To be a bit worried...

[BarneyAche]

I probably am but my spidey senses are tingling...

I got a phone call yesterday from a mobile. I answered “BarneyAche” and the phone went down. I was driving and completely forgot about it until today.
So my phone rings again from the same number (didn’t realise at the time) answered as I did yesterday and a female asked me “Is that Barney”, I said it was and she said that it was a confidential call and asked was I able to speak freely. I said I could and despite being perfectly clear (at least at my end) she said the line was crackling and put the phone down. I rang the number back and she answered the call and promptly put it down again. I then rang again and the phone was off. Rang back five minutes later and after a few rings I was sent to answerphone.

I remembered the call from yesterday and checked and realised it was the same number. So I googled it to see if it had been recorded as spam and nothing came up. No links to a company that I can find.

AIBU to think that there’s something I need to know...

After a gut feel so I won’t give you any background info.

Racecardriver

That’s an excellent idea!

I have checked the number against the contacts in his IPad and it’s not there.
Not a headhunter - I have two businesses one that is my bread and butter, pays our bills and is very much “mine” and one that I got involved in purely because of my DP and whilst legally mine, is run by my DP and is “his” in terms of what we each do on a day to day basis.

The combination of the two is quite unusual and would be quite outing. However, whilst my number is freely available to anyone who googles my name, you wouldn’t just stumble upon it IFYSWIM.

Ah-just got what you meant by headhunter! Doh!!!

Could be. In “my” business I get that kind of call quite a bit but I don’t get why they wouldn’t then pick up or even just email me. I would also have thought I would be able to find a headhunter’s number on google too.

I have told my DP about the calls over dinner and funnily enough he mentioned the “can you hear me?” Scam. No flicker of anything else crossed his face. He even said - “do you want me to call it for you?”
I told him not to bother it probably wasn’t a big deal.
I am definitely going to ring it tomorrow.

I have known both politicians and people with paranoid mh problems hang up over crackling phone lines, in case it’s being tapped

Ok two things. One. Never answer your phone when driving ever!!

And two, when you did answer you said your name so now they knew your name to ask for it the next day. I would just block the number. Unless you work for MI5 theres no need for such nonsense. Its probably a scam. I have had 2 phonecalls recently from 2 different mobile numbers both telling me I am a suspect in a criminal investigation and my house is under surveilance. Is news to me.

Very bizarre. I’d text them and ask them if they have anything to say, could they please just come out and say it!

Could you put the number in on mobile banking as 'pay a contact' - doesn't it give you the name the bank account is listed under? I don't mean to actually transfer them any money, but it might tell you who they are?!

Good idea Wilma - I’ll try that one.

Plan tomorrow is to call from another number before texting them if I don’t find out what is going on. I’ve obviously saved the number and will be checking against phone bills in case it is some kind of scam. It’s probably nothing but something doesn’t “feel” right.

Please dont call or text them. If it is a scam it could be a high rate number that charges you money to call it.

Also there is a thing on google(i forgot the name but its a software that allows people to create fake internet numbers. That means its an internet generated number that can make phonecalls and voicemails but its not actually registered to a person.

(It was on an episode of catfish once.)