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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:
felineweird · 19/08/2022 16:21

I would definitely say this was a prank but a very, very mean one

forinborin · 19/08/2022 16:43

Luring her out to the woods could be not to burgle her house, but to rob her, for example. Does she have a decent car?

And, OP, I don't know how old your mum is, and please forgive me in advance for even thinking about this. My grandmother's first sign of dementia was when she started being absolutely convinced that someone had called her and told her to do something (something relatively innocent, but weird, like buy 20 kg of potatoes, take wheels off the old bike, or something similar). We figured out later that it was a mix up of two things (a) someone called her about something (b) she watched something on the TV on the topic.

AryaStarkWolf · 19/08/2022 16:50

forinborin · 19/08/2022 16:43

Luring her out to the woods could be not to burgle her house, but to rob her, for example. Does she have a decent car?

And, OP, I don't know how old your mum is, and please forgive me in advance for even thinking about this. My grandmother's first sign of dementia was when she started being absolutely convinced that someone had called her and told her to do something (something relatively innocent, but weird, like buy 20 kg of potatoes, take wheels off the old bike, or something similar). We figured out later that it was a mix up of two things (a) someone called her about something (b) she watched something on the TV on the topic.

tbf though they obviously checked and could see someone had rang her at that time

AtomicBlondeRose · 19/08/2022 16:52

Most house burglaries are opportunistic. Few burglars go to the lengths of luring their victims out, as it just means they’ve made contact with the victim and would be able to be tracked down later. Pre-planned jobs would be limited to very high value stuff like footballer’s mansions and people with expensive cars. And as she would have had to go out in the car that’s not a great plan for the burglar.

forinborin · 19/08/2022 16:57

AryaStarkWolf · 19/08/2022 16:50

tbf though they obviously checked and could see someone had rang her at that time

Show quote history

Yes, but I mean could be one of those "have you been in accident" calls / automated calls, they often are operated from call centres abroad and are at weird times. Or HMRC scam calls, I got one last week at around 5.30am, they are counting on people being confused at the time of the call.

I mean, it is weird that primary school aged pranks know how to conceal their tracks to the level that the police cannot get to the bottom of it.

MooseBreath · 19/08/2022 17:40

I've actually had a call like this! The "child" on a withheld number kept saying they couldn't find their mum and kept asking me to help. It was 1am and they wouldn't give me any further information, so after about 3 minutes, I hung up. They called back a few times, the first time just breathing on the line, and the second time saying they couldn't find their mum and when I put my husband on the phone, the voice changed to an adult's and the said "f* you" and hung up. They called back once more after that, but I didn't answer.

I put my toddler in our bed with us after that, as I was very unnerved.

Original poster
ReginaFalangeee · 19/08/2022 17:58

MooseBreath · 19/08/2022 17:40

I've actually had a call like this! The "child" on a withheld number kept saying they couldn't find their mum and kept asking me to help. It was 1am and they wouldn't give me any further information, so after about 3 minutes, I hung up. They called back a few times, the first time just breathing on the line, and the second time saying they couldn't find their mum and when I put my husband on the phone, the voice changed to an adult's and the said "f* you" and hung up. They called back once more after that, but I didn't answer.

I put my toddler in our bed with us after that, as I was very unnerved.

Oh really?! It must be a prank people entertain themselves with.

I have to say my mum dealt with it better than me. I’d have been hiding in the wardrobe ha ha ha

OP posts:
Original poster
ReginaFalangeee · 19/08/2022 18:01

forinborin · 19/08/2022 16:43

Luring her out to the woods could be not to burgle her house, but to rob her, for example. Does she have a decent car?

And, OP, I don't know how old your mum is, and please forgive me in advance for even thinking about this. My grandmother's first sign of dementia was when she started being absolutely convinced that someone had called her and told her to do something (something relatively innocent, but weird, like buy 20 kg of potatoes, take wheels off the old bike, or something similar). We figured out later that it was a mix up of two things (a) someone called her about something (b) she watched something on the TV on the topic.

He has a mid range car, nothing. Worth bothering with. She lives in an average area and doesn’t really have any obvious valuables.

I think I can rule out dementia (to that extent anyway) she still works and has a fairly active social life so i think anything to that extent would be obvious before now. It is worth thinking about though

OP posts:
lobsterkiller · 19/08/2022 18:37

OP, as others have said. It sounds a very mean prank. I would have been disturbed by a 3am call like that too. Can your mum unplug the phone and keep her mobile on for family etc, for when she goes to bed? Im glad the police followed up with her today.

