reddit sells user info, just got a call from Krogers

First off, I don't live within 300 miles of a "Krogers" anything, and I haven't been to one ever to my knowledge, for sure not within the past ten years.

So earlier this morning I opened a thread about people being robbed/shoplifted from by idiots, and it had over 2000 comments, so I left the page open in my browser for ~five hours and would come back to it between doing other stuff to read a few comments, then go back to something else, repeat...

Krogers is mentioned quite a bit in the thread, I saw the name more times this morning than I have in the past ten years.

Well a little bit ago, while the thread was still open in my browser, I get a call from an 800 number, from a "Kroger Co." I called it back, and it is the store chain.

There's absolutely no way it was just a coincidence, as there's absolutely no reason for them to be calling me as I'm nowhere near their stores, I'm not a customer, and I highly doubt they just picked my number on a whim and it just happened to be after their name was on my computer screen for hours.

How did they get my home phone number? Does reddit have that info? Would it be my ISP giving it out?

Anyone else experience something like this from that site?

reply to post by 1825114


Woah meow.

Reddit is not selling your personal information. Have you ever read their privacy policy or Terms & Conditions?

Do you have your information updated with them? Email, phone number or something like that?

Do you have a facebook account? Or any other Social Media?

They sell your information, those social media sites. Your home phone number is usually listed public, so any company can data mine one and set up automated calling systems.

It mostly is a coincidence. You'll need to do more due diligence though before you can claim otherwise.

~Tenth

If I were to type "Wa-Wa" twenty times and you got a call from Wa-Wa headquarters while you were reading this thread, would you say it was just a coincidence that had nothing to do with the name of their company currently appearing many times on your computer screen?

I don't have a facebook, and I never gave my phone number out to any email service or social-anything.

reply to post by 1825114


I certainly would not jump to conclusions and say that Reddit is selling my information, without having actually investigated if they do that. Considering if they did and it's listed in the terms that they don't, well you have yourself quite the lawsuit there.

Again, your home number is probably listed in the phone book is it not? IF it is, then it's really not hard to get a hold of.

~Tenth

reply to post by 1825114


I'd go with google over reddit... have you ever looked at all the tracking that goes on? If you open your email and then go somewhere else your email probably knows.. I have so many mods on my firefox it's silly...

I also don't give out my phone number to anyone except face to face friends and things like colleges.. It's not listed anywhere either..

for instance I have "AVG Do Not Track" running right now and you know what it's blocking on ATS?

"Google analytics"

I have a "fake" email address I use for everything that will spam me or try to track me, ie every company... And a seperate email for just friends.

Your info hasn't been truly safe in a long time...

OP, it may not be reddit, it may be your ISP or something else.

I too have experienced the kind of freaky deaky thing you are describing.

I went somewhere - random, for sure, for me - and I spent some money there on a credit card and almost immediately, within 24 hours, I started getting ads for related products on web sites I visit. I don't use the credit card to pay for my internet so it is kind of mystifying that all of the sudden I'm receiving targeted ads.

The internet is a spooky place....

I know about google analytics and how they cater ads to what you've been browsing. I didn't even think about them in this case though. I do have a google search bar on my browser and use google all the time, so they definitely could be behind this.

To say that this is just a coincidence, to me, is flat-out ridiculous.

Did you happen to ask the caller how they got your number? That is the first thing I do when I get an unsolicited call. Did you have a Reddit account using your real name or have an online name linked to your real name on another website or email or something that would be traceable back to you? If not, they should not be able to track you other than through your address/ISP.
I would say it could be your browser, though possibly Reddit is monitored, like a lot of sites, for key words etc. It is very spooky how this sort of thing is going on, mostly unseen too.

I didn't answer the call, but called them back and it was the automated "press X for Y" thing, and I got a customer service guy who sounded like he was about to laugh at me.

I wasn't signed into reddit at the time, but even if I was, I never gave my phone number to them or the email I used.

reply to post by 1825114

I avoid that site like the plague OP.
Obama did a Q&A there the other day and someone emailed fox news about the president being on a site with sub reddits devoted to dead puppies and babies.
I doubt they will pursue a story about it but it would be funny nonetheless.
I would chalk it up to coincidence but it's still creepy.
"Le reddit army xD" *shudder*

There are quite a few Kroger's near me .. but keep in mind they have tons of chains .. you probably live near one of them..

en.wikipedia.org...

These are all "Kroger's"

Baker's (Nebraska)
City Market (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico)
Dillons (Kansas, Missouri)
Dillons Marketplace
Food 4 Less (Southern California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Portland, Oregon; Chicago, Illinois; NW Indiana, and they have a former location in Allentown, Pennsylvania and Tahlequah, Oklahoma)
Foods Co. (Northern California)
Fred Meyer (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington)
Fred Meyer Marketplace
Fred Meyer Northwest Best
Fred Meyer Jewelers (Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Utah, Washington, Nebraska, Oregon, Colorado, Texas, Idaho, Arizona)
Barclay Jewelers
Fox's Jewelers
Littman Jewelers
Fry's Food and Drug (Arizona)
Fry's Marketplace
Fry's Mercado
Fry's Signature
Gerbes (Missouri)
JayC Food Stores (Indiana)
King Soopers (Colorado, Wyoming)
King Soopers Fresh Fare
King Soopers Marketplace
Kroger Food and Drug/Kroger Food & Pharmacy (Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana)
Kroger Fresh Fare
Kroger Marketplace
Kroger Signature
Kwik Shop (Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska)
Loaf 'N Jug (Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming)
Owen's Market (Indiana)
Pay Less Food Markets (Indiana)
Quality Food Centers (Oregon, Washington)
QFC Fresh Fare
Quik Stop (California, Nevada)
Ralphs (California)
Ralphs Fresh Fare
Ralphs Marketplace
Scott's Food & Pharmacy (Indiana)
Smith's Express (Utah)
Smith's Food and Drug (Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming)
Smith's Fresh Fare
Smith's Marketplace
Tom Thumb Food Stores (Alabama, Florida)
Turkey Hill Minit Markets (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana)

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
reply to post by 1825114

 

I certainly would not jump to conclusions and say that Reddit is selling my information, without having actually investigated if they do that. Considering if they did and it's listed in the terms that they don't, well you have yourself quite the lawsuit there.

Again, your home number is probably listed in the phone book is it not? IF it is, then it's really not hard to get a hold of.

~Tenth

Not only that but it's a very un-reddit like thing to do .. the members, maybe, if you annoyed them and they had it.. .. the site operators certainly not..

If you order things online, you should ALWAYS read the fine print because there are lots of online services/shops that do admit to sharing data about you.