Pretending to be Amazon delivery

[PretendAmazon]

This morning, had two women ring my doorbell. When I asked them who they were and what they wanted, there was a bit of a pause / hesitancy, they then said they were from “Amazon”.

Just seconds before that, a man carrying a big box did ask for entry, but when I asked him to confirm which flat he wanted (because I definitely was NOT expecting a package but wondered if I should accept for the immediate neighbours), he frowned and promptly left without answering.

There were two women standing behind him by two or three yards, standing aside a bit.

Then just a heartbeat later, they stepped up to the intercom and rang my bell again.
I could see all this on camera.
I noticed they were not carrying any sort of package and did not look like the usual sort of delivery drivers.
I asked them what exactly were they delivering? Again, looking a bit shifty and sheepish, they replied that it was “a suitcase”.

There are several problems with this:

They were wearing plain clothes, think slightly crumpled civil servants look, wouldn’t have pegged them as drivers

They were both carrying rucksacks - never seen drivers doing this when they are sprinting around all day

There were two of them - never seen two drivers delivering one supposed package

They just generally were not convincing and shifted around oddly

Do delivery drivers even know exactly what is in a package they are delivering for them to claim it’s a suitcase?

They would not identify themselves when challenged that they clearly were not from Amazon

When I asked them to confirm they had the right door number, they said, “Yes. You. Number such and such.”

They seemed quite exasperated by my questions, as though they had every right to enter.

They were definitely trying to lie their way in.

Does anyone have any idea what they may have been up to?

It’s all very odd. Occasionally someone might mistakenly ring the bell, but I haven’t seen this level of intent, lying, and persistence.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Do you live in a house or a block of flats?
People regularly steal things left on doorsteps from blocks of flats around me

Sometimes Amazon delivery stuff without a box but it sounds very dodgy. I would not have hesitated to ask them to hold the suitcase and Amazon address label up to the camera. Knowing that there’s a camera might have deterred him from trying again.

Saying all that it sounds like they were up to no good and very cheeky to try your intercom twice.

Bailiffs for one of the flats?

*Disclaimer, I have no idea how bailiffs work and if they'd try to lie themselves in!

Block of flats.

They had already navigated the main door and were already in the area where they could loiter to steal packages if desired, they didn’t need my doorbell for that.

The camera angle gave me a very wide view of them as well as the surrounding area, no package of any kind in sight.

The guy with the actual package promptly departed with his box and left the vicinity once he couldn’t gain entry.

If I had to guess, it seemed to me they tailgated the delivery driver through the first door, and were hoping to do the same to gain entry to my flat.

…but, driver had left and only the two women remained.

Whatever the uber delivery version of hookers is? Hoorber?

Any Amazon delivery driver will have an app which has their itinerary, current stop & ID. The package will also have an Amazon delivery label & QR code.

I've dealt with debt collectors/bailiffs (for a previous tenant!) and they will identify themselves. I don't think they'd lie but they would identify themselves and they'd be very unlikely to be women anyway. The ones I've met have been very polite but also the sort of chaps you wouldn't want to argue with. A third person lurking in the background is also very odd.

I'd say they were either trying to get to one of the other flats for some nefarious reason, or they wanted to doss in the communal hallway (sadly not uncommon, the local paper ran a story a while back about people breaking in to sleep in stairwells). The rucksacks would perhaps suggest that.

I would assume they come with a bit of brawn and muscle, rather than two slightly crumpled civil servant looking 40-ish women… but what do I know!

They were in casual office wear, and the rucksacks were the sort you’d take into the office, on the smallish side, something to perhaps carry a laptop and documents and your lunch in rather than a weekend rucksack with proper belongings in it, IYSWIM.

Maybe wanting access to the flats to flog dishcloths and the like.

Or after someone for whatever reason.

Maybe you should put a note in the communal lobby warning residents that someone's tried to gain access and to be careful to not let people in

Or trying to get people to sign up to shit, that's the other most likely possibility.
Switch energy or donate to charity, etc

My money would then probably be on religious types wanting to be able to knock on front doors directly.

What a great introduction that would be to their religion, lying from the outset, who could fail to be impressed by that?

Do you think the parcel carrying guy was part of their ‘con’ (whatever it is)? Worrying!

OP, is your name on your bell/buzzer? Is that how they knew your name?

In respect of the suitcase claim in particular, last time I ordered a suitcase, it came in half-seethrough wrapping and was immediately identifiable as a suitcase. However, I was expecting this suitcase and it was delivered in a normal and not shady way, not like your doorringers.

IME, charity collectors usually have a tabard with the charity name and logo all over, and have ID.

Bailiffs are usually men and will identify themselves.

JWs usually start talking about the live of God or whatever early on.

Amazon, DPD, ParcelForce, DHL, UPS and other delivery people often have a branded van (though currently, the Royal Mail round here seem to have a white van,) may be in uniform, and it's usually clear which they're delivering from. They might not speak except to ask for a signature and/or photo.

These sound dodgy as. You'd be right to tell the police.

If I order 3 Amazon items, I can almost guarantee that the parcels will arrive over 2 or 3 days and be delivered by people in their own car with no uniform. I think it depends on where you live.
Those shenanigans sounds most odd though OP.

Yes, I've had some things delivered which were basically the product box with a delivery label slapped on. But obvious who the delivery was to/from.

would assume they come with a bit of brawn and muscle, rather than two slightly crumpled civil servant looking 40-ish women… but what do I know!

A bit random, but that description suddenly made me think of benefit fraud investigatiors. The local council will employ them and so do the DWP, and they do conduct stake outs/ stroll pasts.

So that's another possibility.

I don't quite understand the layout of your block, though, if they were already in a common area but buzzing to get access to a group of flats.

This definitely needs reporting to the police, OP.

Name is not on the buzzer and they did not refer to me by name, they only confirmed the door number they wanted when I asked them which flat they were trying to buzz.

I don’t think so, he looked the part of a delivery driver and he was in a hurry and didn’t even respond to me, which is pretty much how they are normally.

He and the women were pretty mismatched and I’m not sure he even noticed them behind him.

I thought that too