WoT Astonishing Data Mining on Records from My Past- Aaaack!

[seraphima]

I needed to change the main phone number on an investment account today, so I passworded into the website, and found that numbers cannot be changed online. So, I asked a rep to call back, and in talking to her to verify my identity to change the phone number, she used a Google app that asks the following types of questions. She stated that these questions were taken from publicly available info,

What color was your (brandname) travel trailer? ( We sold it in 2012) Beige, white, blue, red, or none of the above?
What was your State residency in 1964-1965? states a, b c, or none of these. (I was in boarding school and don't even know)
What was the address number when you lived on such-and-such street? (I'm 73, and you think i remember the number after xxxyears!?)
Which town did you live in when you were at xyz address? Several town names or none of the above?

The first set of four I didn't pass, I then had to do anoher set of four, very similar, which I did pass.

This means that all sorts of legal records- DMV for sure, and probably others are being mined for questions!!!

Anyone else have this draconian Forced proof-of-identity used on them?

AAAck!

 

[phloydius]

Most of those questions source from your credit report, or at least used to.
They have been asking those questions for at least 10+ years.

 

[WalknTrot]

Yes. I've had to call about closing credit or debit card accounts that were hijacked and opening new ones. They ask a bunch of ancient history stuff to verify identity. I'm guessing some comes from old credit reports, loan info, licensing information, voting records, etc. They never seemed too upset if I misremembered and got some obscure thing wrong. Just as long as the general trend in my answers was accurate.

 

[seraphima]

It gets lonely being (apparently) among the last of the dinosaurs. Thanks.

 

[Capt. Eddie]

When I did a background check (with a private company) to coach youth football they knew every address I'd lived at, every phone number, employer, vehicle, etc. It took them about 15 minutes from the time I entered my name, current address, and current phone to generate a report with all of the above and email it back to me. That was 9 years ago.

 

[kyrsyan]

It gets lonely being (apparently) among the last of the dinosaurs. Thanks.

You're not. I don't use credit 99% of the time. So I was thrown a bit when I had to go and re-freeze my credit account. They asked similar questions. I was a little bit peeved at the intrusiveness. Interestingly enough, for one of them I apparently didn't answer the question correctly so I had to call them and then do some things in writing.

 

[SlipperySlope]

Social security did that to me once and I failed. I am also failing my identity at the IRS right now. Of course no one will answer the phone for over 3 weeks so I can't correct it. The website is locked to me because I am not really me. Grrr

 

[Dystonic]

I went through one of those questions a few years back. It came up with some interesting stuff about my ex wife. After I got several questions wrong, she asked the day I got married. I answered when I married DW, and the answer was my ex.

Afterwards, I did some searching and found my name related to several addresses, some I knew, and several I didn’t. I also found her current phone number. It’s all out there and too easy to find.

 

[Josie]

Social security did that to me once and I failed. I am also failing my identity at the IRS right now. Of course no one will answer the phone for over 3 weeks so I can't correct it. The website is locked to me because I am not really me. Grrr

Hubby failed when he was applying for Social Security. Locked him out and he had to go over to th SS office to get back in. It did tip us off to a don't on his credit report. Stupid Comcast turned him in for a $540 outstanding bill owed from when he lived in Chicago. Sorry, never lived there.

 

[Tristan]

I needed to change the main phone number on an investment account today, so I passworded into the website, and found that numbers cannot be changed online. So, I asked a rep to call back, and in talking to her to verify my identity to change the phone number, she used a Google app that asks the following types of questions. She stated that these questions were taken from publicly available info,

What color was your (brandname) travel trailer? ( We sold it in 2012) Beige, white, blue, red, or none of the above?
What was your State residency in 1964-1965? states a, b c, or none of these. (I was in boarding school and don't even know)
What was the address number when you lived on such-and-such street? (I'm 73, and you think i remember the number after xxxyears!?)
Which town did you live in when you were at xyz address? Several town names or none of the above?

The first set of four I didn't pass, I then had to do anoher set of four, very similar, which I did pass.

This means that all sorts of legal records- DMV for sure, and probably others are being mined for questions!!!

Anyone else have this draconian Forced proof-of-identity used on them?

AAAck!

Yep.

Welcome to the digital Panopticon.


(but, I repeat myself.)

 

[Dozdoats]

I don't feel so bad about my SF-86 now.

 

[Housecarl]

Yeah, just as disconcerting the time I first got a happy birthday message on my phone from google when I go out of my way to not to have such info on line.

Heck, getting an email from a donut shop I bought a carton of milk from a few days ago with my debit when I've never been in there before or given my email address was also an eye opener.

 

[changed]

I needed to change the main phone number on an investment account today, so I passworded into the website, and found that numbers cannot be changed online. So, I asked a rep to call back, and in talking to her to verify my identity to change the phone number, she used a Google app that asks the following types of questions. She stated that these questions were taken from publicly available info,

What color was your (brandname) travel trailer? ( We sold it in 2012) Beige, white, blue, red, or none of the above?
What was your State residency in 1964-1965? states a, b c, or none of these. (I was in boarding school and don't even know)
What was the address number when you lived on such-and-such street? (I'm 73, and you think i remember the number after xxxyears!?)
Which town did you live in when you were at xyz address? Several town names or none of the above?

The first set of four I didn't pass, I then had to do anoher set of four, very similar, which I did pass.

This means that all sorts of legal records- DMV for sure, and probably others are being mined for questions!!!

Anyone else have this draconian Forced proof-of-identity used on them?

AAAck!

Yes! I was astonished at what the credit card people knew. All of this came out of Y2K. One of the things that happened because of Y2K is that it made it possible to share information among databases.