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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be a bit creeped out by this phone call in the middle of the night?

227 replies

ReginaFalangeee · 19/08/2022 08:36

Sorry bit of a long story-

My mum received a phone call on the landline in the dead of night, around 3am.

She rushed downstairs to answer thinking one of the family had been in an accident.

When she answered there was a child
on the line (she thinks older primary school age boy) saying they were lost in a popular local wooded area, could she come and pick them up?

Apparently they didn’t sound scared and were very matter of fact about it but my mum was really worried about a child being lost and alone in the middle of the night and says against her better judgment she would have left to look for them had her car not been in for repairs.

According to my mum, this is a transcript of the call, from what she can remember.

Child- I’m lost down local wooded area, can you come and pick me up?

Mum- thinking this was grandson, (Grandson’s name) is that you, are you ok? How did you get down there? Where are your mum and dad?

Child -I don’t know, I’m lost. Can you pick me up?

Mum- realising it’s not grandson. What’s your name? Are you hurt? What’s happened? Where are your mum and dad?

Child- repeats I’m lost and stuck down local wooded area. Can you come and get me.

Mum- why didn’t you phone your mum and dad or the police? How did you get my number? I think I’d be better to call the police to come and help look for you.

Child- hangs up.

She phoned the police immediately who came round within 30mins and they took a statement the went and had a good look round the woods. No one was there.

The police came back to my mums after checking and asked if anyone would play a prank on her. If she’d fallen out with my one recently or if anyone would have a reason to make a phone call like that. My mum couldn’t think of anyone/or any reason.

They tried to call 1471 and trace the number but it was withheld. Also the weird thing is my mums number is ex-directory so unless they dialled a random number they would have had to know it.

My mum doesn’t seemed to phased by it and has written it off as a prank call but I can’t help being very creeped out by it. I think someone was either trying to lure her down the woods or was checking if she was home.

What do you think?

YABU - just a prank call, no need to be alarmed.

YANBU- definitely sinister

OP posts:
MrsEricBana · 19/08/2022 08:39

Very weird indeed but not sure there is much else you can do.

barelyfunctional · 19/08/2022 08:39

it does sound like someone was trying to lure her into the woods in the middle of the night, presumably then realised she was planning to call the police and got out of there before they showed up.

Lookingforrecommendations · 19/08/2022 08:40

That sounds like a a scam call, very worrying. It could be a prank too I suppose but I would tell your mum to never, ever go somewhere alone on the back of something like this.

barelyfunctional · 19/08/2022 08:40

Or as you said they were checking if she was home or trying to get her out of the house for a certain amount of time so they could break in with a rough idea of how
long she’d be out (the amount of time it takes to get to the woods, look round, and come back)

KangarooKenny · 19/08/2022 08:42

I’d say it’s just a prank, especially as they stuck to a script. She might want to look at unplugging the land line and using a mobile if it happens again.

Cornettoninja · 19/08/2022 08:42

Well it’s certainly unusual and I would be unnerved by it too.

I’m glad she called the police and had it logged and looked at formally.

PeterPomegranate · 19/08/2022 08:43

I’d be creeped out too. I’m pleased your mum isn’t. Just make sure she knows how to keep herself safe (ie not act on a call like that herself and calling the police was the right thing to do). I’m not sure there’s much else you can do.

AtomicBlondeRose · 19/08/2022 08:44

Summer holidays, 3am, child calling - I’d assume it was kids on a sleepover or something pulling a prank. They probably just dialled at random until someone picked up, or took a number they knew and changed a digit. I can’t see what the purpose would be of trying to lure someone to the woods - surely most people would call the police at that point, not go themselves?

Thesethingsareudderrated · 19/08/2022 08:45

That is so creepy! Sounds like a horrible and not so funny prank! Nasty!

KrisAkabusi · 19/08/2022 08:46

surely most people would call the police at that point, not go themselves?

That's exactly what I was thinking. It doesn't sound like it would be very successful in getting someone out of the house. I think prank call as well.

