$2.8 million for a cell phone number?!?

If Satan had a cell phone, you know that the number would be 666-6666. Well, if he wants that number he had better budget at least $2.8 million. That’s what someone paid for the number at an auction in Qatar on Monday. It probably goes without saying, but that makes it the most expensive phone number in the world. It should also be noted that the auction was for charity, so someone didn’t just spend that kind of money because they thought they needed the number.

The auction started at about $280,000, but eight active bidders quickly drove it into the stratosphere. The price easily eclipsed the previous record price of $500,000. That price was paid by Sichuan Airlines for the Chinese number 8888-8888. In Cantonese, the words for eight and rich are very similar.

Though we generally equate 666 with the devil, it has a different meaning in Qatar. It is apparently equated with the Arabic word ellah, meaning God.