Well this is weird and interesting.

[SheilaT]

I've just gotten four calls in a row from a phone number in California. There seemed to be no one on the other end the first two times, the third one I got what sounded like heavy breathing, so I didn't answer it the fourth time.

Then I googled the number.

I then found a page that had a person's full name, including maiden as it was a female, her SS#, a credit card number including the little code on the back, her address, and date of birth.

So then I googled my cell phone, which I've had since 1995. That same website and a full array of information of a woman who is not me, including in her case a passport number.

WTF?

Has anyone else run across this?

[Proud Public Servant]

1. What was the website?

Just checked a couple of family numbers. No hits like that (thank goodness). What site is posting that kind of info?

[cbayer]

2. This happened to me recently.

I always google numbers I don't recognize, and I came across a site that had all the information you list as well. Really alarming. My number does not bring this up, but I am wondering if it's a scam to get you to buy some kind of privacy protection or something.

[MANative]

3. Was it Spokeo.com?

Huge data aggregator, and outrageous invasion of privacy. Local news did a big story on them last winter. You can go to their website and opt out so that your info can't be searched. I did that and highly recommend doing the same.

[avebury]

6. How do you opt out?

I am on their website and trying to figure it out. I agree that it looks like an outrageous invasion of your privacy.

[MANative]

19. To remove a listing...

Go to the bottom of the Spokeo site and click on "Privacy"

Search to see if there is a listing in your name. If there isn't one, you are fine - do nothing. If there is, scroll down to see the "Remove Listing" entry box. Fill in the requested information, and you will be removed.

[woo me with science]

11. I would hesitate to GO to a site like that,

even to opt out. How are you sure the opt out worked?

[MANative]

18. Yes. When I search for myself there now, nothing comes back.

n/t

[Control-Z]

4. I've been confused with a woman

whose name is one letter off from mine. I have her outstanding debts on my credit report. Even her SS number appears on the report as one of mine (as though I use two numbers). I've been harassed over the phone with threats to repossess a car I never owned. The IRS has even written her/me to verify identity. This started 18 years ago and has yet to be resolved. It has become somewhat a case of identity theft.

Do what you can asap to distance yourself from this person. Before it gets out of hand.

[Proud Public Servant]

5. Some years ago

I had a job that required me to do Lexus-Nexus searches for the Federal government. We weren't allowed to search people at random so we trained by searching our own data using various parameters. When I searched myself by social security number, the name of a woman in Florida came up. When I dug a bit further (which was probably against the rules, but I was a bit freaked out), I discovered that her actual social security number was one off from mine, and that someone, somewhere, had mis-entered it into one of the many databases that get aggregated in Lexus-Nexus. One errant keystroke and I'm linked forever with a stranger; I hope she's law-abiding!

[SharonAnn]

12. It's Lexis-Nexis

[Proud Public Servant]

13. Thought that looked wrong...

[montanto]

7. No, but prompted by your post

I googled my home phone number and came up with a name and even a business at that phone number, which explains why I get so many calls for people other than me. The thing is I've had the number for ten years and it is still listed as a business number in several places on the internet. Once you put something out there, you can't take it back I guess.

[sad sally]

16. The old Payless Drug Store had our home number years ago. We get calls all the time from regular

people, doctors, insurance companies - calling Rite Aid. Yesterday was a classic - woman called, didn't say hello, just asked what we were getting for 2% milk. Do hate it when it's 5 a.m. and they want to know what time we open...

We give the Rite Aid's number and ask if they will PLEASE correct their call list.

[laundry_queen]

20. I get robocalls

my home number was once a small business and I get robocalls wanting me to 'improve my business' with XYZ banking, or office supply robocalls. I cannot figure how to get myself off those lists. All the other lists I have been able to get off of (when I answer most astute people ask, "Is this FF Financial?" since I don't answer the phone as a business should and I say no, could you please take me off your list, this is now a private phone number and they apologize and take me off the list).

[warrior1]

8. Yes this has happened to me

Just ignore it.

[warrior1]

9. It looks something like this. Click on the link to a name and you get bunch of info.

http://www.xdd.org/phn/916/947/45
and a faq

http://www.xdd.org/faq/faq.html

I don't believe any of this info is accurate.

[SheilaT]

10. Yep. That's the site I found.

I know that the information connected to my cell phone has absolutely nothing to do with me, but I wonder if the person on that site is a real person, and if those are accurate SS, credit card, and passport numbers for that person?

[Proud Public Servant]

14. I believe you're right

The phone number my mother has had for 50 years is in there, linked to someone else at a different street address.

[kalli007]

15. It says FAKE US IDENTITIES

At the top of the website

[Duer 157099]

17. Some websites actually create content on the fly, according to your search term

So, for example, if you put a random phone number into the search box, they can have code on their site that incorporates that number with whatever other data they want. I wonder if this site does something like that?