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A Web Site Mysteriously Knows Who I Am & Details About My Last Visit. Scary!
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<blockquote data-quote="PGB1" data-source="post: 1836686" data-attributes="member: 76746"><p>This entry isn't related to a browser privacy, rather to tracking and privacy- so I'm writing it separately. I think you all might find it interesting:</p><p></p><p>My bride of over 30 happy years is turning 65 next month, thus newly eligible for Medicare (senior health insurance) in the United States, where we live. Her iPad has been receiving pop ups and e-mails about Medicare plans from private vendors. No surprise there. She goes on Facebook & shops and I'm sure they all sell her stuff.</p><p></p><p>But... </p><p></p><p>Her phone has been getting text messages & voicemails for Medicare supplement & advantage plans. (These are private vendors, not the government.) </p><p>They are surprisingly personalized: "Hello Grace-Marie, here are your supplement plan links..." or "Grace- Marie, you're soon eligible for <em>fill it in</em> Medicare Advantage plan". </p><p></p><p>These messages are quite a surprise- especially the personalization, complete with her name. They also apparently know her birthdate.</p><p>My wife doesn't even use her full, real name on any documents- not even Social Security or Secretary of State. The Marie half of her first name never appears anywhere. She's never been in the military, or worked for the government, so that's out. (Social Security & the IRS know her birthdate by law, but not her real first name. And I am certain they are not selling her data.)</p><p></p><p>Why Am I So Surprised?</p><p>1) My wife has an AT&T "Go Phone". It has no contract. The only paperwork was to pay for it & get a telephone number (in my name, not hers). The was several years ago.</p><p>2) The <u>only</u> person or entity having this phone number is me. She absolutely, positively guards this phone number like a dog guarding a steak. (She uses our home phone instead, and uses it very rarely. The home phone service is in no way linked to the cell phone. It's Ooma in my name and on my company credit card.</p><p>3) Her name appears nowhere on any AT&T paperwork. She just, plain does not exist to AT&T. (Nor to any other cell carrier)</p><p>4) Anything related to the phone is in my name, but nothing else. No address, no personal data- nothing. </p><p>5) The payments are with my company credit card- again no name.</p><p></p><p>6) Her phone number is not even in my computer or phone's Contacts list. It's just on a piece of paper in my wallet.</p><p>7) My wife has never even set up a Google account for the phone or linked the phone to anything, so Big Daddy Spy is out. </p><p></p><p>8) She has never, ever turned on Location nor WiFi in the history of having a cell phone. Actually, the only app on the whole phone that she has opened is the one you open to make a phone call. She's not opened Messaging, but sees the messages on her home screen automatically. (Android 5.?)</p><p></p><p>9) She has never texted anyone, <u>nor has she opened a text message</u>. (Or deleted them.)</p><p></p><p>10) She has <u>never even taken the phone out of the house </u>when it was on, or turned it on while out of the house.</p><p>11) No one has her number except me. No One! (At her request) She only has a "car phone" at my insistence. </p><p>12) She's never used the phone to check voicemail. I use the home phone dial in for her so I can press "7" a billion times to delete bunches-o- messages.</p><p></p><p>13) The entire history of the time that my wife has had this phone she has made exactly 5 phone calls. All were to my cell phone. She's received 3- each from my cell phone.</p><p> She's never cleared History, so that one was easy for me to figure out. It's also on AT&T web site when I add money to her phone. (One has to add money every 3 moths even if the phone wasn't used. She's got a huge pile of minutes stored up.)</p><p></p><p> I thought that perhaps the call to my cell phone were the weak link, but it would only show the caller and callee are the same person.</p><p></p><p>14) My wife has no contacts in her address book on the phone & no contacts in her address book on the computer nor iPad.</p><p></p><p>All she knows how to do, or cares to know, is to turn it on, enter the unlock the PIN, get to the Dial Pad & dial a number (or answer a call).</p><p></p><p>I would love to figure out how these vendors found not only this quite guarded phone number, but my wife's name and age. It will be interesting to learn (and unsettling, I'm sure).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="PGB1, post: 1836686, member: 76746"] This entry isn't related to a browser privacy, rather to tracking and privacy- so I'm writing it separately. I think you all might find it interesting: My bride of over 30 happy years is turning 65 next month, thus newly eligible for Medicare (senior health insurance) in the United States, where we live. Her iPad has been receiving pop ups and e-mails about Medicare plans from private vendors. No surprise there. She goes on Facebook & shops and I'm sure they all sell her stuff. But... Her phone has been getting text messages & voicemails for Medicare supplement & advantage plans. (These are private vendors, not the government.) They are surprisingly personalized: "Hello Grace-Marie, here are your supplement plan links..." or "Grace- Marie, you're soon eligible for [I]fill it in[/I] Medicare Advantage plan". These messages are quite a surprise- especially the personalization, complete with her name. They also apparently know her birthdate. My wife doesn't even use her full, real name on any documents- not even Social Security or Secretary of State. The Marie half of her first name never appears anywhere. She's never been in the military, or worked for the government, so that's out. (Social Security & the IRS know her birthdate by law, but not her real first name. And I am certain they are not selling her data.) Why Am I So Surprised? 1) My wife has an AT&T "Go Phone". It has no contract. The only paperwork was to pay for it & get a telephone number (in my name, not hers). The was several years ago. 2) The [U]only[/U] person or entity having this phone number is me. She absolutely, positively guards this phone number like a dog guarding a steak. (She uses our home phone instead, and uses it very rarely. The home phone service is in no way linked to the cell phone. It's Ooma in my name and on my company credit card. 3) Her name appears nowhere on any AT&T paperwork. She just, plain does not exist to AT&T. (Nor to any other cell carrier) 4) Anything related to the phone is in my name, but nothing else. No address, no personal data- nothing. 5) The payments are with my company credit card- again no name. 6) Her phone number is not even in my computer or phone's Contacts list. It's just on a piece of paper in my wallet. 7) My wife has never even set up a Google account for the phone or linked the phone to anything, so Big Daddy Spy is out. 8) She has never, ever turned on Location nor WiFi in the history of having a cell phone. Actually, the only app on the whole phone that she has opened is the one you open to make a phone call. She's not opened Messaging, but sees the messages on her home screen automatically. (Android 5.?) 9) She has never texted anyone, [U]nor has she opened a text message[/U]. (Or deleted them.) 10) She has [U]never even taken the phone out of the house [/U]when it was on, or turned it on while out of the house. 11) No one has her number except me. No One! (At her request) She only has a "car phone" at my insistence. 12) She's never used the phone to check voicemail. I use the home phone dial in for her so I can press "7" a billion times to delete bunches-o- messages. 13) The entire history of the time that my wife has had this phone she has made exactly 5 phone calls. All were to my cell phone. She's received 3- each from my cell phone. She's never cleared History, so that one was easy for me to figure out. It's also on AT&T web site when I add money to her phone. (One has to add money every 3 moths even if the phone wasn't used. She's got a huge pile of minutes stored up.) I thought that perhaps the call to my cell phone were the weak link, but it would only show the caller and callee are the same person. 14) My wife has no contacts in her address book on the phone & no contacts in her address book on the computer nor iPad. All she knows how to do, or cares to know, is to turn it on, enter the unlock the PIN, get to the Dial Pad & dial a number (or answer a call). I would love to figure out how these vendors found not only this quite guarded phone number, but my wife's name and age. It will be interesting to learn (and unsettling, I'm sure). [/QUOTE]
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A Web Site Mysteriously Knows Who I Am & Details About My Last Visit. Scary!
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