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Phone number hijacking is a real problem, especially with cell phones, and thieves use it as part of an overall identity (and retirement fund) theft approach.
by jackhack 8y ago
Phone number hijacking is a real problem, especially with cell phones, and thieves use it as part of an overall identity (and retirement fund) theft approach.
For those who didn't catch it, that's a somewhat "famous" phone number.
In the 80s, there was a song by that name: "867-5309 (Jenny)" by the band Tommy Tutone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/867-5309/Jenny https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/867-5309/Jenny
Neat tip: you can use your area code + this number in almost any system that asks for a phone number (especially useful supermarket "loyalty" customer tracking systems). If they ask for a name, just tell them "Jenny".
- c22 8y ago> Neat tip: you can use your area code + this number in almost any system that asks for a phone number (especially useful supermarket "loyalty" customer tracking systems). If they ask for a name, just tell them "Jenny". Do you actually do this? It hasn't worked for me most places I've tried it. In a couple cases it froze/crashed their system. I always wondered what people who legitimately have this number do.
- lucasmullens 8y agoI've had it work sometimes, but also ran into times where it must've been overused.
- jackhack 8y agoYep, I use it all the time at the area supermarkets (works with no less than four different chains). I predict that someday soon, supermarkets will sell my food purchase history to insurance companies, so when I buy loads of vegetables and such, I use my real number. When I buy wine & bacon -- you guessed it: 867-5309. Tip #2: They also link purchase records based on debit card account numbers. So pay cash. Tip #3: if the number doesn't work for your area code, try it with a different area code. (the sysadmins sometime purge a number that is being used by loads of people.) Also, if you need to provide a zip code, Beverly Hills 90210 works just fine.
- welder 8y ago> I predict that someday soon, supermarkets will sell my food purchase history to insurance companies, so when I buy loads of vegetables and such, I use my real number. When I buy wine & bacon -- you guessed it: 867-5309. That won't help, your purchases can still be linked to yourself with your credit card.
- lucasverra 8y agoWith Apple/Google Pay isn't this information NOT shared with merchant, but only a transaction token ?
- jackhack 8y agoso they say. but the data lives somewhere, and when it has enough value it will be a commodity.
- thaumasiotes 8y ago> That won't help, your purchases can still be linked to yourself with your credit card. This doesn't seem to add much value on top of >> Tip #2: They also link purchase records based on debit card account numbers. So pay cash.
- toast0 8y agoI've used it at CVS with area code 213. I usually got a very large printout about all the beauty care products Jenny was using.
- chillwaves 8y agoUsed this at a Food Lion once and the savings to date was like $10k+ or something outrageous, we all had a good laugh.
- mrhappyunhappy 8y agoI was at the mall one day buying something. The cashier said “what’s your cell number?” My reply was “no”. They looked at me shocked and bewildered but the shock was all mine. Who in their right mind asks for a cell number from a shopper? Any time anyone asks me for phone number I just say “no”, seems to work.
- quailmaster 8y agoI would steer away from being rude to the average cashier, and instead complain to their corporate overlords. As someone who worked in retail, it was equally uncomfortable for me to ask as it was for the customer to answer.
- mrhappyunhappy 8y agoIf it’s uncomfortable to ask then don’t take my response personally. I don’t do it to be rude, just found this to be the most effective way of making a statement without saying much more - which is more likely to make the cashier upset given my resting tone.
- robotrout 8y agoRadio Shack used to always want a bunch of information from you for their database, whenever you would buy anything, cash or not. It was good training in refusing to participate in data harvesting that, 30 years after my first nervous "No", is more relevant and necessary than ever.
- wbl 8y agoNo isn't rude.
- gowld 8y agoMaybe you shouldn't do things that you know are wrong.
- Pristina 8y ago
- jrockway 8y agoI always use 312-836-7000, which is the CTA's customer service number. It stuck in my head from years of bus commuting in Chicago. It most recently worked for me as a loyalty card at a Safeway in Mountain View, so I'm apparently not the only one with this number stuck in their head. But not enough people know it for it to be flagged. (Never tried it when I lived in Chicago, interestingly. There it might be more widespread.)
- CaptainZapp 8y agoIf a shop or any service business, which has no business of having this information, asks me for phone # or ZIP code I advise them right straight to fuck off. Since it's not the cashiers fault I make sure not do be hostile or rude to her / him, but I make it very clear that it's none of their business and if they absolutely insist on it I walk away.
- heyjudy 8y agoDemanding questions are a form of force. "What do you do?" "How much do you make?" "Where do you live?" "What are you doing?" Preemptively: "Nothing-to-hide" folks don't live in transparent houses, wear clothes and don't tell their passwords to everyone they meet. Everyone has something to hide or they're dishonest. Information equals opportunities for attack... Publisher's Clearing House and other "contest" identity prostitution scams... no way.
- tru3_power 8y agoI do this too. I found once I started being okay with saying no it became way less awkward.
- mrguyorama 8y agoThis works for companies that ask for email as well.
- konschubert 8y agoAre there any SIM card providers in the US or Europe that provide strong identification on Phone number porting? Such as requiring a password or physical identification?
- bonzini 8y agoIn Italy you can block porting altogether. Unblocking requires visiting a store in presence and showing id.
- Abfrage 8y agoIn germany i had to verify my id at a post office. Deutsche Post has a infrastructure for verifying ids that buissnesses can use.
- PappaPatat 8y agoMany do, until an employee decides the number needs to be ported anyway. There is always an "override" feature / method to overcome these measures. Telecoms are thin margin business and every human check or technical security measure will be rejected until customers start leaving, mentioning a particular issue. Problems with porting, S7 weaknesses, number spoofing and other anoyances is that you will be hard pressed to find an alternative operator that actually protects for these risks simply because they cost money and in the end only few customers are willing to pay the 10% a month extra.