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AIBU?

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Original poster

Found a phone in my garden - isolated property - shit scared

791 replies

ScarredBunny · 24/04/2020 19:12

Name changed for this - Sorry if this seem trivial, I know people are dealing with far bigger things at the moment.

I found a phone lying on the ground, about 5 yards from my house.

We live in an isolated property about a mile away from the first road. We have not have any visitors , maintenance people for many weeks (obviously). Delivery drivers, yes, but they would not have any reason to go to this part of the garden/couldn't access it during daytime without us seeing something.
At first I assumed it belonged to one of us, but no! Confused
Phoned the police, have a ref./case number, etc. but they're busy and will get back to us when they can.
The police said to take the phone indoors and wait for their call/visit.

I am worried that the next visit is going to be from whomever the phone belongs to.
The phone is dead as a dodo but I assume it still can be found?

What should do?

OP posts:
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Original poster
ScarredBunny · 28/04/2020 11:54

@Intelinside57 - it's been suggested before, it's one possibility.

@ColaAddictsAnonymous - Thanks, much betterFlowers I thought of it, no one asked so I didn't. Didn't really want to put out more info than needed.

@decisionsdecision - Glad you see it too, Avalanche was weird in many ways, including the classic conman trick of getting something (in this case, location) via roundabout distracting ways. Even in shock and exhausted I heard the warning bells so she wasn't very good at it.
That's what it looked like to me too anyway..

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Original poster
ScarredBunny · 28/04/2020 11:34

@derxa - Grin It is. It's a cult where people want as little to do with other people as possible.

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Original poster
ScarredBunny · 28/04/2020 11:32

@ScouseQueen - Very sorry to hear you had this experience, it totally sucks Sad I hope it wasn't as frightening as it sounds and that it's firmly behind you, but there's always a before and an after, isn't there?

Our cars are ridiculous, nothing exciting about them at all. Grin Sometimes it's not the point, they just want a car for whatever reason, in this case, they could have managed without the keys -if they knew what they were doing- but not without the dog barking towards a completely different point. (My car has sat unlocked for weeks - since I had the bright idea to drop the keys in a jug of water and bleach solution, to save myself having to wipe all the keys individually) Confused

You're absolutely right, there are more pp about than we have ever seen and how they behave can be interesting.
For some people the countryside is like a vast theme park, no sense of respect for privacy, they wouldn't tolerate someone brazenly inspecting their own semi from all angles, but somehow, because we're in the country, it's okay. They don't relate at all, a field doesn't look like someone's garden to them, a house in a picturesque setting appears not unlike a smaller NT property?Confused Hey, let's go and have a look!Grin
I've had people drive up very slowly through the garden, craning their necks, looking around with great interest, do a u turn, come back and stop near me in my gardening best at the front of the house, me:'Hi! Can I help you?' Them: 'Oh no, thank you, we're just having a look around' ConfusedGrin (Really? Where do you live and can I have a snoop too?)
Absolutely nothing sinister there I can assure you , just completely oblivious.Shock Grin

OP posts:
derxa · 28/04/2020 10:50

We're 'very rural' sounds like some sort of cult.

Original poster
ScarredBunny · 28/04/2020 10:45

@Hipsterjoe - Could someone have got your house mixed up with anyone Royal or famous? It could be the Sun snooping on you Confused I doubt it very much GrinGrin But your suggestion makes me feel more sympathetic towards celebrities, it must be frightening at times!

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Original poster
ScarredBunny · 28/04/2020 10:41

@justilou1 - Yes they really are.Smile

Criminals are lazy, they wont go for anything which is not going to be worth the effort. I don't know about that, @GnomeDePlume, criminals come in all shapes and sizes Grin even the basic stalking of a house must be tedious, uncomfortable, etc. Criminals also do stuff that not everyone can do and then there is all the crime we never hear about because it's done cleverly. I am not glorifying criminals here, crime is a fundamentally stupid, destructive act, criminal can be as clever as can be, in term of evolution, they're still knuckle draggers and bring society down. Some immoral acts are criminal, imo, but perfectly legal - that's probably a subject for another thread Smile
Sorry for the dissertation -
I see what you mean, though. The most common crime must be opportunistic theft? Whatever's lying around, easy to grab...They can always discard, no skin off their nose, as you say, quick in and out.

One disturbing thing about home/property invasion is the unknown; who it is, how they became aware of you as a target, what do they want - when no burglary it's not plainly obvious.

OP posts:
decisionsdecision · 28/04/2020 10:20

I RTFT at 3am this morning. I honestly thought I was loosing the plot reading @AvalancheKit so turned my phone off and thought I'd try again this morning.
But weir OP that Avalanche refused to tell her story until after you gave your location. Then said it was to stop her hijacking the post after making such an effort to be weird and wonderful in replies. 🙄
I'd be scared too OP and agree think it's gone very far if it was a secret phone.

ColaAddictsAnonymous · 28/04/2020 10:17

I've RTFT and I hope you are okay OP! Yay for German shepherd's they are fab dogs.

