# Text and phone messages real estate inquiry. Scam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 28, 2020, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/text-and-phone-messages-real-estate-inquiry-scam/848634 "2020-02-28T05:38:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/text-and-phone-messages-real-estate-inquiry-scam/848634/21 "2020-03-02T13:33:23Z")
Another trick mass-mail marketers use is to attach a Post-It Note, supposedly handwritten, with a “last-minute” thought, like “I love this offer!” ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/text-and-phone-messages-real-estate-inquiry-scam/848634/22 "2020-03-02T13:38:12Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > \ > What threw me isn’t so much that this person knew my first name and address, but more that they knew the cell phone number the text was sent to. It isn’t my main phone and I never hand this number out. Even when I make outgoing calls on it all calls have the number automatically blocked. As I mentioned upthread, it is impossible to block calls to 800 numbers, on the theory that since the recipient is paying for the call, he is entitled to know who’s calling. Somewhere, in some database, is your phone number. Is it perpetually kept secret? What if a cellphone employee leaks the database to a marketer or worse? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/text-and-phone-messages-real-estate-inquiry-scam/848634/23 "2020-03-02T14:45:36Z")
Remember: Property tax records are public knowledge. Anyone can access them in this computer age. And yes, it is a scam. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/text-and-phone-messages-real-estate-inquiry-scam/848634/24 "2020-03-02T16:41:18Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > You are aware of Caller ID, where your name and number shows up on their phone? Why, yes, I do believe I’ve heard of that there Caller ID, but figured there had to be a human at the other end of the line to note the number. When I called I got a recording which I hung up on without leaving any personal info. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/text-and-phone-messages-real-estate-inquiry-scam/848634/25 "2020-03-02T17:21:48Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Why, yes, I do believe I’ve heard of that there Caller ID, but figured there had to be a human at the other end of the line to note the number. Why would you think that? The CID info is digital and any recording device configured to record voice usually has an option to record the data, too. Heck, not even the human-sounding operators are human anymore. It’s all automated. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/text-and-phone-messages-real-estate-inquiry-scam/848634.md?page=1)