Worldgonecrazy · 19/08/2022 08:47

A little trick I learned from the days of landlines.

If answering a call from an unknown number at an unusual hour, don’t say anything. Just breathe audibly and a little heavier than normal. If it’s a friend or family member they will speak first, if it’s a krank call you will freak them out and they will hang up 😎

Glad it was a prank call, some people are idiots.

godmum56 · 19/08/2022 08:50

there are phones that will only allow calls from a list of numbers and won't allow calls from withheld numbers, she might like to look into that. They are known as call blocker ir nuisance blocker phones.
She might have a number that is similar to the number that the merry pranksters intended to call. Years ago a Tesco was built locally and their CS number was the same digits as mine but with two didgits transposed.....that was fun for a while. But well done your Mum for keeping her head.

Maisa45 · 19/08/2022 08:50

Argh I got the creeps even reading this. Does your Mum live alone?

It does sound like someone was trying to get her out of the house but I am a very paranoid person. A PP's suggestion of kids at a sleepover dialling random numbers is probably the most likely explanation. Thank god she didn't have her car.

Whaleandsnail6 · 19/08/2022 08:51

I think a prank,probably kids messing about. I think your mum definitely did the right thing in calling the police for it to be checked out .

Takeitonthechin · 19/08/2022 08:52

Maybe, they were trying to get your mum out of the house, so they could burgle her house , or they were just checking to see if anyone was in if your mums car wasn't on the drive.
I'd be vigilant

Greengreengrassbluebluesky · 19/08/2022 08:54

Was it definitely a child’s voice?

sst1234 · 19/08/2022 08:54

What’s with all the dramatic theories on here. It was a prank call. Just ignore it.

WonderingWanda · 19/08/2022 08:56

It's most likely kids pranking, they could have got her number from their own gradnmothers phone. Good job she has the sense to mention the police.

Quia · 19/08/2022 08:56

barelyfunctional · 19/08/2022 08:40

Or as you said they were checking if she was home or trying to get her out of the house for a certain amount of time so they could break in with a rough idea of how
long she’d be out (the amount of time it takes to get to the woods, look round, and come back)

I think that's incredibly unlikely. Single woman gets a call like that in the middle of the night, which is the more likely outcome - that she jumps into her car to go to the woods, or that she calls the police? If they wanted to lure her out they would at least have pretended to be a relative.

Quia · 19/08/2022 08:57

AtomicBlondeRose · 19/08/2022 08:44

Summer holidays, 3am, child calling - I’d assume it was kids on a sleepover or something pulling a prank. They probably just dialled at random until someone picked up, or took a number they knew and changed a digit. I can’t see what the purpose would be of trying to lure someone to the woods - surely most people would call the police at that point, not go themselves?

Exactly this.

southlondonerhere · 19/08/2022 08:58

Is there any chance it was some sort of weird automated call and not actually a person on the other end? Weird that they said the same thing twice and stuck to a script

Namechanger965 · 19/08/2022 09:00

AtomicBlondeRose · 19/08/2022 08:44

Summer holidays, 3am, child calling - I’d assume it was kids on a sleepover or something pulling a prank. They probably just dialled at random until someone picked up, or took a number they knew and changed a digit. I can’t see what the purpose would be of trying to lure someone to the woods - surely most people would call the police at that point, not go themselves?

Exactly this. It sounds a bit horror movie style so I bet they had scripted it before hand. The mention of police probably worried them that they’d be found out.

Notbeinfunnehbut · 19/08/2022 09:02

3am is a thing on YouTube where creepy things happen, it’s probably a child doing their own version of that

Ponoka7 · 19/08/2022 09:03

The Police will be able to trace the number and if it's sinister, they may be getting other reports. I'd say that it was a prank. Thankfully she didn't have her car because it would have been incredibly stupid and pointless if true, to go looking.

notacooldad · 19/08/2022 09:08

That's exactly what I was thinking. It doesn't sound like it would be very successful in getting someone out of the house. I think prank call as well
But op's mum was going to go if her car wasn't in for repair.

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