Can i just say how disappointed I am that nobody has asked for a diagram. Grin Clearly it would've been useful seeing as so many people have failed to grasp the layout. Much more useful than on a parking thread.

Intelinside57 · 28/04/2020 09:41

Foxes. Someone has lost their phone while out walking and a fox has taken it, ending up dropping it in your garden. Foxes will pick up anything unusual and play and carry it about for a while.

Original poster
ScarredBunny · 28/04/2020 09:36

That's really not nice, @Carouselfish, sorry this happened.Flowers
What about your dogs? Did they hear anything?
Yes, cctv on its way Smile

OP posts:
ScouseQueen · 28/04/2020 09:32

Hi OP. I don't have the mindset of the isolated, very rural living thing at all. But I do think that in the current situation that walkers might well be out wandering in places you just wouldn't normally expect them to get to. We've all seen that Derbyshire police footage from drones of people way out in the middle of nowhere. Some of them will be nosey and poke around houses they come across.
The other option was the one I became aware of when burgled a while back - car theft is now apparently the main motive for house burglary. Modern vehicles are so secure that it's easier to break into houses and take the keys. So think about your vehicles and also where you would put the keys - it may be best to not hide them away with you upstairs, where an intruder might come and threaten you. A car is a car, it will be insured and can be replaced, unlike a person. Our burglars walked past cash and other valuables, they were only after the keys.

Hipsterjoe · 28/04/2020 04:55

Could someone have got your house mixed up with anyone Royal or famous? It could be the Sun snooping on you Confused

GnomeDePlume · 28/04/2020 03:32

Criminals are lazy, they wont go for anything which is not going to be worth the effort. Effort to steal and effort to dispose of.

So a thief may think nothing of taking a handbag of a kitchen counter when they can see the family is all tucked up in another room. A quick in and out. The dog will put them off this.

I am fairly confident our dog has put a few criminals off. Labrador/border collie cross with a big deep bark and a strong sense of the perimiter he's in charge of. He also gives me a lot of confidence. If he is sleeping soundly then I can sleep.

Carouselfish · 28/04/2020 01:15

We're very rural and had something stolen out of the garden the other week. There has been an increase in footpath walkers but still very freaky as they'd have had to open our gates and risk our dogs and for something pretty cheapo! I'd be freaked too op. Online shopping for some security methinks.

justilou1 · 28/04/2020 00:41

Couldn’t agree more, OP. Dogs are the best people.

Original poster
ScarredBunny · 28/04/2020 00:05

@SirVixofVixHall - Ah I see, but yes cars, lights and lockdown of course.
These Caucasians look like a lot of hard work!

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Original poster
ScarredBunny · 27/04/2020 23:54

@justilou1 - What a beautiful story, really amazing. It's incredible what dogs can and will do for us. They always stay with you, no matter how long they have been gone. I love them.

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LilacTree1 · 27/04/2020 23:52

Sorry, OP, I changed it now, I’d love a PM to hear more, good security thing to know! Thank you.

SirVixofVixHall · 27/04/2020 23:46

I meant unoccupied as in nobody at home, rather than empty. If you were obviously home, lights on etc, then it is more worrying but it is comforting that whoever it was scarpered when your dog went out.
Yes those dogs - amazing ! I like the idea of a big protective dog, but they do sound like they need v experienced handling.

Original poster
ScarredBunny · 27/04/2020 23:45

Yes that's right, not too loose either , it has to stay in place, as I said, fiddly. I tried to pm you with some details but you do't accept pm Smile

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randomlettersabc · 27/04/2020 23:44

@ScarredBunny

Yes with the dogs, if it's a fox at night or a pheasant or something in the daytime they bark but settle down immediately. If it's a person they continue barking at the window or door nearest to the person. One time I knew someone was out there cos I could hear them trying the gates that my car is parked behind and the dog (only had one then) ran to the back s'door barking, then the patio door, then sat at the front door (where the car is), growling for ages. I put all the lights on (hubby was away) and basically wet myself the entire night at every sound. I slept with a cricket bat, my dog lead and the car keys. That was before having kids. My dog settled down and went back to sleep, I made a makeshift bed next to hers lol and slept there. There's no way police would get to ours quick enough. We've had some bizarre things happen down our lane as well... So it's a bit unsettling. If the dogs are calm, I'm calm. If they start going mad... I'm reaching for my phone/cricket bat... x

LilacTree1 · 27/04/2020 23:35

Twist rather than fasten? Hmm, trying to picture it. So you’re not looking for it to be taut and to break, but just to fall loose?

Original poster
ScarredBunny · 27/04/2020 23:32

@LilacTree1 - yes that's it Smile It works very well outside too, on gates, and providing you have walls or anything you can twist it on, not fasten, so no resistance or snap.

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Original poster
ScarredBunny · 27/04/2020 23:28

@RochelleGoyle, I think so too, just RTFT, but I can't resist a little sparring if they persist Smile and Flowers for you.

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LilacTree1 · 27/04/2020 23:27

OP - drawer or cupboards makes me think a thread but that’s no use outside...unless it’s thread across a large place, fastened in two places...