Scary Situation
 

I had my bio up on ebay because I buy quite a bit from there. I put it up 2 years ago and totally forgot I did. I was so stupid that I put in the small town I live in and where I use to work in this very small town.
Well, I placed a quilt for sale on ebay just to see what the market was like and I had a "Rudy" write me a email telling me how pretty my quilt was and how she liked my bio so much. So I wrote back to her after a week (I thought it was weird that she wrote me in the first place) and chatted and asked about her life and she told me she had a 20 month old daughter and how she's 40 and she is glad she waited so long to have a child and and a few more details and then we started emailing each other and I was enjoying visiting with another gal, even though I didn't know her and she didn't quilt. But then she started talking about some different type of things and I suddenly realized that it wasn't a gal I had been sharing my thoughts with but a 40 year old married man. A man!!!! Wow! Freaked me out! So I went to ebay and deleted everything I could delete.
I have a blog and went there and took out my town and other info that I don't want everyone in the world to know. I just thought maybe some of you have info on the web and might be like me and be trusting and not realize what can happen. My husband said that bad people can figure out exactly where you live and who you are and then a whole lot of bad things can happen to you. They can steal your identity, find where you live and stalk you and many more things than I could even think of. I guess there are people out there who do this for a living. So, if you have a bio anyplace, you might rethink what you want to share with the world and all the bad people out there. I am so nervous that I'm taking out everything I need to to keep my identity private.
Just be careful out there. :eek:

Scary Situation
 

And I know it has my home town on this right now and I can't find out how to delete it. Any help? :eek:

Wow, Thats scary thanks for the word of warning.

I am going to delete my Bio.

Can you contact EBay and let someone know this has happened? Maybe he can be banned. Scary!!!!! Glad you are OK. I get weird invites to join FaceBook, supposedly from friends- who never knew FB cab steal your address book and send solicitations!

I believe you need to go into your settings and change your signature.

Glad you were able to figure it out before it got any further. Off to check my ebay bio.

This is really scarey. I am glad you figured it out and yes I would let ebay know. I put some furniture forsale on Craigs list and gat some wierd respones. I don't like this world and all this bad stuff. thanks for letting us know

How sad this is as in this day in age honest people are trying to get by and then idiots have to ruin it for everyone. I am so glad you caught this before anything else happened. Such sick sick twisted people out there.

I no longer have a Facebook page, and won't have one either, because ---- long story short --- I was stalked, photographed and had those photos emailed to me, and shot at --- that's right, with a real rifle --- and e-mailed threatening letters like how he deliberately missed this time and wasn't going to miss next time --- and spent over a week in a police "safe house" because a man tracked me down through Facebook. He's in prison now. Don't want to give more details. Still terrifies me. And I deeply resent all these places that want you to "Like" them on Facebook, or won't give you a coupon unless you "Like" them on Facebook, but you have to have a Facebook Page to do that! Be careful ladies. No one was supposed to get through my Security Wall unless they were my "Friends", and I found out through the police computer crimes lab that that's a joke and almost any grade school student can hack into your information if they want, it's that easy. Be extremely careful about what kind of information you post about yourselves. Stay safe.

What's more frightening is many prisoners have phone and computer access- and even do computer jobs online for their state! In NY prisoners now man the phone query line for the DMV- supposedly just answering general questions and don't have database access. Doesn't make me very happy! MacThayer- Glad you are safe! Still creeps me out that friends and relatives can post my pic and info online without my permission. I worry every time I see someone posting where they'll be on vacation, and how long they'll be gone. Just reading someone's blog entries can give way too much info. Many medical records are outsourced to India! There's no privacy any more.

People don't realize that the same can happen when they post things on Facebook also.

Thanks for sharing this! It's sad that we have to be so cautious in everything we do!!!!

I have had some weird friend requests from Facebook but I manage to screen them out. But because of Skype (I take a class from Israel) I get all these people wanting to meet me. I see the email and just spam it unopened and unread. That said, I have had the same email address for 12 years (knock on wood), my own home page, and my details splashed in assorted places and really haven't had any trouble. Guess I've been lucky - but I continue to hear very scary stories. Good luck

wow that is scary

Click on My Profile at the top of the QB page. Then click on the little pencil beside your bio and/or other personal information pieces. You'll need to Save each one as it's edited.

THANK YOU for sharing your story! This is exactly why I refuse to have a Facebook page. And I just changed my QB Profile info to be more generic. It's so sad that there are people out there who think they have a right to steal someone's identity, or anything else for that matter.

Thanks so much for the alert. Hope all of your personal info is secure.

I had someone tell me one time that "if you wouldn't post the information on a big sign on your front yard, why would you put it out on the internet?".........same thing goes for giving out information at the front door or on the phone.

Thanks for the warning. I think we all need to be reminded of this from time to time. It is easy to be lulled into a sense of false security when we are chatting.

always err on the side of caution the less you put out there the less people can get to - put your phones on the do not call list etc I never post anythign on facebook - or anywhere else for that matter that I wouldnt want my mother to read or a perfect stranger to know...

I hate to give bad news, but there is enough public information on the internet to give anyone your address and phone number whether you post the information on Craigslist or Facebook or here. If you want to check, just put your own name into Google and see what happens! That doesn't mean you shouldn't take precautions about your identity (social security number, when you're going to be away from home, etc), but you can't erase the information that is already out there. There are entire search engines that store old information and then can recall it years later even if you've "removed" it from the original site.

