I never, ever do things like this. (Aside from this one time.) But I sure feel like the stupidest person on earth.
A few weeks ago, I was up late, so I guess my reasoning abilities were compromised. I was trying to access an online Twitter-related tool, and the instructions were to follow a link to enter your ZIP. Why? The host needed some help ($) to keep the site up and following that link helped him do that. After doing entering in my ZIP code I was brought to a page about car insurance, blah blah, please enter the details of your car and life here. I proceeded mindlessly. :smack:
I didn’t even realize how stupid that move was until I received a letter in the mail about a week later from a car insurance company that I’m sure is fake. I’ve forgotten the company name, but it sounded like State Farm and they had a similar-looking logo as well.
Now, I didn’t give them any truly sensitive information – no credit card/bank account numbers, no SSN, etc. I wouldn’t have fallen for something so blatant… [waits for someone to take a dig at me]
But still: they – whoever THEY are – have my full name, address, e-mail address, and phone number, and it gives me the creeps. It’s basically harmless information, but I want to ask just in case: should I be worried? (even if I can’t do anything about it anyway)
I should have thought the main danger that you have exposed yourself to, here, is being bombarded by marketing material. The phone calls will probably be the worst.
Nearly all that info is readily available. There used to be a printed book in nearly every house giving that for the whole town – I think it was called a ‘phone directory’.
You can find that info online even easier & faster nowadays. I doubt it would take more than 30 seconds to find this out about most people.
I’m guessing it’s all valid and on the up-and-up (albeit a little sleezy). The site host is probably telling the truth that this is how they make money to keep the site up - the auto insurance company pays them for lead generation.
As others have said, you’re probably in for some phone calls and marketing crap, but that’s it.
Don’t beat yourself up. Really. “They” :rolleyes: have information that is readily accessible. They can’t do anything but contact you with marketing information, nothing worse than that. May I ask what you thought “they” could do to you? Other than, y’know, call at inconvenient times or clog up your inbox with OMGV1AGRA!!
About the only thing you should beware of is recieving an invoice for something you never ordered. You may or may not recieve the item you never ordered before the invoice arrives.
ETA: Pay no attention to purplehorseshoe. Feel free to beat yourself senseless.