Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Disturbing random text, police aren't interested.

81 replies

Shortandsweet96 · 15/04/2019 20:19

Today I recieved a text from a random mobile number it reads:

"Hi. I am looking for a young girl. Maybe you know someone or have a sister or kid"

At first I thought it was someone trying to "prank call/text" me but I thought who in their right minds would pretend to act like a peadophile as a joke. So me thinking it might be someone I know text back to say no but their mobile number and message will now go on my social media (trying to scare then into admitting who they are and tell me not to) they just said "let me know where I'll have a look" creep.. so I then got suspicious.

I sent a screenshot to my family chat and said it was weird, aakes them to check the number to see if it showed on anyones contacts, asked my friend who was here at the time to check too. But nothing came up I googled the mobile number and nothing came up.

A family member suggested 141 ans calling the number, I did this and what sounded like a grown man answered, he sounded older with an Asian accent..

I freaked out and hung up, then 141 called again and said I may have dialled the wrong person and asked who it was. They was having none of it and hung up.

So I popped into the local police station with the text and explained what had happened, that I thought it was a friend dicking around but when called a grown man answered.

Person at the window at the police station just said ignore it there nothing they can do. They didnt even take the phone number? She read the message and just told me to ignore it.

AIBU to think they should have at least taken the number down? What if this is a genuine peadophile? I feel sick to my stomach thinking someone could actually want to find a young girl and isn't shy about texting random numbers to get there.

OP posts:
Original poster
Shortandsweet96 · 15/04/2019 20:21

Disclaimer: my instant thought was how creepy the text read. Reading it on here they could just want someone for modelling or a servey.. but seems very very odd.

OP posts:
HBStowe · 15/04/2019 20:23

How upsetting for you. But I think it must have been a prank. Paedophiles operate underground - it would be far too dangerous to randomly text numbers with no idea who was on the other end. You could have been a policewoman yourself for all they would have known.

It will be some arsehole being a thoughtless wanker. Horrible, horrible thing for you, but I think you can be reassured that it’s not someone who is really out to harm children.

wigglypiggly · 15/04/2019 20:25

report it to your mobile phone company and don't reply to any more texts

Original poster
Shortandsweet96 · 15/04/2019 20:26

You're more than likely right, but I'm also concerned at where this person even got a hold of my mobile number? I'm always very careful not to pur my mobile number in on anything online as I used to get so many annoying promotional texts.

Just so creeped out I've recieved this and cannot do anything about it.

OP posts:
SteveTheSpiderPlant · 15/04/2019 20:26

I am fairly certain it is a prank. There is no way on earth that a paedophile would attempt to gind victims this way, it's never going to work.

Original poster
Shortandsweet96 · 15/04/2019 20:27

I only sent the one text. Nothing since as realised ir may not be someone I know by their reply. Yuck.

OP posts:
HollowTalk · 15/04/2019 20:27

It doesn't sound like a prank at all. I'm amazed the police aren't interested.

Lifecraft · 15/04/2019 20:27

Hi. I am looking for a young girl. Maybe you know someone or have a sister or kid

In isolation, there's nothing sinister in that. It depends on the context. A friend of mine runs an agency supplying extras for tv programmes and adverts. She could have sent that text, to your number in error.

Original poster
Shortandsweet96 · 15/04/2019 20:30

In nearly 23.. I thought prank calling.. and/or texting would have went our of fashion when we turned 13 eye rolls

Someone must be bored on a Monday. I'm so angry about it. Such a childish and malicious thing to do. I could understand someone peanking me with something mildly funny but wanting a young girl/kid? Really? Just crass humour.

OP posts:
Original poster
Shortandsweet96 · 15/04/2019 20:32

@lifecraft
Absolutely. I just found it creepy there was absolutely no context to the text. Qhy not explain why?

Also for a grown man to answer the phone and then be extremely reluctant to talk or tell me his name just seemed odd.

OP posts:
user1480880826 · 15/04/2019 20:39

This doesn’t sound like a prank to me. And it really doesn’t sound as harmless as someone looking for child models. If you were doing that you would give the message a bit more context so that it didn’t sound so suspicious.

I imagine someone thought they were sending a message to someone else. Perhaps they mistyped the number.

I would go back to the police or crime stoppers.

Original poster
Shortandsweet96 · 15/04/2019 20:45

I would go back to the love if she hadn't made me feel as though I'd made a fuss over nothing. She literally shrugged it off.

How do I get in touch with crime stoppers.

I'd rather know I've done the right thing for nothing than not do it at all.

OP posts:
ScurrilousSquirrel · 15/04/2019 20:51

Do you think it could be paedophile hunters, trying to trap people?

fashiondevotee · 15/04/2019 20:54

Ugh, that's super creepy and would also give me bad vibes. I hope you get to the bottom of it!

Tinkoschminko · 15/04/2019 20:59

This to me reads as if they’re casting the net out to kids - sister?

SileneOliveira · 15/04/2019 20:59

I'm also concerned at where this person even got a hold of my mobile number

Same way as the people who phone me telling me about PPI or asking if I'd had a crash get mine.

Or they just guess.

boringlyboring · 15/04/2019 20:59

Have you searched on facebook as well as googling? Google would be unlikely to show a mob no unless linked to a company or similar I think.

Original poster
Shortandsweet96 · 15/04/2019 21:01

@scurriloussquirrel

Well, yes that would be great to know someone is trying to shut paedophiles down before they harm anyone.
But that doesn't explain why they would have MY numberSad

I suffer from anxiety quite nastily so I know I'm going to dwell on this text for a while and now feel abit helpless Sad

OP posts:
Original poster
Shortandsweet96 · 15/04/2019 21:04

@boringlyboring

Good idea, just search and no matches :(
I really wish I knew who it wasAngry

OP posts:
gnomeisland · 15/04/2019 21:04

You have a local police station you can just wander into, with a human being behind a screen?

ScurrilousSquirrel · 15/04/2019 21:04

They might be randomly texting numbers to try to catch people. (And I don't support paedo hunters, BTW)

Nicknacky · 15/04/2019 21:05

There is plenty of police offices still open. Only our small outlying ones shut.

pessimisticstateofperception · 15/04/2019 21:05

Also for a grown man to answer the phone and then be extremely reluctant to talk or tell me his name just seemed odd.

That's not odd. If a withheld number calls you and starts asking your name would you answer their questions?

It does sound creepy, but realistically the police can't do anything, no crime has been committed at all.

Original poster
Shortandsweet96 · 15/04/2019 21:05

@gnomeisland

Yes.. doesnt everywhere? Or Is that weird?

OP posts:
Original poster
Shortandsweet96 · 15/04/2019 21:09

I know no crime has actually been committed.
But its unnerving. What if it is a peadophile. Do they just wait like sitting ducks until he takes a child? Knowing someone had tried to report it.

I know that's an extremely unlikely scenario but I'm always wandering 'what if?'

It could be completely innocent also, I was just interested to hear other people opinions and a what would you do sort of situation. I'm probably overreacting.

OP posts: