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Original poster

Warrant Officer called my work

31 replies

Cinnamontoas · 20/12/2022 07:30

Yesterday I answered the phone at work to someone claiming to be a warrant officer.
They wanted someone who no longer works at the company.
They were really pushy and rude and threatened to come down to my workplace to check if I was lying.
What is a warrant officer? Does this sound like a scam?

OP posts:
WrongLife · 20/12/2022 08:04

Do you mean a police officer who had a warrant to arrest someone?

user175438765 · 20/12/2022 08:16

Are you HR, if not I would have put the call through to them to deal with

SequinShagger · 20/12/2022 08:17

Either someone with a warrant - a police officer or a bailiff

or somebody in the army?

user1471548941 · 20/12/2022 08:18

Warrant officer is an army rank.

Whatthediddlyfeck · 20/12/2022 08:21

I’m thinking this may possibly have been a bailiff…I had one at my door looking for a neighbour once (neighbour had moved) he was looking for all/any information which could help him trace her. I didn’t tell him a thing

Alumpyreflection · 20/12/2022 08:25

Sounds like a bailiff! I once had one turn up at work demanding to see a person who was a supplier to our business but not employed or officially connected to us. Seems this person had put our company's address down as their company's trading offices. Cheers mate! 🤨

Bailiff was quite pushy and insistent as presumably they're used to people being evasive and lying. We were able to show clearly this was a different, unconnected company and that was the end of it. Once you provide proof, usually they move on to their next lead.

RewildingAmbridge · 20/12/2022 08:28

This will either be a bailiff or a court warrant officer, for someone who is warrant without bail having failed to attend a court hearing, they have shortly to pick someone up and convey them to court. Court warrants for high risk of serious harm cases are executed by police, the rest are carried out by subcontracted companies. They're not known for their diplomacy.

JorisBonson · 20/12/2022 08:29

user1471548941 · 20/12/2022 08:18

Warrant officer is an army rank.

This. Sounds like a spam / scam call to me.

Fleurdaisy · 20/12/2022 08:31

A warrant officer is an army rank, could be any branch of the arms ( intelligence, transport, etc) or could be a Military Police looking for a deserter.

Police officer with a warrant ( though think they’re mostly search warrants) would have just said I’m PC Bloggs or where they were stationed.

Possibly a bailiff with a court order , often called a warrant, trying to find someone who owes money.
I’d have just said you’re welcome to visit during office hours, ask for HR.
A scammer will realise they’re not going to get anywhere, a genuine person will turn up with ID.

Scepticalwotsits · 20/12/2022 08:32

user1471548941 · 20/12/2022 08:18

Warrant officer is an army rank.

I’m being a pedant but it’s also a rank in the Navy and RAF

Alibabasonethief · 20/12/2022 08:33

Yep warrant officer is a military rank AWOL maybe or just a scam.

SequinShagger · 20/12/2022 08:53

People don’t read threads do they

just post what everyone else said

Greenfairydust · 20/12/2022 09:08

You should not give any kind of personal info like that about anyone over the phone.

If this is someone chasing a debt, they should send official documents or visit in person with ID and so on and make a request for information.

I would have put the phone down after saying ''we don't provide personal information over the phone to random callers, contact us in writing with official documents''.

Job done.

sobeyondthehills · 20/12/2022 09:12

There is a scam, regarding a warrant being out for your arrest.

I have known them to use a few terms to sound official, such as enforcement agent, Tax officer, Bailiff etc and they can get very pushy very quickly, so it might be that

Luredbyapomegranate · 20/12/2022 09:14

It a scam, or a dodgy loan company, or some crim carry on.

No one even half legit would threaten to come round to check if you were lying (!)

Anyone working in an even half official capacity would go through HR

Whoever it is has just heard the term warrant officer and is hoping that will be enough to get whatever they want out of some daft person.

Ignore / forget / put the phone down next time.

Luredbyapomegranate · 20/12/2022 09:16

RewildingAmbridge · 20/12/2022 08:28

This will either be a bailiff or a court warrant officer, for someone who is warrant without bail having failed to attend a court hearing, they have shortly to pick someone up and convey them to court. Court warrants for high risk of serious harm cases are executed by police, the rest are carried out by subcontracted companies. They're not known for their diplomacy.

It won’t. It’s a scam or a loan shark.

Baliffs don’t behave in that random fashion

jinjo · 20/12/2022 09:16

This is a warrant officer: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrant_officer_(United_Kingdom)

Yesthatismychildsigh · 20/12/2022 09:26

Yes it’s a military tank. But anyone that holds a warrant card is technically a warrant officer. Even HMRC have people with warrant cards. Im guessing it was from a court but it’s odd they didn’t tell you where they were from after using that term.

SnowlayRoundabout · 20/12/2022 09:33

It doesn't matter if they do come to your work, does it? They will simply confirm that the person they want isn't there. I'm not clear why you seem worried about this?

AllMyExesWearRolexes · 20/12/2022 10:42

@Yesthatismychildsigh
HMRC do not carry Warrant Cards. They carry identification cards.
Their authority comes from the Customs and Excise Management Act, 1979 & the Commissioners of Revenue and Customs Act, 2005.

Original poster
Cinnamontoas · 20/12/2022 11:10

WrongLife · 20/12/2022 08:04

Do you mean a police officer who had a warrant to arrest someone?

They said
'I am a warrant officer'
and then referred to themselves again as a waarant officer when telling me they would come to the businesses premises to check if I was lying.
They did not refer to themselves as a police officer.

OP posts:
Original poster
Cinnamontoas · 20/12/2022 11:11

user175438765 · 20/12/2022 08:16

Are you HR, if not I would have put the call through to them to deal with

It's a small business, there's no HR department.

OP posts:
Original poster
Cinnamontoas · 20/12/2022 11:12

Alumpyreflection · 20/12/2022 08:25

Sounds like a bailiff! I once had one turn up at work demanding to see a person who was a supplier to our business but not employed or officially connected to us. Seems this person had put our company's address down as their company's trading offices. Cheers mate! 🤨

Bailiff was quite pushy and insistent as presumably they're used to people being evasive and lying. We were able to show clearly this was a different, unconnected company and that was the end of it. Once you provide proof, usually they move on to their next lead.

Thank you for sharing your experience, I suspect it might a similar situation.

Annoying, as a quick Google could have answered any questions they had!

OP posts:
Original poster
Cinnamontoas · 20/12/2022 11:15

SnowlayRoundabout · 20/12/2022 09:33

It doesn't matter if they do come to your work, does it? They will simply confirm that the person they want isn't there. I'm not clear why you seem worried about this?

It wouldn't be ideal if they turned up, it would be a further waste of my time!

Which part makes you think I seem so worried? I am curious to know if its a scam, the phone call got me thinking and I'd like to know if other people have experienced anything similar.

OP posts:
dontgobaconmyheart · 20/12/2022 11:18

In any case it would not have been appropriate to answer questions about someone else's information anyway. I'd have not entertained them past the point of saying that person is no longer with us and we have no information to provide.

They'd have got the same if they wanted to waste their time coming to the premises as well, and would be asked to leave it and the police called if their demeanour was threatening.

The situation is nothing to do with you OP and so I'd not worry about it or involve yourself in it any further. They are not the police.