A Warning to Y'all

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by lunachick

Say I fall in love with one of you chappies and you turn out to be a cad and a bounder?

Impossible; fish can't type.

[Brimshack]

Originally Posted by lunachick

Don't give out your phone number to people.

I have GuruNet installed on my machine, and it totally rules. But I noticed one of the daily tips - alt-click on any American phone number and you will get that person's name and address. From there, you can follow a link that will take you to public records, where for a small fee you can access all that person's records - current address, previous address, D.O.B, family, the lot. Even employment and criminal history, I think.

When I first saw the tip, my thoughts were simply "Rad! I wonder how that works" and I decided to test it.

So, I took a number of someone I knew in the States to see if the name and address would match up with what I had in my address book, and it did. At first I thought that was pretty cool. Until I followed the link to personal records and shit. Now I couldn't investigate that person any further - and I wouldn't wish to; I was merely curious as to what was "out there" - but had I wanted to, I could've paid a mere $7.99US and got all those extra details. That gave me the shivers.

So, my American friends - be careful who you give your phone number to.

Oh baby, you don't have to go through all that. Just ask me anything you want to...

[wade-w]

If someone wants to steal my identity, they are welcome to it. It definitely hasn't done me any good.

[Petra]

Originally Posted by Brimshack

Oh baby, you don't have to go through all that. Just ask me anything you want to...

You gave me your phone number once. I know your full name and address.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[Petra]

Originally Posted by wade-w

If someone wants to steal my identity, they are welcome to it. It definitely hasn't done me any good.

Ditto.

[pescifish]

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

Impossible; fish can't type.

Escuse me?! ...... ......

[Petra]

Ok, so they can type but they can't spell.

I blame the schools.

[Goliath]

Originally Posted by lunachick

Ok, so they can type but they can't spell.

I blame the schools.

It's like I've been saying for eons: We need to revise the educational system at the fish level! Then, slowly, the changes will go through sharks, whales, and other sea life, and then, after a long time, will eventually come to land. After that, the educational changes will work their ways from invertebrates to reptiles and birds, to small mammals, and then finally to us.

Grass roots*, people!

* - And by "grass roots", I mean "seaweed roots".

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by pescifish

Cute.

[Dingfod]

Originally Posted by lunachick

I've also had another thought regarding this. That it is also a safety net. Say I fall in love with one of you chappies and you turn out to be a cad and a bounder? That you're not really single and 29 with no kids, and you have a couple of convictions for sex and violence offences you didn't tell me about, etc,...

Is that what I've been telling you? Let me know, I've got to keep my story straight, looks better, you know.

[pescifish]

Originally Posted by lunachick

Ok, so they can type but they can't spell.

I blame the schools.

[viscousmemories]

Damn, that's two jokes in a row I suddenly get now.

[LadyShea]

Just for shits n giggles, I just went and put my maiden name into USSearch. Now, I haven't had my maiden name since 1991, and I haven't lived with my parents since 1988. The "preliminary search" showed 3 addresses in cities where my parents lived without me, 3 cities I have lived in under my married name, and 1 city I have never lived in though it's in Nevada. It also showed a fair number of other people with my same first name (and weird spelling), middle initial, and very rare last name (maiden)...unless they also think those were me with addresses in TN and GA. Interestingly, my married name brings up one address though I have moved all over with it.

I don't think I trust those "pay for info" things now.