To be concerned about a man sitting outside my house for the past 5 hours?

[Whitechocolatetoblerone]

As title.

I was making breakfast before I dashed out to work at 7.55 pm and a car with blacked out windows parks up on the pavement outside. A man sat there with an iPad.

I have just returned home for lunch 5.5 hours later and he is still here, still sat in the car with iPad. I am here on my own for the next few days as DP is away and it is freaking me out. It is a residential street but quiet as we are in the country.

Should I approach him?

I had this happen a few times, dodgy neighbour (oh, a very respectable front!) and they were credits/bailiffs waiting to pounce when he came home/went out.

Once had a proper "stake out" with two blokes in sunglasses and suits eating donuts, then after 3 hours jumping out of the car to run up to his door to intercept him.

I did approach them and they just told me they were waiting for someone.

I always approach unknown people parking in front of my house for a long period.

Maybe he's on Mumsnet to see how long a thread he can cause.

He's probably an investigator - benefit fraud or fraudulent injury claim type.

I won't tell you my experience of this op because it will put the shits up you. If he is still there when you get home bang on the window and demand to know what he is waiting for.

Two men were sitting in a car outside DH's work for hours and in the end he had to go and find out what they were doing. They ignored him so he tapped on the window and one of them mouthed: 'Piss off.' So DH did.

A little while later police cars screeched from nowhere, they piled into the house opposite and dragged out a man in handcuffs. It was a stake out. We never found out what the man had done.

If he's there when you get back, just tap the window and ask him if he's lost or if he's looking for someone, in a helpful stylee

To be a bit of a downer. A feiend has severe anxiety and depression. His way of coping when he has an attack is to turn his car into a bit of a sanctuary against the world. He will drive away. Phone off. Park and spend hours mayb sometimes nights listening to audio books and reading/surfing the net.

Glaring isn't really going to help is it? Ask him why he's there.

Erm maybe he's got a 3G enabled iPad?

OP I think you need to calm down a bit

Your Dp obviously doesn't trust you while he's away

I appreciate he's probably not going to burgle the house as he'd probably have done it already, I am just a bit creeped out that I know someone has seen my every movement today.

Sounds like a private investigator. As he is parked right outside your house, he is probably watching a neighbour. Could be anything from benefit fraud, although unlikely as 5 hours is a long time, or spouse suspecting an affair.

He could still be using wifi despite the passcodes. An awful lot of people use passwords like "12345" or "password".

He might even, and I don't like to blind you with the complex science of this, have an iPad with a built in 3G modem, or have it tethered to his mobile phone. Yes, I know, complicated stuff, only used by spooky people.

He might be using his dongle

Is he still there, OP?

If I were you I'd call the police when you get back from supper, there is no way I'd be tapping politely on some blokes car window to enquire what he's doing.

Have you texted/called any of your neighbours to see if they have noticed him/have any ideas?

If I could drive I would totally park up somewhere and enjoy a few hours peace. There's a man in the area who used to sit by my block of flats for a while and it turns out he loans people money, but someone hadn't paid him back so he sat waiting 9 hours for them to get home

Just got home and he is still here. Ringing 101 now. Sorry but you don't sit outside someone's house for 8 hours. That's just weird

Did he not even go for a wee?
Does he have MI5 in the back of the van?

Blatant place marking.

He must be peeing in a pot.

I would be worried about this too, understand why you are calling 101

it won't be anything to do with you I'm sure.

let us know what the good folks of 101 say.

Really?

He'll probably leave in a few hours when it's "home time".

If he was suspicious, he probably wouldn't have allowed you to see both him and his car several times today.

And if he was an investigator or police, he wouldn't be playing on his iPad.

I get that you are jumpier because you are home alone, but he's not doing anything wrong. He's sitting in his car, on a public road, playing on his iPad and probably pretending to be at work. He probably hasn't moved around because that uses fuel, and he needs to drive an exact distance so his other half doesn't clock that he hasn't actually been at work.

I live on my own, I get the fear, but he really doesn't seem scary. I'd have the police here all the time if I called every time a strange man worried me.

i think it is reasonable to request that the OP updates this thread every five minutes so that we know she is ok and that the quiet man in his car hasn't done anything to her

Arf at dongle.