Big Brother!

[Midpack]

Spend a few minutes using your favorite search engine. Then perhaps you won't be as surprised when you learn about reverse phone lookups.

Nothing new here.

And if this is a restaurant you have patronized before, they likely have lots more information stored.

I can’t outsmart data mining pros but I try to stay up to speed on protecting our personal info, this WAS something new. First time anyone anywhere has gotten my name and email address instantly with nothing but my phone number while talking on the phone (which doesn’t have our address BTW). I wasn’t online, assume being on the phone was “safer.”

I check periodically and you still can’t get my other personal info using search or reverse lookup unless you register and/or pay, I’d be surprised if most merchants/people would.

We’ve never been to the restaurant in question and it’s more than 700 miles from our house.

 

[joeea]

I check periodically and you still can’t get my other personal info using search or reverse lookup unless you pay, I’d be surprised if most merchants/people would.

Just because you can't get it, don't assume that others can't.

 

[imoldernu]

I gave up ten years ago. Me Worry?
So far, so good. Que Sera, Sera!
Life is too short.

Would like to see a thread "Crimes Against Me".

 

[Midpack]

Just because you can't get it, don't assume that others can't.

Well obviously, that’s doesn’t mean it’s so easy anyone can...

 

[Spock]

I worry about identity theft/privacy, and I share as little info online as possible. There are services I’ve refused to do business with because they wanted too much info - unnecessary IMO. Last week I had a troubling experience.

I called and made a dinner reservation. They asked for my phone number which I begrudgingly gave. Within seconds, she said, Joe Midpack? - with my actual first and last name!!! After I hung up I told DW I was a little spooked. A few minutes later, I got an email confirming our reservation!

I’m bewildered and disappointed they instantly had my name and email address from my phone number.

My first guess is that the restaurants credit card processor provides the phone number lookup as part of their processing fees.

 

[Midpack]

My first guess is that the restaurants credit card processor provides the phone number lookup as part of their processing fees.

That wouldn’t surprise me...

 

[zedd]

Columbia House: The first twelve cost only a penny

That's nothin. These guys still have all my aliases from when I was a kid

 

[Rianne]

It's not clear what you mean by "spoofing" in this context, nor what you are expecting to accomplish by changing your phone number.

We received 3 phone calls within, maybe 15 minutes of each other. The caller ID had my name and my phone number as the person calling me. After extensive conversation with ATT security, many suggestions were shared.
1. They will change our home phone # at no charge. They verified it was a person not a digital error or glitch.

2. They strongly suggested do not leave an answer VM message. Either let the computerized default or say ONE quick word when phone answers a call. Hackers or whatever they're called, will record your voice. Especially if you leave a long message..."Hi this is XXX, leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as possible." There are enough variations in that message for them to copy your voice.


3. Just don't answer unless you absolutely recognize the number. They've been using numbers very close to friends/relatives (like off one digit) to get you to answer.

We specifically want a landline to call out. Since the number change, we've had 95% fewer robo, sales, fake IRS etc calls. We'll see how long that lasts and if it starts again like it was (just about every hour 2-3 calls) they'll change it again, no charge.

 

[REWahoo]

That's nothin. These guys still have all my aliases from when I was a kid

Ron White, is that you?

Warning: NSFW

(The pertinent part begins at the 3:00 mark)

 

[ugeauxgirl]

You're right, lol. Facial recognition software and cameras are now a real thing. I suppose wearing dark glasses could foil it, though, lol.

I am (mostly) not on Facebook, but I do appear in lots of DH's photos. Somehow FB isn't sure which of us is DH. It annoys my friends when the post a picture of us on FB and it wants to label my pic as DH. [emoji23]

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

My first guess is that the restaurants credit card processor provides the phone number lookup as part of their processing fees.

I have also noticed that a few places (Home Depot and Lowe's for sure) will email a receipt to me...and they get it from the CC company.

