ZTL CTLR RESOLVES INCORRECT FREQ CHANGE; ALERTING THE XFERRING CTLR OF HIS ERROR.

Narrative

ACFT X WAS SSEBOUND FROM LEX TO ATL VIA DIRECT VXV MACEY2; AND LEVEL AT FL210. I WAS WORKING AT ZTL SECTOR 41 (SFC -- FL230; IN THE VICINITY OF CSV; CROSSVILLE; TN). AT APPROX XA50Z; ACFT X CALLED ON MY FREQ AT FL210. AT THIS TIME; I HAD NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF ACFT X (NO FLT PLAN ON THE SECTOR; NO HDOF; NO POINTOUT). WHEN THE ACFT CALLED; I ANSWERED HIS CALL AND TYPED IN THE CALL SIGN INTO THE COMPUTER TO TRY AND LOCATE THE ACFT. WHEN I LOCATED THE ACFT; IT WAS 5 OR 6 MI FROM THE EXTREME NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF MY AIRSPACE; AND WOULD ENTER MY AIRSPACE IN ABOUT 1 MIN. I WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THE ZID CTLR HAD HANDED OFF THE ACFT TO AN ADJACENT SECTOR (ZTL-41) AND I XFERRED COMS TO THAT SECTOR. I THEN CALLED THE ZID CTLR TO COMPLETE COORD; SO THAT THE ACFT WOULD NOT ENTER MY AIRSPACE WITHOUT COORD; CAUSING A DEV BY THE ZID CTLR. THIS ERROR; OR NEAR ERROR; WAS CAUSED BY A LACK OF ATTN BY THE ZID'S CTLR WHO APPARENTLY THOUGHT THE ACFT HAD BEEN HANDED OFF TO MY SECTOR (ZTL-41) BUT WAS ACTUALLY HANDED OFF TO ZTL-45.