Big Brother knows all about you

Kutter · 17 Dec 2017 at 18:31

I just signed up for Informed delivery with USPS (united states postal service) which basically tells you you have tracked packages coming in the mail. I have a similar thing with fedex.

So during sign up they had a few questions which i had to answer to prove it was me. They said i took out a car loan out in july 2015, they asked what the payments were in a range of payments, who the loan was through, how many months, and then how much i bought my house for. All these were multiple choice.

Either they have been opening my mail and having a good gander or for all the conspiracy theorists out there the post office knows everything about my life! but still can't deliver the mail correctly.

Thekwango · 17 Dec 2017 at 18:34

doofski said:
the post office knows everything about my life! but still can't deliver the mail correctly

It'll be this

good to see the US postal service is every bit as good as Royal Mail!

Haggisman · 17 Dec 2017 at 19:00

Surely that's all standard info available via a credit report? (except the house price one which is easy to cross reference from your provided address and sites like Zoopla or whatever the US equivalent is)

Pawnless Endgame · 17 Dec 2017 at 19:44

Facebook is a weird one, kinda like Man-in-the-browser payload. I joined in Feb or Mar 2016, brand new blank account, and it correctly guessed who my colleagues were even before I entered in my workplace. It didn't find any of my old school/uni mates though. I had to add those manually and that was even after I added the school and uni.

shauncr91 · 17 Dec 2017 at 21:25

This is all very basic info which can be pulled from your credit file.

Kutter · 17 Dec 2017 at 21:53

why would the post office need to pull my credit file and they also need my permission beforehand.

shauncr91 · 17 Dec 2017 at 21:58

doofski said:
why would the post office need to pull my credit file and they also need my permission beforehand.

For security checks to ensure people aren't randomly signing up to check their neighbors mail? I don't really know anything about this service but are you certain you haven't accepted to be checked in the T&C's?

Azza · 17 Dec 2017 at 22:30

Pawnless Endgame said:
Facebook is a weird one, kinda like Man-in-the-browser payload. I joined in Feb or Mar 2016, brand new blank account, and it correctly guessed who my colleagues were even before I entered in my workplace. It didn't find any of my old school/uni mates though. I had to add those manually and that was even after I added the school and uni.

Connected to your email address book perhaps?

Haggisman · 17 Dec 2017 at 23:31

doofski said:
why would the post office need to pull my credit file and they also need my permission beforehand.

Without sending them copies of your ID, how else do you expect them to verify your identity? I'm guessing they would need your permission, or to at least warn you, not sure on the legislation in the US though

DXP55 · 18 Dec 2017 at 12:53

welcome to the real world - your lot started it - I have just got myself a OBD2 reader -loaded app called OBD2 doctor or something - I can't use it because they asked for permission to access my pictures and documents which I denied them - What do they want that for ??

People give info away willy nilly.

TheVoice · 18 Dec 2017 at 13:02

DXP55 said:
I can't use it because they asked for permission to access my pictures and documents which I denied them - What do they want that for ??

Is it this app?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pnn.obdcardoctor&hl=en_GB

Because if so it lists the permissions required in the info there and why it needs access.

Orionaut · 18 Dec 2017 at 13:13

An oldie but a goodie...

https://www.aclu.org/ordering-pizza

Alex_6n2 · 18 Dec 2017 at 14:11

DXP55 said:
welcome to the real world - your lot started it - I have just got myself a OBD2 reader -loaded app called OBD2 doctor or something - I can't use it because they asked for permission to access my pictures and documents which I denied them - What do they want that for ??

People give info away willy nilly.

Because most of the decent OBD2 reader apps allow you to take screen grabs and upload custom dial interface graphics (Hence the images access rights). They also often have facilities to dump error code reports onto your phone for referencing back to (hence the documents access rights)

There's being sensible and then there's being paranoid

OP: The information you were presented with forms part of your credit file that is stored digitally by agencies such as Equifax. Sanctioned organisations can get access to this information for the purposes of identity checks or lending. It's not a big conspiracy and they haven't been opening your mail, it's your digital financial history record.

Have you tried signing up to a credit report agency? Shock horror, they have all this information too!

Pawnless Endgame · 18 Dec 2017 at 17:45

Azza said:
Connected to your email address book perhaps?

No email address book (of the traditional type), but it does sync with my phone contacts which also has their email, so could be that. Weird though as surely it's a consent issue and I would have ticked a box somewhere when signing up.

subbytna · 19 Dec 2017 at 10:08

doofski said:
why would the post office need to pull my credit file and they also need my permission beforehand.

Most companies have it in the T&Cs when you sign up for anything, that they can access the file and if you agree to the T&Cs then you agree they can look it up any time