It won't be too much longer before all these different bits of information will all be linked to YOU...and this probably includes all your usernames that are used on forums. Seems unlikely today, but I bet it's going to happen.

 

[John Galt III]

I have also noticed that a few places (Home Depot and Lowe's for sure) will email a receipt to me...and they get it from the CC company.

It won't be too much longer before all these different bits of information will all be linked to YOU...and this probably includes all your usernames that are used on forums. Seems unlikely today, but I bet it's going to happen.

IIRC, there was something like this back in the old AOL days. You could see a tree diagram of all the newsgroups someone went to, and the usernames (I think) also, and the dates and times. I think it was done by tracking your IP address. This tree diagram was accessible by anyone on AOL. Maybe they changed that, don't know.

 

[joeea]

Well obviously, that’s doesn’t mean it’s so easy anyone can...

Not anyone. Just anyone that wants to...

 

[target2019]

I can’t outsmart data mining pros but I try to stay up to speed on protecting our personal info, this WAS something new. First time anyone anywhere has gotten my name and email address instantly with nothing but my phone number while talking on the phone (which doesn’t have our address BTW). I wasn’t online, assume being on the phone was “safer.”

I check periodically and you still can’t get my other personal info using search or reverse lookup unless you register and/or pay, I’d be surprised if most merchants/people would.

We’ve never been to the restaurant in question and it’s more than 700 miles from our house.

Call the business and ask if they can share the technology, as you are looking for something like that, than can provide phone lookup and email.

 

[target2019]

My first guess is that the restaurants credit card processor provides the phone number lookup as part of their processing fees.

Now I'm curious. My first guess is Opentable or something like that, where it was used in the past, and forgotten. But they did not forget the customer!

 

[CaptTom]

You can also use Firefox and add the extension "Google Analytics Blocker".

Funny thing, with all my paranoia, I don't find Google Analytics all that intrusive. It's more for the web site manager to figure out statistics about how their site is used, than any individual tracking. Not that they couldn't do that, too, it just seems less aggressive than the dedicated "spy" trackers.

Anyway, far better to block them all with something like Ghostery, than just the one.

I should point out that most of these blocking technologies allow exceptions. I whitelist e-r.org so that the browser keeps cookies and automatically logs me on. I'm more careful with banks and on-line merchants. I don't want someone who happens upon my laptop to be able to get into those without knowing my password.

 

[HFWR]

 

[court6449]

It’s everywhere

I work in cyber security and trust me unless someone has lived 100% off the grid their whole life and stuffs money in a tree somewhere to live on, everyone’s stuff is everywhere. The best thing you can do to protect identity is freeze credit.

 

[kcowan]

Funny story about others with the same name:

Long ago, I snagged my real name as a gmail account. I never really use it. It turns out there are a few others with the same name as me. At least one of them must have a similar e-mail account, and sometimes types it in wrong. So I occasionally get his mail.

So far, I've gotten certified as a PADI diver in the Caribbean, gotten an estimate for a construction job on Long Island, NY and found out that I have an income tax refund due for some part-time work I did in New Zealand. My namesake really gets around!

Back in the 90s, I googled my name and the first hit was for my memorial service. I was a gay man who just died of Aids. Since then, there are many more variety of hits naturally.

I also give my phone number to Radio Shack!

 

[Rianne]

I work in cyber security and trust me unless someone has lived 100% off the grid their whole life and stuffs money in a tree somewhere to live on, everyone’s stuff is everywhere. The best thing you can do to protect identity is freeze credit.

Good to know.

 

[CDRE]

Here is a tool that lists the big brothers and the information each maintains about You.
https://www.vpnmentor.com/research/whos-watching-you/#/

 

[scrabbler1]

Back in the 1980s, my bank at the time had misspelled my street name (I have since moved). My bank statements still arrived normally despite the small error. However, some of the junk mail I got had that same slightly misspelled address, so I know exactly how the sender got it - from that bank!