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

[ReginaFalangeee]

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

@girlmom21
I think the saying 'don't argue with stupid' is coming to mind at the moment.
So with that I'll shall not be engaging further.

Thanks for the advice

The police can trace the call, through the network, they won’t likely share it with you or your mum.

Just so you're aware OP - this has been picked up by the press (Independent)

Surprised they didn't ask to speak to Seymour Butts or Amanda Hugginkiss.

@girlmom21

Oh ffs!!! Thanks for letting me know.

They don't know it was a prank call for sure though, maybe someone was trying to lure her out for some reason, it's all about creepy

I’m pretty sure this was a prank call, and op’s mum did the right thing calling the police. I’m glad she’s ok today op, and she does indeed sound lovely.

I just want to make the point though that voices are easy to disguise. What sounds like a child isn’t necessarily a child. I have, through work, experience of adult nuisance callers putting on childlike voices very convincingly.

Prank call, but creepy as hell

What a lot of kerfuffle about an obvious prank call but good to see that the usual scam obsessed have posted

Do you all actually know what the word scam means? Maybe you could explain the con here?

No anger there. Just a logical observation.

This thread makes you wonder how some people get through the day, with so much anxiety over everything.

You sound very angry about people's differing opinions on this 😂

I definitely don't think it's a prank. I think someone wanted her out of the house. Make sure she's locked and bolted in at night and agree a method of contact for any genuine emergencies. I'm pleased the police took it so seriously!

@Worldgonecrazy Brilliant, thanks!!

That is creep as fuck, ugh, sounds like something from a horror story, black-eyed kids.

Some of the replies on here are hilarious.

Ok, so it was probably a prank and I maybe did get a bit too concerned about a crank call.

I think people calling me out on over reacting and having anxiety and wondering how I get through the day are being a bit unkind.

I doubt there are many people out there should wouldn’t get slightly unsettled by a phone call at 3am even if it was just a silly prank.

If I received that call at 3am it would really unsettle me. Your poor mum.

I agree with this, it's probably a scammer using an automated app. V bizarre they stuck to the same script and didn't fully answer the questions asked of them. Sounds more like a scam call than a prank to me.

careful now, some posters get very angry if anyone mentions the word "scam" 😱

Some people are being harsh here. Ops mum sounds lovely so she's obviously just thought straight away about a missing child and the need to help. She never went and called the police instead which was the right thing to do. Glad your mum is ok, op.

The 3am Prank call is big on Tik Tok. Your mum thought it might be older primary school boy. Some teenage girls' speech can sound like a boy that age.

Think people are being a bit harsh. I would be creeped out by a call like that at 3am. Not everyone knows about the current trends on tiktok fgs! I'd have been really unsettled and would be worried about the child in any case - either that they were really lost (although seems unlikely) or that they were being used by adults to lure a woman out/conduct a bulgary, which would be a safeguarding issue.

Reading about the 3am tiktok prank calls would reassure me that that's probably what this was, but without knowing that (which I didn't before reading it here) I would be very creeped so I don't think OP and her mum were BU.

Oh is it an actual "thing"