How Much Of Your Personal Information Can Others See?
With so much of our lives being lived on the internet, have you ever really pondered how much of our personal information is out there on the world wide web for anyone to see?
I can honestly say I haven't given it much thought until recently that is. I received a random call the other day on my cell phone. Keep in mind this is my personal cell phone, not a company one. At first, I thought it was someone I might know or a client. The gentleman on the other end of the phone was very pleasant and started the conversation with, "Is this the McCrummen residence?" First off, when calling my cell phone number, most people would ask if it was the Gallagher residence, as that is what my number is listed under with Verizon. And most of my friends, family, and clients call me by my maiden name. McCrummen is my married name. So, that was a little strange, but I said yes. He first introduced himself, but only by his first name and then proceeded to assure me that he wasn't selling anything, but was part of a group reaching out to people to check on them in these troubled times.
I really wasn't sure where this conversation was going to lead, so I said we are fine, and then proceeded to ask him what group he was with. He told me that he was calling on behalf of the Jehovah's Witnesses. I politely told him that I was Catholic and that I really wasn't interested in continuing the conversation. He was very gracious and thanked me for my time. Before we hung up, I did ask him where he had gotten my personal cell phone number. He told me that he had gotten it off of Truepeoplesearch.com. I thanked him for the information and then, of course, curiosity got the best of me. So, I searched for my name and was blown away by the information that was available for just anyone to see. My relatives, my current phone number and an old landline numbers from years ago and even the address where I lived 30 plus years ago. It was pretty eye-opening and unnerving. I'm not sure how one would keep some of this off of the world wide web, but it is still crazy how much personal information is out there. I wonder if this is what makes stealing someone's identity so easy.
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