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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To suspect my guest

100 replies

Wallywobbles · 15/12/2018 19:21

So we have someone staying with us in France who we really don't know well. He is Czech (this is relevant). He arrived on Saturday last week. He is meant to be house sitting for us while we are away after Christmas. I have been in hospital with DD2 for a week so he's been home alone in the day, taking care of the animals.

On Thursday this week I noticed that there had been 10 google play payments on my teen DD1s account using her credit card, starting on Monday. None of us have a google play account. All macs/apple household. DD1s card was in her purse in her room, fairly discretely put away, and unused since August.

Duly cancelled card and are awaiting the documents to report the fraud to the bank - docs coming by post. Three more payments went out yesterday, pretty much to be expected - total amount 230€. I know that I am likely to be refunded the money - it'll take up to10 days so that's not really this issue.

Today I went into the bank and was talking about the fraud and asked for a bit more detail about it. I used to work for another branch of this bank so know that they can see more than I can. It turns out all the payments were in Czech Koruna. Up to this point it hadn't really occurred to me that it might be the guest.

I have reported the fraud to google as well.

My question is two fold I suppose.

  1. If we talk to guest and ask about this I can't see anyway that it will end well. Can anyone think of a way of asking this without it going down like cold sick? I have no proof that its him, just a single set of suspicious circumstances. But on the other hand, if we don't ask/do something will we come back to our house empty of everything after our trip away?
  1. How far will the bank take it? Will they track down the fraud down to the perpetrator? My feeling is probably not? I'm concerned that if we go to the police we either won't get reimbursed (and we do need it) or they won't do anything/will make it worse. I could potentially ask someone at the bank if they can find out more, but I don't know anyone in the right department.
OP posts:
jarhead123 · 15/12/2018 20:05

Also wondering why someone you don't really know is house sitting?

DonaldDucksTowel · 15/12/2018 20:06

How do you know this person?

Doubletrouble99 · 15/12/2018 20:10

I wouldn't be confronting him. I would just ask him to go and say something like your trip has been changed.

Lifeofsmiley · 15/12/2018 20:10

If this is what he’s up to while you are in the house I dread to think what will be going on in your absence

DopeyDazy · 15/12/2018 20:14

you need to tie him to a chair and cut one finger off at a time with secaturs until he confesses,am watching a gangster film and that seems to work well

Anniegetyourgun · 15/12/2018 20:14

It makes such a mess though.

mummmy2017 · 15/12/2018 20:16

Tell him someone has used your dd card and the police are tracing the payments and coming to see you tonight....
Bet he suddenly leaves.

Ninabean17 · 15/12/2018 20:20

Yep. It's him. Get him out of your house and change the locks.

Lweji · 15/12/2018 20:23

Even if he stole the card, the payment system should be more secure to ensure it's the holder and not a thief, so, I'd think you should get reimbursed. That's why things like phone codes, etc exist.

I wouldn't leave this person alone in the house and would certainly report it to the police, preferably before he goes away.

Flamingoose · 15/12/2018 20:24

Could he have done something that incurred a charge without knowing? My daughter downloads books onto her kindle and it automatically takes the money from my account. Could he have downloaded a movie or done something online that he didn't realise has automatically taken the money?

CanuckBC · 15/12/2018 20:28

Definitely him. Why else would it be in Czech money? How do you know him? Why is he in your house? I am sure your bank could tell you the account it’s attached to.

I would absolutely confront him. What computer is he using in the household? Check the history on it. Check the google accounts attached to it. He may have left it signed in.

HollowTalk · 15/12/2018 20:28

But he's done it ten times!

HollowTalk · 15/12/2018 20:29

I agree about saying the police are coming - I reckon he'll disappear. Just make sure everything valuable is nailed down.

cowfacemonkey · 15/12/2018 20:33

I wouldn’t approach him about it I would report him to the police and ask him to leave your property. I’d change your locks too

GodThisIsShit · 15/12/2018 20:33

Occam's Razor innit - the simplest solution tends to be the correct one.

Original poster
Wallywobbles · 15/12/2018 20:34

So as to the why he's here. He comes through a website. We've had lots of people via the site before. We prefer to get to know people so they tend to stay a while. Some work out brilliantly some less so. Never had anything stolen over the 8 years we've done it. We cover all costs while they're here.

He doesn't have keys so that shouldn't be an issue.

Accusing him doesn't seem like a very worthwhile exercise without proof. I was hoping if someone knew if it could be traced back to him. I'd like proof if possible.

The card is not linked to anything online at all so no real chance it could be an error.

OP posts:
Chloe84 · 15/12/2018 20:36

You'd be crazy to leave him alone in your home.

Lweji · 15/12/2018 20:39

It's the police that should get proof, via the bank and Google, and so on.
Not you.

I think the bank reports the fraud to the police, but you should be able to add some information to the case. It won't help your case if they link the charges to your wifi/ip adress (or whatever) although he could have passed the details to someone else.

Regardless, I wouldn't leave someone I didn't trust alone in my house for days.

Lweji · 15/12/2018 20:40

Can't you ask a neighbour or recruit some teen locally?

Doyoumind · 15/12/2018 20:41

Only Google would be able to offer proof and they wouldn't give it to you. I think you would have to go through the police to get anywhere with it.

Lweji · 15/12/2018 20:42

I think the bank reports the fraud to the police

Correction to this: it may be different in France. Last time it happened to me it was in the UK and it was a while ago. So, check if you need to report it or the bank does.

UpstartCrow · 15/12/2018 20:43

Wallywobbles I'm not trying to freak you out but he found your daughters purse in her bedroom. It wasn't left lying around, it was in her room. so its likely that he's been all over the house.
Get the police involved and look for all your documents and spare keys, and get your locks changed.

feministfairy · 15/12/2018 20:46

OP,
You really have to consider that if he's fraudulently accessed your teen's account then it is likely that he is busy accessing your other accounts and going through your possessions. You really can't take the risk given what you already know. There's a danger is that if he continues, your insurance will be void / banks won't compensate as you knowingly left a crook in your house despite having evidence of his wrongdoing.

makingmammaries · 15/12/2018 20:53

I had fraud on my bank card in France a year ago, and the bank told me to go to the police and get a paper to say i’d reported it, which I duly did. The police have a special form for that. The refund could not be processed until I provided that paper to the bank.

Get the guy out, OP.

FiveShelties · 15/12/2018 20:55

If he is up to something whilst you are thee, what on earth will he be doing whilst you are away?

Just because you have not given him a key, that does not mean he does not have one, I would definitely change the locks after he leaves.