Let a creepy stranger use my mobile phone, now worried I've been scammed

November 16, 2015 11:28 PM

Last night I let a stranger use my mobile phone to make a call. The whole interaction gave me a weird vibe. Could I be at risk of being the victim of a scam of some sort?

Long story short, last night a stranger stopped me in the city center and asked to make a call using my phone, saying his had died. The guy gave off a little bit of a weird vibe but I figured he could just be stressed about not having a phone. I decided to be a good Samaritan since strangers who let me use their phones have saved my butt big time a few times in the past. However, not being totally naive, I did take some precautions:

- I removed the phone from my wallet (so he wouldn't be holding my bank cards, cash or ID)
- I dialled and pressed "send" for him (so he wouldn't be able to dial an expensive number, or have an excuse to "accidentally" browse through my emails or other apps)
- Bluetooth was turned off the entire time.
- I watched him the entire time to make sure he wasn't pressing any buttons or dialling any numbers.

I then handed the phone to him; no one picked up at the other end, and my spidey-sense started tingling even more, because he seemed bored and somehow like he knew the other end wasn't going to pick up. I took the phone back, wished him best of luck, and left. Looking up the number this morning, it's just a regular 07 mobile number. Most Google results for it are expired Gumtree ads for flats in London (I am in the UK, but not in London, not to mention that I would think it's a bit odd to call someone about letting a flat, from the street, at 7:30 PM).

According to Google, I did all the right things in having Bluetooth off and dialling the number myself, but I can't shake the weird feeling this exchange gave me. Assuming this guy was a scammer of some sort, am I now at any risk of a mobile-phone related scam? My phone is a relatively cheap Android model with a pay as you go SIM.

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (9 answers total)

My guess is he wanted to do something sketchier but your conscientiousness thwarted him, so he just gave you a number that he knew wouldn't connect and moved on to try to scam the next person. It's unlikely that given the control he had over your phone he was able to do anything that hurt you or it.
posted by brainmouse at 11:39 PM on November 16, 2015 [27 favorites]

What brainmouse said: I think you avoided the scam.
posted by gorcha at 12:06 AM on November 17, 2015

For your own peace of mind maybe save the number as "creepy" or "do not call", in case you get called back or something.
posted by Omnomnom at 12:11 AM on November 17, 2015 [4 favorites]

The stranger could have dialed their own number to get yours - they could then stalk or impersonate you. They may also be able to Google your number and get more information about you (possibly lots - try it yourself). They could also have dialed the number of somebody very sketchy (drug dealer, etc) with the aim of getting your number on that person's records and thereby blackmailing you. If the stranger, of his accomplices, are involved in a "too good to be true" property scam then they could be trying to use your contact details to boost their credibility in some way.

None of this sounds all that likely - but they are all possible risks; even given your cautious approach. The super-safe option would be to get a new number.
posted by rongorongo at 1:27 AM on November 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

You either avoided a scam or there wasn't a scam.
If you get any confusing calls/texts in the coming days though (like asking who you are or saying to call them back), it's probably just the person they tried to call wondering who called them. I leant my phone to someone recently and a few days later had an initially very confusing text conversation when the person they'd tried to called texted me and neither of us knew who the other person was.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:30 AM on November 17, 2015

I don't think anything weird is going to happen. In the future, though, never hand anyone your phone. My whole life is on my phone and if someone decided to go dancing off with it, there's no way I'd be able to chance them down.

People have asked me plenty if they can use my phone. Consequence of living in a city with lots of tourists and having an approachable face. "Sure," I say, "what's their number?" as I stand there and dial it. Then "what's your name?" as I put the phone up to my own ear to literally make the call for them.

Only one time has someone just walked away when they realized this was how it was gonna happen. Every other time it was a legit person-trying-to-meet-up-with-a-person call.
posted by phunniemee at 4:02 AM on November 17, 2015 [20 favorites]

This is often a setup for a mugging where I live (or just stealing the phone). Maybe your step 1 thwarted him, or did anyone walk by while this was happening? Or maybe he just wasn't into the phone.
posted by advil at 5:29 AM on November 17, 2015

because he seemed bored and somehow like he knew the other end wasn't going to pick up

This seems like the only slightly suspicious thing, and it's not much really.
posted by smackfu at 7:15 AM on November 17, 2015

My gut says if you took your eyes off the phone for a second he would have bolted. Your attention probably kept him from running off.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:38 AM on November 17, 2015 [1 favorite]