I've been receiving a lot of calls and texts from people trying to buy properties that my late mother owned, but my name has never been linked to those properties. My last name is different from hers, and I haven't given out my phone number for this purpose. Strangely, my boyfriend has started getting the same calls too, even though he has no association with the properties. My adult sons aren't getting them at all. How are they connecting us to these properties? I've registered on the national Do Not Call list and am generally careful about sharing my info. Is there any way to figure out where they're getting our contact information from?
3 Answers
It sounds like data brokers are at play here! They create profiles linking people to relatives and households using public records and other data sources. When your mother owned those properties, you were likely flagged as a potential contact for decisions related to them. If your boyfriend shares an address or has some household connection to you, he might get pulled into those calls as well. It’s frustrating, but once you get flagged, it seems your privacy diminishes. Also, the Do Not Call list doesn’t really help with these persistent data brokers.
It's wild how little control we have over our own information, isn’t it? Makes you wonder about all the data that’s out there.
Have you tried Googling your phone number? It can sometimes show you where your info pops up online. I did it once, and it revealed some surprising stuff that I thought was deleted ages ago.
I’ve Googled my name before; it’s eye-opening! I had a similar experience where I found random old accounts I thought were gone.
Honestly, you probably gave away your info at some point. Think about it—every time you engage online, there's a trail of data left behind that data brokers can exploit. It’s a bit like that Batman Beyond scene where they discuss collecting DNA from someone—it’s that easy to leave traces of your identity. They probably found yours through one of those brokers.
That makes a lot of sense. It feels invasive that they can connect the dots like that without us even knowing.