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AIBU?

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Would I be unreasonable to track someone down through their workplace?

430 replies

OneShyBear · 30/11/2025 12:09

I’m a foster carer to 2 children. I met another foster carer by chance on Friday in a Costa when I was doing a care planning meeting on a zoom on my laptop. She overheard the whole meeting and then told me after that she was also a foster carer too and then we both chatted for over another 2 hours. At the end she wrote her phone number down on a piece of paper and told me to text her and keep in touch. We had worked out that we both had similar issues (with social services and in terms of support needed for our foster children) and similar experiences as foster carers and had worked out that we could both support each other and stay in touch as friends. I’ve lost the piece of paper that she wrote her number down on and I only have her first name and not her surname. During the conversation she did tell me that as well as being a foster carer she also works part time and she told me her workplace/the company (it’s a large/national company/organisation) that she works for too, would I be unreasonable to contact the company/organisation and give them my number and her first name (and the other information that she gave me during the conversation that could help her company identify the right person) and ask if they can track her down internally by any chance and pass on my number to her? Obviously I understand that they wouldn’t be able to give me her details or her number due to data protection but I could ask them to pass my number on to her if they could manage to track her down internally? Would I be unreasonable to do this? I’m happy to do it and I want to do it but my DH doesn’t think I should as he thinks that going through her workplace is “weird”. We both really got along well and genuinely intended to keep in touch (before I lost her number) as friends and we both had very similar experiences as foster carers too.

OP posts:
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FluentOP · 07/12/2025 18:36

I think that it is concerning to have a care planning meeting in a public place. I would have felt really embarrassed to find out that she heard everything. As you foster children how do you know that the person was not related to your charges and was spying on you. Hope everything works out well but I personally don’t think it’s a good idea to contact her.

MissyMooPoo2 · 07/12/2025 12:31

FloralHighNotes · 07/12/2025 11:07

I doubt she has told her employer. She'd have been sacked if she had. Shocking conduct by a foster carer.

Of course she hasn’t. She is unable to follow the most basic of work protocols despite the clear risks to vulnerable children. She also refuses to listen to her husband or the concerned posters on this thread because that allows her bullishly proceed in doing exactly what she wants.

There was a real vindictiveness in coming back to update everyone on now being in contact with the woman she has been obsessing about. It’s as though she thinks this somehow justifies her behaviour. Well, it doesn’t, regardless of the psychological or psychiatric issues at play.

FloralHighNotes · 07/12/2025 11:07

Eurovisionwatcherbecauselol · 07/12/2025 09:52

Wow this doesn't seem possible.... Safe guarding completely out of the window here.. Shocking, I'd have sat in the car not costa.
Surprised you haven't been reprimanded!

I doubt she has told her employer. She'd have been sacked if she had. Shocking conduct by a foster carer.

Eurovisionwatcherbecauselol · 07/12/2025 09:52

Wow this doesn't seem possible.... Safe guarding completely out of the window here.. Shocking, I'd have sat in the car not costa.
Surprised you haven't been reprimanded!

MissyMooPoo2 · 07/12/2025 08:43

OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 20:43

We’ve spoken since her workplace passed my number on to her and she was ok with it. I’ve managed to verify her as another foster carer too.

How did you complete this verification? Simply taking her word for it?

JMSA · 07/12/2025 02:09

I don’t think foster caring is for you, when you have such a blatant disregard for their privacy/safety.
I work with vulnerable young people and would never have meetings about their welfare in such a public place!

Millytante · 07/12/2025 02:07

OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 21:12

I did earlier in the thread. But that’s also not what this thread was about.

Holy flipping crap, didn't you absorb the consensus of your thread at all, at all?

catlover123456789 · 07/12/2025 01:18

Blondeshavemorefun · 06/12/2025 22:20

wtf

have you not read any of the replies and taken in what you did was soooooo unprofessional

The op claims to have addressed this up thread but in my opinion she has not taken the concerns raised seriously at all. At my workplace we have yearly training on all sorts from bribery, bullying, to working in public spaces (the latter of which can be done with caution). I think both of these ladies need a refresher on their data responsibilities, since neither checked that the other was actually a foster carer before sharing all sorts of private information about vulnerable children.
And then we have the large company who tracked down a woman from just their first name....
It's like gdpr never happened.

