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Original poster

Really worried have I just fallen for a scam?

53 replies

Sidebeforeself · 18/10/2023 16:44

Middle of day working from home. Intercom goes and someone asks if I have drooped a bank card. I would have normally just said no and put phone down but my husband had just left , with a friend I literally just met so it was feasible someone might have dropped it. Went to the door and it was a nice friendly young lad , dressed casually. He said he was walking past , that he lives around the corner and lived around teh corner saw it on our path. I said it wasn’t mine but it might be someone’s in teh flats and he just said ok and walked off.

qBut when I’ve looked at it it’s not a bank card is a Bet Fred card with a chip in it? Don’t know what they are used for.

Im worried now he was casing the house. Either just checking if someone was in to chance it, or sizing the place up.

Anyone heard of this? Not much I can do now but kicking myself . Let’s face it “Have you dropped your bank card?” Is designed to get you to your front door.

OP posts:

NerrSnerr · 18/10/2023 16:51

Maybe he didn't know what the card was either and was just trying to do a good deed? I have knocked on nearby doors when I have found important looking lost stuff in the past.

Hellocatshome · 18/10/2023 17:10

Sounds like he thought it was a debit card and was trying to be helpful.

Plenty of ways to check if someone is in a house without making up stupid stuff about a debit card on the path.

Original poster

Sidebeforeself · 18/10/2023 17:44

Yes but you could say that about the pizza delivery scam .. no need to go to those lengths but people do

OP posts:

littlebirdieblu · 18/10/2023 17:46

Sounds like you're overthinking this

TheSpruce · 18/10/2023 17:46

But what have you fallen for? Letting him know you're at home?

Redglitter · 18/10/2023 17:46

It's a shame we always see things as suspicious these days. Sounds like he was just trying to do a nice thing.

Hellocatshome · 18/10/2023 17:47

Sidebeforeself · 18/10/2023 17:44

Yes but you could say that about the pizza delivery scam .. no need to go to those lengths but people do

Yes but either way now he knows there is someone at home so 🤷‍♀️

bossybloss · 18/10/2023 17:48

Sounda feasible. I heard if someone having their car broken into .. they stole her Slimming Works card, presumably mistaking it for a credit card! There are so many different styles and colours of debit cards nowadays !

Seas164 · 18/10/2023 17:48

What scam do you feel you may have fallen for? At worst he was checking to see if anyone was in. And now he knows the answer to that, nothing else.

Try not to worry.

BertieBotts · 18/10/2023 17:48

I'd never heard of that pizza delivery scam, just looked it up and it seems to only be in Canada. It wouldn't work in the UK because surely all delivery drivers take cash?

I think someone was trying to do something nice. I'd just put the card back outside, leave it in a communal area, or hand it in to your local BetFred branch or throw it away. It's probably just a membership card or something, if there's any money stored on it, it's likely to be in an account somewhere, not only stored on the card itself.

BertieBotts · 18/10/2023 17:49

And the pizza delivery scam is an attempt to clone card details. Which sort of does require thieves to go to some elaborate effort.

Us3r · 18/10/2023 17:51

I used to do a lot of matched betting and some bookies do actually give you a debit card to access money in the bookmaker accounts. I had a bet365 one.

Original poster

Sidebeforeself · 18/10/2023 17:53

The pizza delivery scam I’m referring to is checking if you are in, whether there’s a dog, looking into your house etc. Yes I’m taking comfort from the fact I showed someone was in

OP posts:

BertieBotts · 18/10/2023 17:53

Yes but it's stored in an account, not only on the card?

User0000009 · 18/10/2023 18:05

Some time ago my son got into a cab he had booked. Our car wasn’t on the drive and because me and DH were in the kitchen window was open. A bloke knocked and asked if my son had picked up his phone on his way out as he said he’d dropped it. I rang my son in the cab and he said no he hadn’t, but that he had seen the bloke hanging around as he left. I believe he saw my son go out and thought the house was empty because the kitchen window was open so he knocked to check

TeaGinandFags · 18/10/2023 18:29

The solution to your worries is to call 101 and speak to someone who actually knows the bigger picture.

If this is a scam then the police will be aware and more than one person and will need to know, especially since you can provide a description. (I think it is.) If not, no harm done.

VanellopeVonSchweetz99 · 18/10/2023 18:39

I'm suspicious of any stranger coming to my door these days, ever since MIL got horribly doorstep scammed at the beginning of her Alzheimer's diagnosis. There was no way those people hadn't done their research and marked her down as an easy victim before they went for it.

Original poster

Sidebeforeself · 18/10/2023 20:19

Im so annoyed with myself..DH isn’t impressed either

OP posts:

Seas164 · 18/10/2023 20:21

Sidebeforeself · 18/10/2023 20:19

Im so annoyed with myself..DH isn’t impressed either

You're annoyed at yourself for... opening the door?

Paperpurple · 18/10/2023 20:24

Sidebeforeself · 18/10/2023 20:19

Im so annoyed with myself..DH isn’t impressed either

But if it was the scam you think it was then surely it was better to answer the door? I don't understand.

Original poster

Sidebeforeself · 18/10/2023 20:24

For possibly giving him an insight to the property and for falling for a line…if thats what it was

OP posts:

Paperpurple · 18/10/2023 20:26

Do halls vary that much from property to property?🤔

Original poster

Sidebeforeself · 18/10/2023 20:28

I know im probably overthinking it . But it feels like i fell for a story to get me to the door and in the time he was talking to me about a bank card that is now obviously not a bank card, he’s possibly had a good look behind me, worked out there’s no guard dog etc.Typing that makes me realise im possibly being v silly!

OP posts:

Original poster

Sidebeforeself · 18/10/2023 20:28

I don’t understand what you mean @Paperpurple

OP posts:

WYorkshireRose · 18/10/2023 20:29

I find it baffling to think some people go through life overthinking to this degree. What a miserable existence. Perhaps, just perhaps... he wasn't overthinking and genuinely thought it was a bank card?

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