DD offered nanny work tomorrow - without having spoken to parents. Red flag?

[luckycat11]

DD1 (20) posted on facebook that she is looking for childcare works as a summer job. Not much luck until today when a convo held entirely via WhatsApp has offered her work looking after a 2 year old starting tomorrow. They turned down an offer to speak to DD - and obvs they have never met.

This seems very fishy to me - who leaves their 2 year old with someone they have never met? Some sort of scam? DD agrees it's weird and has agreed to do a trial shift only for that reason. She has an address but no surname for the mother.

Have they asked for references/DBS?

Less likely yo be a scam and more likely a very incompetent parent who will expect her to do everything. Id be concerned about actually getting paid so I would suggest she treats it like babysitting - cash on the day.

Well if she didn’t want dodgy she shouldn’t advertise unlicensed childcare on social media? Has your daughter got a DBS etc?

I used to work as a nanny and I can count on my hand the number of times people checked my references and still have fingers spare. People are worryingly trusting.

Fishy on both ends - does your daughter have DBS? Why advertise on Facebook?

Yes, that's weird, but as pps have said, so is advertising (unlicensed?) childcare on Facebook

She does have DBS. She's been struggling to find summer work so has used Facebook and is registered with various agencies etc.

This.
Cash on the day.

She needs to message them and make this clear.

I would go to the address today and have a nose.

Thanks. Feels 'off' to me. Who would leave their child with someone without meeting them, getting references etc?
I agree - babysitting and cash at the end of the day - although I am not sure she should do it at all.

Does she know that there is actually a child?

Neither party has the info they need imo.

Some parents really aren't that bothered. I looked after strangers kids when I was 13. They just took word of mouth from their usual 13 yo babysitter who wasn't available.

Me too and I’d insist she speaks to the mother, its creepy

Could be creepy, could be slack, could be neither - maybe the mother wfh and will be in the flat with DD and the child. We don't have much to go on but it's not how I'd go about sorting childcare for a 2 year old.

This would be my concern. It’s potentially dangerous for DD.

I'm on a childcare site as a babysitter...
Once met some dps as they handed over their 1 year old on the way out

Very odd.

Yes, my mind has gone there and I've said that to her. She has shared the address and says she'll share her location all day so I can see where she is.

Please be very careful and agree with the PP who suggested going to the adress this evening and checking it out. It is not at all safe to advertise services like that on social media. She could be seriously hurt or worse.

and what were they like when you got to know them (assuming you did)?

This sounds so dangerous this could be anyone. Some random bloke without a child gets her in the house and locks her in. Stop her going unless she actually meets them and sees they have a child

Thanks everyone. She isn't going. I asked to see the text exchange and my gut said 'no' so I said I thought she shouldn't go. She has agreed as alarm bells were also ringing for her - which is why she came to me/DH in the first place. She'd also texted her mates a screen shot of the exchange and they all agreed it looked weird.
She had already dropped it to half a day and tried to call - they rejected her call and said they couldn't see any need to speak.
Phew.

She will also contact the moderator of the FB group to let them know about the contact and strange interaction.

Well done!

Good decision OP