I just don't want people to have unrealistic expectations in today's world. Whether we like it or not, much of our lives are lived in the open

Pam

while I appreciate your "warning", deleting everything out of fear is just letting them have their way. I mean really, do you know all of your neighbors? Just watch the local news some night..how many police officers, teachers, priests, etc are arrested daily for BAD things? How many of our Congress/Senate staff are convicted Felons??
BAD is out there...period..and if you choose to hide, then why be online at all? You would be surprised how a person can find you by just an email address! IF they want to find you!
We all talk freely on here...do you KNOW who you are talking to?
Please do not let fear run your life! Be aware, be cautious, but do not live in fear.
and putting your town in your bio here is no guarantee that anyone will/will not find you! If you are using a name other than your own you are pretty safe!

Wow, nothing you wrote leads me to believe that the guy had any ulterior motives other than friendship. I've found many instances of nice interactions with strangers through ebay and here and even an exercise group on yahoo. In fact, it's kind of refreshing when people are just friendly and neighborly in those "faceless" environments.

Some people are nice.

Oh hey, I worked in a PD and really know about how bad things happen and I'd suggest you look much closer to home for people you know - most people are victimized by people they know and far less by random strangers. Sure, you should be safe and secure, but friendly email exchanges are not anything to worry about in my book.

I ran into a situation years ago with a gentleman. I started having computer problems and I had written on a computer forum asking for advice. This one gentleman started writing and then started acting like a stalker. I told my husband what had happened and he wrote a very short but powerful email to the guy and told him that he was my husband and for the man to stop writing me. I didn't have any more problems. It might be a good idea for your husband to do the same thing.

Glad to hear you figured it out before more happened to you. I've hear a lot of bad things about facebook and I agree that sites you belong to want you to like them on facebook I really don't want to belong to it. It's suck a shame that you have to in this day & age worry so much about someone hurting you. We have so many things to help us to be happy and have fun & it's just destroyed by a few who don't like to see people enjoy themselves. Everyone be careful and have fun with each other. Sue

my granddtrs are on face book and i had to tell my DIL to take the school and other personal info out!!!! She did thank goodness. although their emails have their birth year in them. I dont' like that either.

Yes, that's scary. I had my wallet stolen once and it left me very insecure. I realized that someone out there had my name, address, pictures of my kids, etc. It was the kids I worried about the most. That was years ago but I still don't carry pictures in my wallet and I'm very careful what I post on the internet.

That is very creepy. I'm so glad you figured it out. The internet and Facebook are not the only way people get information about you though. It's just the way it is now. I shred everything with my name or address on it before it goes in the trash- why make it any easier for the sleazebags?

I don't post my location on any boards but if someone wants your information it can be found. Yuck! I hate the feeling that this gives me but I sure don't want to hide my head in the sand. Let's make sure we keep each other up to date on any scams or risks we know about. It can't hurt.

Wow, that's creepy! Glad you caught on when you did.

Suzy

Edit your profile.

I believe in todays world, nothing is private...we really to guard our information to protect ourselves. Can you imagine having a "party line" phone nowadays????

Call Ebay - they will walk you through how to rermove info - also report the cheep at the same time - good luck

Very scary, this world we live in.

This is very interesting info. Guess I'm too trusting, also.

What Canoe Pam said is true - anyone can find out where you live and even get a map to your house on the internet. Been that way for a while. At first we were somewhat protected because we did not have out street address listed in the phone book, so it just showed, First name, last name, town, state.
But there is so much info now you just have to hope no one is looking for you.

I agree, put as little info as possible on Facebook if you use it. I cringe when I see what my neighbor's 14-y.o. daughter has up there.

Just another piece of information, if you have a Smart Phone or similar phone, people can also track you this way. I saw a video of this, for example, they picked someone out at random on the street and asked if they had a Smart Phone, if they said yes, they used the persons phone, and knew where exactly that person had been, and at what time. To me, that's scary, and one of the many reasons I don't have a "hi tech" phone, or a blog, I also don't get on facebook or sites like it.

I clicked on that area, but for the life of me I can not figure out how to delete some of the information Help please thanks Gerbie

Learned that one along time ago when I used to go into the Chat rooms on AOL- had a stalker, reported it and he started threatening me more as the police didn't think cybercrimes at that time were of importance, besides I lived in a small town and blah blah blah .. Found out the guy used to be a big wig at a big toy company until he started harassing the wrong woman for sex at this toy company-lost his job, wife and family, house (the wife took it all in the divorce fearing for her daughter's safety and left him penniless to fight the law suit brought by the woman). I am very cautious about who I let know where I live, phone number etc.. any more .. takes only once with me and done. I just thought he wanted a friend when we started chatting-but it appears he wanted a whole lot more (needless to say DH was highly upset at the whole thing, I used to be a really friendly person! to both men and women..umm not anymore!)

Just googled my name - came up with my name, phone number, address, a map to my house, associations, like my husband, his name, etc. Gonna get busy...bye

I'm not too concerned about this site but I have different names, for every site that I have a profile. I always put in a different city but the right state on every one. I have never put my correct info on any online profile, especially not Facebook or Ebay. For anyplace that asks for my phone number, I use a local phone number that if called, you get the time and temp. If your name has ever been in a public phone book or any public record at any time it will be available to find online. Any address is available to find with GPS or online maps. There is nothing you can do to keep your info off paid for verified searches. If you have the money, you get the info. DH and I have never had a listed phone number but of course public records can't be changed.

I am no longer using Face book and will not ever go on it again! My computer got hacked last year and this year right on the same day. I also won't use Hot mail any more. It just burns me up when people have to do those things. My son told me that the internet is going to change very soon as they are trying to shrink how much info is put out. All I can say is the less information you put out the better off you will be.