MiseryWIthAStent · 19/08/2022 18:47

Pretty creepy prank call. I was partial to doing a couple of prank calls when I was young and stupid(favourite being ringing mr wanker and asking how many times a day he wanked, he laughed, said 4 and put the phone down) but that is pretty creepy.

Newuser82 · 19/08/2022 20:28

sst1234 · 19/08/2022 08:54

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

I'd agree!

Newuser82 · 19/08/2022 20:42

Although I can't say I wouldn't have been a bit freaked out at the time 🙈

SmudgeButt · 20/08/2022 17:58

creepy prank.

Thefriendlymoth · 20/08/2022 18:01

3am is the new “spooky hour” it’s the summer hols so I would assume that it was kids doing a prank phone call - hence the reason the number was purposely withheld. I think your mum did the right thing erring on the side of caution and making the police aware but I wouldn’t give it much thought after that.

Katieeb24 · 20/08/2022 18:35

Do any off the grandchildren know her number? And was perhaps on a sleepover ? Another friend has called and they got worried when was asked for their name? I know as a child I would of panicked and hung up. If I was genuinely lost, would of stayed on the phone.

Ottersmith · 20/08/2022 18:36

This is a good story but it was a bit too scary for me. Completely made up of course.

Fightingbackwithhappiness · 20/08/2022 18:39

That is very creepy. You are not being unreasonable at all.

FingersofFish · 20/08/2022 18:53

It's some kind of prank. my grandma had an almost identical cal a few years ago. She was visibly shaking when we went round after as she called us straight away. She was convinced it was my brother until we went and got him round! Daytime though and she didn't live alone. It was all very odd.

Mrssophie · 20/08/2022 18:59

When I was a kid and we first got mobiles we used to just dial numbers till one worker to do prank calls. Although I would never dream of saying anything as extreme as that especially in the middle of the night.

My guess would be some kids at a sleep over playing a cruel prank.

AryaStarkWolf · 20/08/2022 19:54

forinborin · 19/08/2022 16:57

Yes, but I mean could be one of those "have you been in accident" calls / automated calls, they often are operated from call centres abroad and are at weird times. Or HMRC scam calls, I got one last week at around 5.30am, they are counting on people being confused at the time of the call.

I mean, it is weird that primary school aged pranks know how to conceal their tracks to the level that the police cannot get to the bottom of it.

Show quote history

It may not have been a primary aged kid though, could have been someone putting a voice on

Original poster
ReginaFalangeee · 20/08/2022 20:24

Ottersmith · 20/08/2022 18:36

This is a good story but it was a bit too scary for me. Completely made up of course.

I wish my imagination was that vivid. Completely true I’m afraid although I haven’t given all the details to protect my mums privacy. I’ve also changed my name to avoid this being linked to my other posts.

OP posts:
Original poster
ReginaFalangeee · 20/08/2022 20:28

Katieeb24 · 20/08/2022 18:35

Do any off the grandchildren know her number? And was perhaps on a sleepover ? Another friend has called and they got worried when was asked for their name? I know as a child I would of panicked and hung up. If I was genuinely lost, would of stayed on the phone.

My mum is in Scotland and the schools are back so I doubt it was a sleepover prank as it was midweek.

Only one grandchild is old enough to use a phone but he doesn’t have his own mobile yet and his mum and dad don’t have a landline. He’s a lovely boy and can’t see him
doing something like this but it’s always a possibility.

OP posts:
Original poster
ReginaFalangeee · 20/08/2022 20:33

Wonder why people would think I made this up. Do people really make up stories to
get attention from strangers on the internet?

The reason I posted was because I wondered if anyone else had experienced something similar. I’ve been really reassured by the amount of people who
think it was a silly prank.

OP posts:
LoisLane66 · 20/08/2022 20:44

Maybe a lure by a man pretending to be a youngster, not too hard to do. Might have been random if mum is ex-d. No-one can withold the number of a public phone box and the fact that they out the phone down when your mum mentioned police, says it all.
If anyone receives a call like that, I hope their first reaction is to call police and not be daft enough to get in a car to look for whoever.
Stay in your home. If you leave, they may be watching and may effect a robbery knowing you're not there.

bluesapphire48 · 20/08/2022 21:15

This could be just a prank call, or it could be a very sinister attempt to lure the person who answered into a remote wooded area. Your mother was right to call the police: it is definitely creepy.

Now, with caller ID, it is possible to see who is calling without answering the phone, and with answering machines, it is possible to listen to the caller without revealing that you are even in the room to hear the message. It would be wise to use both.

If your mother lives alone, she definitely should not answer the phone unless she knows the caller. You need to have a talk with your mother: if it really was a child alone in the woods at 3 a.m., it would be the POLICE's job to find them, not your mother. Nobody should be asking an old woman for help.

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