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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

If you suspected someone had faked a covid text....

49 replies

24YearsAtTheTapEnd · 18/03/2021 15:47

....to say it's positive, is there any way of telling whether they were lying or not?

Just say, they were self employed, they sent this out to their clients to show that they had covid, but there some weird shit that doesn't add up and you wondered if it was every true.
(The week before, I told this person how my kid got pranked because his friend sent round a text saying that he was positive but all his friend had done was copy and paste the text and change the name to his. A seed had been sown...)

I just wondered if there was a way of finding out if it was true without asking them for more proof?

OP posts:

SnipSnipMrBurgess · 18/03/2021 16:47

If someone is self employed I don't know if they would be willing to do this. They might lose out on business.

However I know someone who tested positive for covid and when called by the track and trace system, gave their friends names as close contacts so they could get 2 weeks off work under the guise of self isolating, even though they weren't in contact. So God knows what people would do.

Everythingiswonderful · 18/03/2021 17:15

@SnipSnipMrBurgess

If someone is self employed I don't know if they would be willing to do this. They might lose out on business.

I would judge the hell out of all parties for that!

Reinventinganna · 18/03/2021 17:17

Does it matter?

islockdownoveryet · 18/03/2021 17:20

@DavidsSchitt

What benefits are they getting by faking it?

Yes and if this person was self employed even more reason why they would want to fake it . I’d get a child at school or someone wanting some time off but not a self employed person. Saying that why would you send your text as proof who wants to see it ? Only a employer or school if required. To answer your question I suppose unless you know what a official text looks like you wouldn’t know . I’m curious now why anyone would fake it what would a self employed person gain ?.

ParadiseIsland · 18/03/2021 17:35

@B33Fr33

You can only drill down into an area. It won't go by street. Obviously if there were 0 cases for that week then it'd be dodgy, though not completely reliable either. Our area just dropped to zero briefly, for eg. But I don't know how accurate that is.

Your area won’t show 0 cases but ‘suppressed rates’ when it’s below 3 cases in one area. BECAUSE it is otherwise too obvious and finger pointing towards one specific person.

Mooloolabababy · 18/03/2021 18:11

We were talking about this at work the other day and tested it out, when you forward on the text you have received from the NHS you can alter it.

moanieleminx · 18/03/2021 18:25

@Mooloolabababy

We were talking about this at work the other day and tested it out, when you forward on the text you have received from the NHS you can alter it.

Is a text the only confirmation you get?

(No uk resident) we get medical certificates for employers and schools with the dates of confinement on them. And they do check that we are sticking to our address...

Mooloolabababy · 18/03/2021 18:30

@moanieleminx you get an email too, but this can also be doctored (I've just tried it).

doublehalo · 18/03/2021 18:48

Get a life OP.

What your cleaner does in her spare time is none of your business.

dontgobaconmyheart · 18/03/2021 18:57

But OP that is exactly what you want to know - someone elses confidential medical information. No you're not entitled to that.

Unless this has left you financially let down and you are seeking a claim (or similar) then I'd just accept it wasnt your business. Evrn if you were taking legal action tbh it is not for you personally to be digging like this, it's an overstep, and a bit weird.

Oblomov21 · 18/03/2021 19:04

I don't know why people think it's so unusual. We've had it twice at work recently. Two SE people. My boss suspected that both were factious, he investigated, asked them and they admitted it.

LabbyNoona · 18/03/2021 19:11

Local authorities get postcode level data which shows pretty accurately which postcodes have residents who have tested positive - but that data isn’t in public domain for obvious reasons. You won’t be able to actually identify whether she is lying other than hacking her phone or something, which I wouldn’t advise

islockdownoveryet · 18/03/2021 19:42

@Oblomov21

I don't know why people think it's so unusual. We've had it twice at work recently. Two SE people. My boss suspected that both were factious, he investigated, asked them and they admitted it.

And why if they self employed what did they gain?

Original poster

24YearsAtTheTapEnd · 18/03/2021 20:10

@doublehalo

Get a life OP.

What your cleaner does in her spare time is none of your business.

My CLEANER?!

A cleaner being off work doesn't mean that 7 other people have to be off work.

OP posts:

PinkArt · 18/03/2021 22:51

For me and for every other self employed person I know - most people are in my industry - getting test and traced has been a huge fear all year. Lots of people have turned the app off when they've had work coming up, as they can't risk the financial hit if they're asked to isolate. There has been zero government support for so many of us. I can't understand what would motivate any self employed person to do this

islockdownoveryet · 18/03/2021 23:00

The op doesn’t want to explain why a self employed person would fake a positive test . It makes no sense to me please enlighten us .

SmeleanorSmellstrop · 18/03/2021 23:20

You sound really nasty.

If someone jas faked a covid result because they're that desperate for time off, I'd be worried about them.

Pjsandbaileys · 18/03/2021 23:20

It's not difficult to have a fake text result. Copy and paste the result notification and you can easily alter name or result. I don't know why you would want to though, surely saying you had to isolate as a close contact would be easier and would be less disruptive to the rest of your househouse? Obviously if you where that way inclined, its really dishonest and not sure you would feel the need too.

FaceyRomford · 19/03/2021 00:28

Why do you care?

greeneyedlulu · 19/03/2021 00:38

Maybe they faked it to stay away from you for a bit longer shrugs
Why are you so invested in this?
Has this "positive" result put you and yours out of work?

CartBfree · 19/03/2021 03:20

but there some weird shit that doesn't add up and you wondered if it was every true.

What was the weird shit

CartBfree · 19/03/2021 03:21

@greeneyedlulu

Maybe they faked it to stay away from you for a bit longer shrugs Why are you so invested in this? Has this "positive" result put you and yours out of work?

Ahhh I was guessing it was the ops dp

Original poster

24YearsAtTheTapEnd · 19/03/2021 13:10

@greeneyedlulu

Maybe they faked it to stay away from you for a bit longer shrugs Why are you so invested in this? Has this "positive" result put you and yours out of work?

Yes. And several other people as well.

OP posts:

sparepantsandtoothbrush · 19/03/2021 13:29

Yes, that's the other thing. The dates worked out SO well that this person missed out on minimal amount of money and none of us had to isolate as a result and it was added on to the holiday of this person

*greeneyedlulu

Maybe they faked it to stay away from you for a bit longer shrugs
Why are you so invested in this?
Has this "positive" result put you and yours out of work?

Yes. And several other people as well*

But you said, as a result, nobody had to isolate? So how were you out of work? This is pretty confusing

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