Emergency SOS text received, from a person I knew 15 yrs ago but not met since 2011

[piddocktrumperiness]

I received an SOS text from Apple, with a location of someone I knew 15 yrs ago. We worked together in a call centre but have not been in touch since 2011 and I didn't have her number stored on my phone. I looked up the number on WhatsApp- the photo matches the person. Location matches where she lives.

I initially thought it was a scam but thought best be safe- called her number, no answer, left a message on her voicemail. I sent her a WhatsApp too.

Have I been scammed? I've never heard or seen of this type of message before but what flagged up my doubt is that it said I was contacted as I'm listed as an emergency contact- which I know can't be true. I do wonder if my name was accessible from contact list due to my surname or first name.

Have I done something stupid here? anyone else experience this?

The police might send out a car-sized drone with thermal imaging rather than the traditional blue light vehicle. That will depend on the force involved and the location. The drone can loiter and circle an area taking readings from different angles to try and build up a picture of what is below. The police have certainly started using these in some parts of the country but not immediately adjacent to airports.

So did the blue lights contact you ? Or this lady contact you ?

Hope she is ok!

I'm sorry but this is ridiculous. The police are not seeing a bloody huge drone out to search for a woman based on this SOS sent to her old friend.

Well I hope all is ok and it’s been a tech error or a mistake Op.

It is not so ridiculous at all. I was basing that possibility on the fact that the OP had received confirmation from the police that they were sending ‘blue lights’ to the confirmed area.

If that was for the response OP got, it is possible that rather than sending out a car, a drone might be sent instead. Drones are used for situations like this, but as I said they are not always small ones flown from out of a box, like an amateur drone club.

They do have blue lights though, generally alternating between blue and red, and a range of equipment for thermal imaging. We live remote and the last one I saw was 6 nights ago as it came overhead before heading off to an area of farmland. It was a fair size and was sweeping backwards and forwards in a grid like pattern above the lane network. I saw it because I was out looking at the night sky. I then tracked it on Flight Radar (clearly shown as a drone). I suspect on that occasion it was sent to investigate some local rural crime. Three years ago in the same location a similar drone was sent to try to locate a missing person, someone elderly with memory loss.

So you are wrong to say the police “are not going to”. They do. It was a possibility in the OP’s case, nothing more.

I got one of the these when my friend was involved in a car accident. She called 999 and I was alerted as her emergency point of contact. In my case it was genuine.

@Zuffe

No really.

Under the circumstances of the thread it would be ridiculous to digest this might happen.

What was the outcome OP?

She may never be told the outcome

I do doubt this is true - but why would the phone send an sos to every contact? Even your plumber?! Get away. It's nonsense.

Sorry - I DON'T doubt this is true!

I hope she’s okay.

You're lucky to get the Police - they are like hen's teeth around here 🙄

Those who are simply posting “.” because they want to follow the thread, you do realise you can follow the thread without posting those annoying posts.

@NewAmma @wondering100 @BestBeforeDatex

Under the circumstances of the thread?

The circumstances where OP at 23:46 said they had conversed with the police who were despatching? On that basis it is not ridiculous to assume they would send a car or a drone. There is precedent for both. In Heartbeat, just the car. But in 2023 a drone is entirely possible.

Of course it may be that you do not believe OP at all, based on your first post, but that is a different issue.

It could be a set up for a further message asking for money...

How easy is it to do this call by accident?

It doesn’t send a message to all of your contacts. You chose a select few that when you activate the emergency alarm it will send an automated message (like op has received) to them. You can also set it so it will connect to the emergency services unless you turn the alarm off.

It likely that op was set as an emergency contact and the woman has forgotten to change it, or she added her by accident.

You did the right thing OP. Hope your friend is okay.

I did this by accident once. Scared the shit out of my ICE contacts. Somehow my phone pressed the buttons while in my bag!

You definitely did the right thing @piddocktrumperiness 😊 hopefully it’s just an accident and she’s triggered it accidentally. Maybe she did put you as emergency contact years ago if she knew you were dependable and didn’t have anyone else around? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I accidentally set my emergency alert off while I was heavily pregnant during lockdown 😬😅 somehow set it off throwing my phone onto my bed as I left the room to get in the bath 🙈 it sent alerts to my parents, my sibling and DH who was on a rig in the North Sea at the time. All kinds of chaos ensued while I was just soaking in the bath 🙈

I hope your friend is ok, I had this from an ex friend and it was her phone sending them accidentally. Not a scam, just an accidental button push.

@Glitteratitar nope I didn't know hence why I done it