How did they get my number?

[cbo111]

So I was perusing a Subaru Dealership website. A little chat window popped up where "Danaille" asked if there was anything she could help me with? I said I was in the initial stages of looking and wondered if they had an inventory of Outbacks. She said yes they did and would be happy to connect me with a sales agent. Since I'm not ready talk to a sales agent, I just clicked off the website. An hour later I get a text to my cell phone from "Jack" saying he would love to help me with my purchase. I did not Danaille my email or phone number. I wonder how did Jack get my phone number?

 

[Qs Laptop]

So I was perusing a Subaru Dealership website. A little chat window popped up where "Danaille" asked if there was anything she could help me with? I said I was in the initial stages of looking and wondered if they had an inventory of Outbacks. She said yes they did and would be happy to connect me with a sales agent. Since I'm not ready talk to a sales agent, I just clicked off the website. An hour later I get a text to my cell phone from "Jack" saying he would love to help me with my purchase. I did not Danaille my email or phone number. I wonder how did Jack get my phone number?

Not sure, but I'm guessing their web chat software has a caller ID feature.

 

[Sunset]

Were you browsing their website on your phone or a computer ?

If it was the phone , the answer is obvious.

 

[cbo111]

I was on an iMac.

 

[RetiredAt49]

I was on an iMac.

Browser cookies and data mining… Google, Facebook, etc. know more about you than the government + your spouse

 

[Bamaman]

I can call my Toyota dealership, ask a question and they call me by name. My phone number is programmed into their phone system.

 

[homestead]

Most of the dealers use text in their chat windows so when you chatted with then you were probably using your phone via text.

 

[Sunset]

I can call my Toyota dealership, ask a question and they call me by name. My phone number is programmed into their phone system.

I'm sure when you call, the number is sent to their computer system via the internal phone system so it can reference the CRM Customer Relationship Management software which pulls up your details and history.

Makes a person feel all warm and fuzzy inside

 

[ERD50]

I was on an iMac.

So I don't see how some of these other answers fit. How would that connect them with your phone # ?

-ERD50

 

[JoeWras]

So I don't see how some of these other answers fit. How would that connect them with your phone # ?

-ERD50

Agree. It wasn't the phone.

Gotta be a cookie or something. Or data mine that associates IP address to phone.

It is more creepy, but not too dissimilar to all the "invitations to get a free steak if you listen to our pitch for annuities or 1.2% AUM money management" that we all get in the mail.

 

[Aerides]

I wonder how did Jack get my phone number?

It's too bad you didn't ask during the call. Prior to the online chat, had you done any of that "build your car" stuff on the page? Often that asks for your address or permission to see your location (which I always block and only put in my zip). If you'd done any of that, they might have then found your number.

But either way, if you didn't explicitly provide it, they have an intrusive way of doing business, and I'd hope to find another dealer, and let them know why.

 

[target2019]

When you chatted your IP was recorded. Then the company's CRM looked up the IP to find associated data. The CRM does all of this automatically. Call it data mining.

 

[MRG]

When you chatted your IP was recorded. Then the company's CRM looked up the IP to find associated data. The CRM does all of this automatically. Call it data mining.

+1
No magic just some code.

 

[tulak]

IP address isn’t stable enough. That can change somewhat regularly, depending on your internet provider, etc. Cookies are more reliable. Idk how they got your data, but I’m sure Google knows everything about you, including your phone numbers. But Google keeps your data for themselves and doesn’t sell it to others.

Have you ever done business with Subaru in the past? It could be that they have enough info on you that includes your phone number. Or they partner with a data mining company that does.

 

[target2019]

IP address can be geo-located. The amount of data being mined is vast.

 

[target2019]

+1
No magic just some code.

Automagically for a typical user.
For you, it's code...

 

[JoeWras]

Every now and then someone shares something on this forum that is quite personal or legally dubious.

People are then reminded that nothing is truly anonymous, including posts here, twitter, reddit, etc.

 

[homestead]

Mac's and iphones are well connected. When I get a phone/text/facetime call I can answer it on my computer or phone. When I make a phone call on my computer it makes the call through my phone. When I send a chat message from my computer it can do it over the internet or through my phone via text message. When most car dealers setup their chat messages on their web pages they set it up so you will be using text via your phone so they will have your phone #.

 

[eytonxav]

I was on an iMac.

This is one of the reasons I was interested in a VPN for the home. It could be your phone number is associated with your IP address.

 

[tulak]

This is one of the reasons I was interested in a VPN for the home. It could be your phone number is associated with your IP address.

This wouldn’t work. You don’t have a static IP address. Very few people do and if they do, they’re paying extra for it.

There are better, easier, and more reliable ways to track you than using an IP address.

 

[eytonxav]

This wouldn’t work. You don’t have a static IP address. Very few people do and if they do, they’re paying extra for it.

There are better, easier, and more reliable ways to track you than using an IP address.

Cookie?

 

[Turbo29]

IP address isn’t stable enough. That can change somewhat regularly, depending on your internet provider, etc. Cookies are more reliable. Idk how they got your data, but I’m sure Google knows everything about you, including your phone numbers. But Google keeps your data for themselves and doesn’t sell it to others.

Have you ever done business with Subaru in the past? It could be that they have enough info on you that includes your phone number. Or they partner with a data mining company that does.

There is also browser fingerprinting.


This computer I am using now is unique according to the site below so I can be identified even if the IP changes.


Yes! You are unique among the 610252 fingerprints in our entire dataset.


https://amiunique.org/fp

 

[tulak]

Cookie?

Yep, cookies are the easiest.

 

[ERD50]

Yep, cookies are the easiest.

And how does that work? Are they able to see other cookies?

-ERD50

 

[target2019]

This wouldn’t work. You don’t have a static IP address. Very few people do and if they do, they’re paying extra for it.

There are better, easier, and more reliable ways to track you than using an IP address.

There are static IP's and also persistent IP's. My external IP has been the same for a long time. But I don't expect it to stay x.x.x.x forever.

Even though there may be better way(s) to track you, this IP is used, and can be associated with your address.

Tracking and ID systems are not monolithic things. They evolve to support what the other wants to find out about you. The data mining is incremental, and we should assume that no artifact found out about us is ever deleted, or thrown away.