Pop quiz time! What do Fandango and Credit Karma have in common? Yes, they both have really catchy (or annoying) advertisements. But that’s not the answer we were looking for. Give up? Okay, here it is: both companies allegedly deceived millions of consumers and put their personal information at risk. We never said it was a good thing to have in common. [More]
personal information
OfficeMax Addresses Junk Mail To Dad Of ‘Daughter Killed In Car Crash’
By 1.20.14
No one likes junk mail. It’s annoying, we agree. We never imagined one simple piece of mail could cause a family pain and trauma, but it did last week. An Illinois man received what at first appeared to be an ordinary mailing from OfficeMax, except under his name was the line “daughter killed in car crash”. [More]
FTC Initiative Wants You To “Reclaim Your Name” From Big Data Brokers
By 6.27.13
We all know that there are companies out there sucking up consumers’ information and selling it — sometimes to people or entities they shouldn’t — but what no one really knows is exactly who has that data. While there are a few ways for consumers to check activity data on specific sites, there’s no catch-all resource for people to go to and see what their name/info is up to. The Federal Trade Commission wants to change that with a “Reclaim Your Name” proposal. [More]
Luggage Tag Already Filled Out With Contact Info Of Customer Who Didn’t Actually Buy The Bag
By 4.29.13
Things get returned to retailers and sent back out to other customers. It happens. What isn’t supposed to happen is that one customer gets the item with all of the personal information of the person who returned it. That’s what happened to reader Justin when he bought some luggage for his wife from o.co, the retailer formerly known as Overstock.com, that had a tag filled out with the information of a stranger. [More]
California Bill Seeks To Give Consumers Access To All That Personal Data Companies Are Mining
By 4.3.13
We all know (or should know) by now that there’s a whole lot of information about us floating out there on the Internet. Companies like Facebook, Twitter, Google and others are busy collecting that info from data brokers and using it in ways seen and unseen. But it’s hard to put a finger on just what about you these companies have, something a new bill called the Right to Know Act is seeking to change in California. [More]
Best Buy Needs Your Personal Info To Sell An XM Radio Receiver, Can’t Tell You Why
By 6.28.12
Here’s what Ted wanted. He already has an XM Radio subscription, and he wanted to buy a replacement radio. His was broken, but Best Buy carries them, and Best Buy stores are everywhere. It couldn’t be that bad, could it? Just stop in, exchange money for radio, leave, walk out. Not so fast, there, Ted: Best Buy needs your name, address, and phone number before they can sell you a radio. And they have no idea why. [More]
Virgin Mobile Needs Non-Customer’s Personal Information To Stop Spamming her
By 6.19.12
Someone signed up for Virgin Mobile, and used Shadee’s e-mail address by accident. She doesn’t particularly want someone else’s phone bills, so she contacted Virgin Mobile asking to have the problem resolved. They answered with a demand for her personal information: name, mailing address, and her phone number. Why do they need all of this information when she wants to get off their mailing list, not on it? So she reached out and posted on Virgin Mobile’s Facebook wall. The interactions that followed prove that while companies can assign staff to social media, it can’t make them actually listen to consumers. [More]
Want To Look At A Car? Dodge Dealership Needs All Of Your Info
By 5.21.12
Allen wanted to look at a new Dodge Charger. Not test-drive it. Just look at it, and maybe check out the interior or sit inside. But the dealership he visited wouldn’t let him even look at the car without taking down his name, address, driver’s license information, and phone number. Annoyed, he left the dealership and did a Google Images search or something instead. [More]
Valve Says Hackers Probably Nabbed Transaction Data
By 2.13.12
In November, online game distributor Valve revealed that hackers breached the system. In a recent follow-up statement, Valve CEO Gabe Newell says hackers probably got a hold of transaction data, which includes encrypted credit card info and billing addresses, as well as user names and email addresses. [More]
Xbox Gamer Allegedly Tricks SWAT Team Into Investigating Rival's Home
By 6.2.11
An online gaming disagreement turned into a nightmare for a gamer who refused to do the bidding of a person he spoke to over Xbox Live. The victim alleges a rival somehow discovered his name, address and phone number, then falsely reported a murder-suicide at his home, causing a SWAT team to descend on his home. [More]
How To Use Facebook's New Privacy Controls
By 5.26.10
Lifehacker has a handy guide to and analysis of the new, streamlined privacy controls just announced by Facebook. There’s also the full version posted on Facebook. The new controls are simpler, but fall short in some respects. [More]
Facebook Announces Simplified Privacy Settings
By 5.26.10
Faced with a steady stream of criticism from users, privacy advocates, and more recently members of the government, Facebook has announced today that they’re simplifying how privacy settings work on the site. The WSJ is liveblogging Facebook’s conference call right now. CNET’s coverage is coming in faster, though, and offers more detail. Below is a quick summary of what Facebook is changing. [More]
Franken and Schumer To CEO: We Hate Facebook's Privacy Changes
By 4.27.10
Recent and proposed changes to Facebook’s information sharing policies have Senators Franken (D-MN) and Schumer (D-NY) a little irritated. They’ve penned a letter, along with Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Mark Begich (D-AK), asking Facebook to reconsider their new opt-out procedure, and to take further steps to keep user’s personal details, such as their interests and friend lists, private unless they chose to share them. [More]
A Volvo Dealership E-Stalked Me
By 2.11.10
Inspired by yesterday’s post about Victoria’s Secret’s e-snooping, Julia says she felt cyberstalked by a Volvo dealership. When she sent the business an email, she got a response back to not only the account she sent the email from, but a different, personal address. [More]
Your Credit Report Isn't The Only Report You Should Monitor
By 11.11.09
When an insurer decides whether to offer you a new policy, or whether to raise rates on a current one, he most likely pulls a CLUE report that lists any homeowner or automobile insurance loss claims (or sometimes even just inquiries) that you’ve made over the past 3-7 years. Hopefully you monitor your consumer credit report for errors, but as you can see, that’s not the only one you should keep an eye on.
Yankees Fans Celebrate Championship By Giving Away Your Private Information
By 11.9.09
In case the unlimited payroll, overpriced stadium, and everything else weren’t enough, here’s another reason to dislike the Yankees: their celebratory parades are havens for white collar crime.
Citi Gives Self Permission To Sell Your Personal Info If You Get Prepaid Rebate Card
By 10.8.09
Greg says he inadvertently authorized Citi to share his personal info because he applied for an online rebate. He writes:
Doctors Across Tennessee Keep Faxing Patient Records To A Solar Panel Company
By 9.28.09
For three years now, reports The Tennessean, the owner of a solar panel company in Indiana says “confidential medical faxes” have been sent to him by doctors throughout Tennessee. His fax number is apparently very similar to the one for the Tennessee Department of Human Services, but although he’s contacted the errant doctors’ offices, as well as reported it to the DHS and to the state’s governor’s office, they keep coming.
