was secretly trafficking drugs. Could their fates simply have been the result of ruthless business and criminal rivalries?
One possible explanation for the eerie pattern surrounding 0888 888 888 is a concept known as ‘survivorship bias’. This is the tendency to focus on rare and dramatic cases while ignoring the broader picture. We hear about the three men who died while owning this number, but what about those who used it without incident who fade have never been reported on? If there were uneventful owners, their stories simply faded into obscurity.
Another overlooked factor is that people who own phone numbers die all the time. At any given moment, thousands of mobile numbers worldwide belong to individuals who pass away for unrelated reasons. But because those cases don’t form a neat, eerie pattern, no one pays attention to them. If three high-profile deaths had been linked to three different numbers, no one would suspect a connection. But because all three shared a single number, our minds instinctively create a pattern where none may exist.
Whether coincidence or something more, Mobitel certainly wasn’t willing to take chances as the number was later permanently removed, leaving its mystery unanswered and preventing any further testing of the number’s supposed curse.
But the Bulgarian cursed number isn’t the only case of a so-called ‘deadly phone number’. Other eerie stories exist right across the world, feeding into the fear that some numbers may carry more than just digits.
In Thailand, the number 999-9999 is believed to be a death sentence. According to legend, those who dial it after midnight will have their wish granted… at the cost of their life. While many claim the story was part of a movie marketing stunt, some refuse to take the risk.
In the U.S. numbers known as Red Numbers, identified by the number always appearing on the receiver’s phone screen in red digits, have circulated through urban legends for a couple of decades. Supposedly causing mysterious deaths for those who answer. Some have reported hearing a voice whispering their name before their exact location was read back to them, as if someone was watching – but none of these reports have ever been substantiated.
Of course, rational explanations exist for all of these cases. Some numbers may be hoaxes, used to spread viral urban legends. Others could be connected to scam calls, where criminals use psychological tricks to make people believe they’re experiencing something supernatural in the hope of extorting money from frightened and gullible recipients.
But in the case of Bulgaria’s 0888 888 888, the deaths were very real. No hoaxes, no pranks, just three men, all dead under mysterious circumstances after taking ownership of the phone number
So, was it just an unlucky coincidence? A curse? Or is there something about certain numbers that we simply don’t understand..?
Whatever the answer, double check what number your phone provider gives you the next time you take out a new phone contract… It could be your last!
