diff --git a/meshtastic/mesh_interface.py b/meshtastic/mesh_interface.py
index 57545c6..8e2d145 100644
--- a/meshtastic/mesh_interface.py
+++ b/meshtastic/mesh_interface.py
@@ -892,8 +892,10 @@ class MeshInterface:  # pylint: disable=R0902
             else:
                 our_exit("Warning: No myInfo found.")
         # A simple hex style nodeid - we can parse this without needing the DB
-        elif destinationId.startswith("!"):
-            nodeNum = int(destinationId[1:], 16)
+        elif isinstance(destinationId, str) and len(destinationId) > 8:
+            # assuming some form of node id string such as !1234578 or 0x12345678
+            # always grab the last 8 items of the hexadecimal id str and parse to integer
+            nodeNum = int(destinationId[-8:], 16)
         else:
             if self.nodes:
                 node = self.nodes.get(destinationId)