Mt Whitney Zone Forums The Chat Room Big Brother Is Watching - But You Can Turn Him Off!

FYI! Spokeo.com is a new online USA "phone book" detailing a lot of personal information for anyone to see (pics you've posted, credit score, income, age, children, home value, etc). You can see basic info for free and pay $2.95/mo to see pictures and more personal info. Scary. A marketer's dream - or a stalker's or ID thief's!

The good news is you can opt out. To remove yourself, search for your name and keep working your way through the filters till you find yourself. Copy the URL of your page, then go to the bottom right corner of the page, and click the Privacy button and follow the directions. You'll have to provide a valid e-mail address, as the final removal step comes through an e-mail verification.

Wow! ....only that 2.50/yr is incorrect. It's 2.95/MONTH, or $35.40/yr.  Shortest term is 3 months at $14.85

They have my property and partial family info. I can see that for free.

Easy name to remember: Just think "Spook".

And opting out will remove you only from their public search.

I wonder how many connections they will harvest by people looking up their own name/address, and then doing other searches, such as email.

If I were a spook, I'd think, "Then that email address quite possibly belongs to that individual."

Sorry 'bout that cost error - I just breezed over it quickly, with no intention of subscribing. Still pretty cheap for marketers and "spooks" (good handle, Steve). I corrected the pricing.

My wife was miffed that they had me still married to my first wife - 31 years since the divorce (at age 22, thank you very much)!

Wow!

There also is a "per IP address (not "per e-mail address" as stated) limit of how many removals you can do per week. If you work at a large company (like I do) and use your work address, and a lot of your co-workers are also doing removals, that IP address will reach its limit pretty quickly.

I also noticed that when you look up someone's name, and then click on the entry(ies) that show up, the resulting information, which is remarkably accurate from what I've seen so far), also includes a map of the address listed in the entry, with a pointer showing the exact location! Not that anyone couldn't look this up on their own on any of the mapping sites that are out there, but this site does that for you automatically. This takes lack of privacy to a new high, although admittedly, they do cull all their info from many other public websites.

Update - Interestingly, I was able to have two of the three entries for me removed from this site (the two at my current location), but the third one remains (my former residence). Interestingly, they have a phone number associated with that address that is in another part of Ohio, and which I've never ever had in my life (ditto for a phone number associated with my mom in California). I have no idea where they could have gotten these phone numbers nor why they would think they belonged to me (or my mom). Strange!

Bee, if you read this, the fact that you're not listed on this "spook" site should warm the cockles of your privacy loving heart!

CaT

Not a very accurate site really. I had no results for myself or another person I know. A friend of mine was listed and it said he was married which is false. He isn't even in a relationship. It had my sister living at my dads place which is also false.

RP, are you possibly in your twenties? If so, that would explain a lot. These sites glom data from all across the board - the more history and background you have, the more likely they've got something reasonably accurate on you. I'm in my (very) early fifties, and everyone I checked - mostly in my 40-55 age bracket - was mostly correct. Addresses were on the mark every time due to mortgage and property tax records.

Takes 3 minutes to opt out, though, so well worth the time. If you don't, next week they may have your life history right and available for sale.

Other than duly-constituted government bodies, there is no law requiring a person to be overly truthful to unsolicited phone callers, emailers, internet sign-ups & so forth.

My late business partner was officially named "William", ... To clients he was "Bill". So a caller asking for "William" generally received what he or she deserved. "William Jaffa", he would reply, "Is my cousin and lives in Africa and has 4 wives". "Which wife do you want?". And many variations.

We had a fireplace, so junk mail addressed to "William" helped keep the house warm.

Between us I hope we drove some telemarketers out of business and muddied up some databases. At least we had some fun to make up for the egregious interruptions.

If you think Spokeo.com pushes the envelope on your privacy, get a load of THIS place:

http://users.chartertn.net/tonytemplin/FBI_eyes/

Hilarious!

Yeah 26 right now.

I looked up my grandmother and it has her listed as living in two locations. One is right and the other is at my dad's place. I guess it saying she is married can count since her husband died over 20 years ago. Blah though says her house is worth 97K! That's allot less then she payed back before the market shot up.

Was that on Spokeo or the other one? I looked you up just for kicks on Spokeo and you weren't on there at all.

Speaking of inaccuracy, I looked up my 22-year-old nephew oon Spokeo, and it had two entries for him -- one accurately stating he was in his early 20s, but the other saying he was in his 70s!! Right...

CaT

at least it didn't get any of my hobbies....

actually, there are several sites out there that have much more detailed information. It's almost pointless to get the information removed from just one of them.

Hope Steve is wrong about opting out just validated you and gave then a valid email. I still opted out like Bee did. I am like her I want off the grid.Reminds me of that movie with Will Smith and Gene Hackman.

Well, look who has come back from 2010!

Why it is the 2dDude!

Happy Year of the Rabbit everyone!

Spook...that was my call sign in the Marines!

I think this spokeo thing is just a ploy to get you to sign up and make your changes and THEN all HELL will break loose...at home (You were married to whom? You lived where else? You are whose cousin?), in cyberspace. JMO.

Once they get that personal identifiable information (PII) be careful, y'all!

Yeah, they got my some of my beta and digits...but they are all wrong...discombobulated...

Did notice some pics! Quite harmless...nothing provocative...just plain ole me...wait...there is one with cranberry drink and Portal Fries! That doesn't look like me!

Why I outta straighten some "spokeo"s out.




Have fun and enjoy...

Although I'm pretty much a hermit & don't interact with a lot of real people, I find that even I personally know four young ladies who have been stalked. So stalking may be far more widespread than we think.

Read about Shreve's horrific experience here. Read all the earlier posts first. Not every stalker arrives in town, checks into a motel, carrying a loaded .44 magnum, then calls to say he's on his way, after he "freshens up".

"You might need a drink while reading it. I needed a drink after writing it."

So, keep a low profile, and don't hesitate to obfuscate the bastards.

Just sayin'.

They had nothing more then what could be found else where on the internet on me. I did not opt out on it, when one looks at the map they provided one view shows I live on a set of railroad tracks and another view shows I live in the middle of a pecan grove. I can assure you I don't live at either, but relish in the thought that someone may one day look for me there. Aww the joys of living in a rural environment!