Why do people keep calling me Safeeya when my name is Sophia??!?

It's not laziness. It's the different accents that people have. You answered your own question when you touched on the subject of culture. I'm Irish. Our accents are quite drowsy sounding, so we emphasis the O a lot, and the "phia" is quite abrupt. It's not on purpose, so politely correct them, and move on from it. I have the E in my name pronounced like a U continuously by other Irish people, including my parents. But, when I hear one of my friends say it aloud, it sounds right - she's American. So, you're not the only one who experiences this (very minor) problem.