A mother had the shock of her life on Boxing Day after adult strangers began talking to her son through a Spider-Man walkie talkie that he got for Christmas.
Three-year-old Rafe and his younger brother Lockie were delighted when they were each given a Marvel themed radio as a present by their grandma.
As two huge fans of the webslinger already, the pair were eager to try out their new gadgets as soon as possible.
After switching them on on Boxing Day, the pair split up into different rooms to test their new walkie talkies out.
But rather than hearing the voice of his younger brother, Rafe was greeted by that of a complete stranger.
When their mother Rachael Raymond first heard the mysterious voice, she thought it was just someone speaking on the TV.
After going to check on Rafe nextdoor, she soon realised he was in fact speaking to an unknown person on the other end of the line and immediately sought to find out who they were.
Rachael admitted that the conversation was short lived as she did not leave Rafe unsupervised for long, but said it is ‘daunting’ to think of the ‘potential dangers’ for older children that may be left alone.
Three-year-old Rafe and his younger brother Lockie pose with their Spider-Man themed walkie talkies which they were given as a present by their grandma
But the walkie talkies (pictured) showed to be a bit too powerful for the pair as they were able to use the to speak to two complete strangers
The mother-of-two said: ‘Obviously they loved them and we switched them on and they just went toddling around the house.
‘A little while later I could hear somebody’s voice on the receiver.
‘They had only just been on it, so it could only have been a matter of minutes, but within that short time, it picks up the signal really quickly.
‘So I went nextdoor and said to my son Rafe «oh who’s that?» And he said: ‘It’s a lady»
‘I thought at first it was from the television or from another house. So I took the walkie talkie off him, and then I pressed the button and said “Hello. Who is this? Over.
‘And then then a lady’s voice on the other end says «who’s this? Over».
‘Then she disappeared and there was sort of some crackling, and then there was a man’s voice as well with sort of crackling and interference.
‘It became obvious at that point that clearly it was either picking up other channels or other walkie talkies, maybe in the area.
‘So I said: “This is my son’s Spider Man. Walkie talkie over”. And then we could hear a lady just kind of laughing and someone trying to say something, and then it kind of all just went dead.’
The two brothers, who are huge fans of the web slinging superhero, are pictured using their walkie talkies on their Spider-Man themed bikes
‘Clearly, this signal was not strong enough to have a back and forth conversation, but clearly there has been conversations going on from the other end trying to work out who was on my son’s end.’
We have now taken them away at this point, while we figure out what’s going on with it.
‘It’s kind of funny story, but also typical of my three year old Rafe, because we always say he’s like Kevin McAllister, just honestly, you know, he’ll figure out any electronics.
‘So it was just really fun. It would be him that had somehow managed to tap into some sort of radio frequency in this £14.99 Amazon Spider Man, walkie talkie.
‘But goodness knows who else he’s been having a chat to, but hopefully nothing too sinister.’
‘Because they’re young, it’s not as though they’d ever be unsupervised, but if it was given to an older child, for example, who maybe would be sat in their room, then of course that leaves a bit of a bad taste in your mouth.
‘They could be on the phone to anybody, whoever’s taking that signal.
‘So, yeah, it definitely is funny. We had that little laugh, but it is a bit daunting to think of the other side and of the potential dangers.’
The walkie talkies, which were bought on Amazon for £15, are designed for children aged 3-12
The walkie talkies say they are designed for ages between three and 12, meaning Rafe is old enough to use it.
It also boasts a range of just over 300 metres, making it all the more confusing as to who’s voices Rachael could have heard.
‘We are at my parents address at the moment and there’s other houses around.
‘So my first thoughts are other kids got walkie talkies for their Christmas present and we’re on the same line or something.
‘Rafe was just, saying it’s a lady, As far as he was concerned, it didn’t really matter. It was just somebody on the end of his walkie talkie.
‘He’s three, so he sort of is in that phase where they just take whatever reality is given to them.
‘We will check the reviews, because it will be quite funny to know whether it’s happened before,
‘But from our perspective it would be better make sure that they’re not running around with them on their own.’
The devices also boast a range of just over 300 metres, making it all the more confusing as to who’s voices Rachael could have heard
Rachael admitted that the kids are a bit annoyed they haven’t been able to play on their walkie talkies since the odd encounter, but said she plans to turn them on again later when they are being supervised.
‘We probably will put it on again and the grown ups, I imagine, will have a bit of a giggle about it later on when the kiddies are in bed
‘We’ll probably put them on and see if we can figure out who it was at the end of the line, and if they’re still there
‘And I think we probably will send a message to the Amazon seller just to say: “Oh, are you aware?” Obviously, for £14.99 they’re pretty powerful.
‘So it would be interesting to hear what their feedback is.’
