Call center sex, and how a charity and a football player made a little mistake

In a previous post on this blog, I talked about how overworked young workers at calls centers based in the Philippines have been accused of doing what young workers might occasionally do - have sex with each other. Presumably these call centers were, um, servicing customers who were not seeking sex, but as we all know, there are call centers who cater to people who have an interest in sex.

Unfortunately, Feed the Children and football player Chad Ochocinco got caught in a mix-up that involves the latter type of call center. You see, Ochocinco created a limited edition cereal, but there was a little typo on the cereal box. My source for this story is the wonderfully named blog Ted Williams Head.

A portion of the proceeds from the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver’s cereal go to the Feed The Children Charity. The phone number on the cereal box for the Feed The Children charity connects you to a phone sex line, (800) HELP-FTC, while the correct number is (888) HELP-FTC.

Read more here. And if you want to know more about Feed the Children, go to http://www.feedthechildren.org/. Ochocinco has been involved with the charity for some time, as this excerpt from a January 2010 press release attests:

In an effort to help men rise to the challenge in all aspects of life, Degree Men® and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco are kicking off a month-long Degree Men Charity Challenge campaign to support Feed The Children. On Saturday, Jan. 30, Feed The Children will distribute a semi tractor-trailer full of food and personal care items to help 400 Miami families at Santla Haitian Neighborhood Center (5000 Biscayne Blvd.) beginning at 2 p.m. Chad OchoCinco will be on hand at the event.

The distribution is the latest stop on Feed The Children’s Americans Feeding Americans Emergency Caravan, which has helped more than 30,000 families across the country in cities that have been affected by the nation’s economic downturn. Feed The Children is planning similar distributions in more than 20 American cities this year.

During the postseason, Ochocinco and Degree Men will pledge to rise to the challenge off the football field by tying donations to Ochocinco's performance on the field. They plan to donate $100 to Feed The Children for every yard Ochocinco gains during the playoffs, up to $10,000. For all men who rise to the challenge with donations of their own to Feed The Children, Degree Men won't let them down and will match all donations up to $40,000.

For the record, Ochocinco gained 28 yards during the Bengals' one playoff appearance. But I'm sure that his participation in the challenge helped Feed the Children to raise much more money.