Charity’s number on box of Chad Ochocinco cereal is actually phone sex line

A box of limited edition Cheerios-style cereal dubbed “Ochocincos” and featuring the Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has a number on it that is supposed to connect to the charity Feed The Children.

Instead of ringing the G-Rated charity, however, the number printed actually directs to a phone sex number. Whoops!

The number on the boxes, 1-800-HELP-FTC, connects callers to a seductive-sounding woman’s voice and music. She teases in shocking detail and then asks for a debit or credit card number: “You must be 18 or older to get into this party, baby!”

Feed The Children admits that the error was on their end, and says they’re working to fix the problem. Ochocinco commented on the error, and seems to have a good sense of humor about it:

In the Bengals locker room on Thursday with a box of the cereal still featured prominently in his locker, Ochocinco apologized over the flap and called it “an honest mistake” while hoping some good could come out of it.

“I’ve been part of the organization and been doing things to help bring awareness to the causes. Having the cereal was another way,” Ochocinco said. “Anyone I’ve affected I really do apologize. Some people got a laugh out of it, others are upset.

“It’s a little bit of a negative but it sheds a positive light on what I’m doing. They have to get the right number 1-888-Help FTC. Not 800. If you dial 800 you’re on your own.”

The erroneously printed boxes are being pulled from shelves amid complaints from irritated parents.

[Cinncinati via Consumerist]