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

That's creepy! I live horror movies and books, and that's freaked me out a bit 🫣

It would give me the creeps at 3am in the morning, particularly the plea for help.

I can happily say there have been no more phone calls.

Must have just been a silly prank.

I’m quite flattered by everyone who thinks I’ve made it up. I really wish I’d was that imaginative.

Although a few of my mums neighbours have added some arms and legs on to the story already. I suspect by the end of the week it will have gone from creepy phone call in the middle of the night to a scream style story.

I’m sure I’ve heard that scammers sometimes use devices that change the way their voices sound on the phone. I don’t think this was a child calling . I think it was an adult.

it sounds like a prank as you have to have your number registered as being with held - usually a landline - or on a mobile you would have to dial a certain code in to deliberately withhold - can’t remember what but it can be done. If someone was genuinely lost and used their mobile they would ring emergency services or a number they knew and they wouldn’t with hold it. Sounds like they’ve done random number calling - or changing one digit of a familiar number. Someone luring you into the woods for something more sinister would need to know your address if they were to rob your house.

I dont know why people are accusing you of making it up OP, its a very mundane thing to make up.

Glad your mum is ok.

Yeah, that was my first thought. A ploy to get her out of the house.

Does seem weird. Def a prenk

maybe not even a child

lure the adult out and rob them ?

if they were really stuck or lost and had a phone they woulD dial 999

It's the sort of stupid prank we pulled as youngsters, although not at 3am I suppose. Glad your mum can laugh about it.

It's the 3am part that tips it from prank to creepy for me. I don't think 3am during the week is the usual time for prank calls from kids who are at school.
Maybe it wasn't a kid but a recording?
Either way, I'm glad your mum is ok and that the police have checked in with her. It's all very odd.

Possibly a prank but possible something more. There have been a spate of calls in my locality where a teenager or young adult calls and says they are in trouble and need money, sometimes they manage to fool the person into thinking this is a grandchild or niece or nephew, and they transfer funds. It doesn’t always work but it works often enough that the scammers keep doing it.

I wonder with this, was it just a prank or were they hoping to fool someone with a young relative of that age into leaving the house or going to a particular location where they could be robbed?

Pays to be cautious with such calls.

There were a couple of kids who did this when I was at secondary school, their storylines were quite elaborate.

Prank or scam. Probably a prank.
what idiots.
your mum dealt with it brilliantly as did the police

I am glad to read there have been no more calls, thanks OP for updating everyone.

My thought was it was an attempt to get the house empty, but we will never know.

Creepy! Tell your mom to pretend she will follow the caller to help and to ring the police and take it from there.

Prank call is a bit sinister for that. Though kids might think it is funny ( or dunk people.)

I am more inclined to think it is a scam preliminary recon. It does not matter if your mum is ex-directory. Scammers dial random numbers on the off chance that someone will answer.
So, scammer dials random number. If 3am, most probably scammer is not in the UK. Bingo! an elderly lady answers. Scammer keeps elderly lady on the phone long enough to note number, time and if elderly lady was taken in or was suspicious. If elderly lady seemed concerned and stayed on the phone, then in a month or so, scammer will call number to try to scam elderly lady with either a NHS scam, a N.I scam or a pension scam.
Be alert. Scammers love elderly people because they think they can con them easier.

Do people really make up stories to get attention from strangers on the internet?

Well, yes

Sorry OP, couldn't resist - FWIW this doesn't ring that untrue to me, you just paraphrased the meme so perfectly!

Teens on a sleepover having a prank. We used to withhold number and dial various combos of local numbers. It was obvious what the number structure was e.g. a few of us had numbers starting 235 so we’d just do that and some random combos after. We’d ask for non existent people or pretend we were calling with STI results.

Ha ha ha 😂

Prank call. If ex-directory how could it be anything else?!

No it can’t be that. She’s ex-directory so the ghost wouldn’t be able to find her number.

Can someone who thinks it a burglar trying to get her out of the house explain

1. How the burglar knows where she lives?
2. That she is alone in the house?
3. Why they didn't use a story that is more likely to get her out the house rather than just call the police?

YANBU

This could be a way get someone out of a house in order for it to be burgled.

Children are highly unlikely to be at school in early August