It is called cuckooing, as the cuckoo bird is known to steal other bird’s nests.
Cuckooing can start with someone being friendly and nice to you. They might pretend to be in a romantic relationship with you. They might do things to get you to trust them, give you money, buy you things, or offer you drugs or alcohol. Then they might do things like:
• spend a lot of time at your home, using your things and eating your food
• ask to borrow a room to store things, and ignore you if you say no
• take over your home and live there or move other people in
• refuse to leave if you ask them to
• take your money and personal things
• bring people you don’t know to your home
• use your home to grow, store or deal drugs
• use your home to store or sell things they have stolen or weapons
• bring people to your home to have sex for money
• stop you going out or having visitors
• tell you not to say anything about people using your home
• tell you that you will be in trouble with the police if you say what is happening
• hurt you or threaten to hurt you
• lock you in a room so you can’t see what they are doing
• force you to move out so that they can move in
If you think someone is a victim of cuckooing, it’s important to report it as soon as possible so that people can help them to be safe and avoid them being involved in criminal activity.
For more information about cuckooing please read this leaflet or watch this film.