Blondeshavemorefun · 06/12/2025 22:20

OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 20:19

I did manage to track her down through her workplace in the end and we are now in contact! Her workplace agreed to pass my number on.

wtf

have you not read any of the replies and taken in what you did was soooooo unprofessional

justanotherusername666 · 06/12/2025 22:19

Naws · 30/11/2025 12:12

I suppose it wouldn't harm given the amount of information she shared.

But do people really have such public meetings in coffee shops that can be overheard by anyone and everyone?

I find that really strange.

I find it mind blowing that such personal information involving others can be discussed in public in a manner that it can be overheard. Huge data breach.

grumpygrape · 06/12/2025 21:20

OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 21:12

I did earlier in the thread. But that’s also not what this thread was about.

If all this thread was about and all you wanted to know was if it would be unreasonable to try to track a casual acquaintance through their employer why did you add all the other background and expose yourself as a potentially inadequate Foster carer ?

OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 21:12

catlover123456789 · 06/12/2025 21:04

You still have not addressed the potential safety / privacy concerns around all this that so many of us raised.

I did earlier in the thread. But that’s also not what this thread was about.

OP posts:
catlover123456789 · 06/12/2025 21:04

You still have not addressed the potential safety / privacy concerns around all this that so many of us raised.

MissyMooPoo2 · 06/12/2025 21:03

OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 20:43

We’ve spoken since her workplace passed my number on to her and she was ok with it. I’ve managed to verify her as another foster carer too.

What is the point of this update, OP? Just to upset the people who are genuinely concerned about your suitability as a foster carer further?

Lauraanddogs · 06/12/2025 20:49

OneShyBear · 30/11/2025 12:25

I wouldn’t do it again but I was in a really bad rush and wasn’t going to get home in time, it really was a one off that was.

It was a “one off”…? It was one too many and if you think this is appropriate you need to re-think your position in caring for the most vulnerable members of society.

OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 20:43

Sorry I didn’t mean to post that multiple times! The post button wasn’t working properly!

OP posts:
OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 20:43

We’ve spoke since her workplace passed my number on to her and she was on with

OP posts:
OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 20:43

We’ve spoken since her workplace passed my number on to her and she was ok with it. I’ve managed to verify her as another foster carer too.

OP posts:
OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 20:43

We’ve spoken since her workplace passed my number on to her and she was ok with it. I’ve managed to verify her as another foster carer too.

OP posts:
OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 20:42

We’ve spoken since her workplace passed my number on to her and she was ok with it. I’ve managed to verify her as another foster carer too.

OP posts:
Deanadeana · 06/12/2025 20:27

The fact that the 'similar threads' at the bottom of this page is predominantly about stalkers has not escaped me.

linsey2581 · 06/12/2025 20:22

OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 20:19

I did manage to track her down through her workplace in the end and we are now in contact! Her workplace agreed to pass my number on.

i would still
have you fired

Deanadeana · 06/12/2025 20:22

OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 20:19

I did manage to track her down through her workplace in the end and we are now in contact! Her workplace agreed to pass my number on.

Girl. This is not going to go down well. Even of she pretends to be happy, she,will run a mile. I hope you dont bring your foster children to meet her .

OneShyBear · 06/12/2025 20:19

I did manage to track her down through her workplace in the end and we are now in contact! Her workplace agreed to pass my number on.

OP posts:
SoMuchBadAdvice · 06/12/2025 20:08

Annoying as it is - it IS weird, and you have to evaluate how important making contact is - i.e. if it was that important, would you have lost the number? You ought to have enough information from the 2 hours to stalk trace her, but I wouldn't do it through her work.

The normal protocol for passing numbers is to dictate your number to the other person, who then phones you, and you both save each other's numbers.