Someone PLEASE HELP! word-of-mouth.info is holding data about me!?

weezal100 · January 20th, 2003, 03:13 PM

I recieved an e-mail from word-of-mouth.info today
It stated that -someone- that I know, or who knows my email address, has submitted data about me to word of mouth's online database.
read the site yourself http://www.word-of-mouth.info and see what I mean!
this means that anyone can find out this 'report' about me by contacting the author. - To do so, you need to sign up to the site as a power user (by paying).
I can find out who submitted the report about me (and kill them) only by signing up as a power user (paypal) myself, which is extremely annoying.

I am trying to eliminate each person one by one, but i am afraid that it could be someone that has met me through a chat room or forum that my email address is related to.

I was wondering if anyone knows if this site actually does this? or is it a long-term plan to create a database of emails which can be used for spam, and there is actually no data held on the site's servers at all?

Either way, can anyone advise me on what I should do
a) to find and remove any (if any) data that they hold about me
and
b) to find out who submitted the information

vass0922 · January 20th, 2003, 03:25 PM

don't forget it is quite possible they are using a scare tactic to get you to buy into them... its not necessarily true. How to know, well that I can't help with, but do take that into consideration.

thekingofpain · January 20th, 2003, 03:27 PM

Sounds like spam/scam to me...

win2kuser · January 20th, 2003, 03:43 PM

Unfortunately, this site does look regit, and it would appear that they do hold information about various people.

If you look at their site and click contact us, you will be able to send them mail.

What you need to put is that they are holding personal unauthorised information about you without your express permission and that you would like to see exactly what is contained. If they refuse, threaten them with legal action.

These sort of sites are completely open to abuse, and any comments held can contain anything such as child abuse, sexual harrasment, theft etc. You could be listed as a serial rapist, and you wouldn't even know about it...

In the UK, a teacher took "Friends-United" to court over Sexual Harrasment information that was contained on their site, and won £125,000 in damages for Slander.

I am not sure about other countries, but in the UK it is illegal for a company to hold personal information without the persons knowledge. It may pay you to contact your local authority for any advice on this matter.

Sorry if I have worried you, but better safe than sorry...

Peter M · January 20th, 2003, 04:00 PM

My guess is, they're trying to make you type in your own name ... thereby enlisting yourself in the todo list of their internet scoop droid. Be paranoid.

chris64 · January 20th, 2003, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Peter M
My guess is, they're trying to make you type in your own name ... thereby enlisting yourself in the todo list of their internet scoop droid. Be paranoid.

Now I'm paranoid I just did a search under my name.

Foggy · January 20th, 2003, 04:26 PM

Blackmail & extortion come to mind.

PyroSama · January 20th, 2003, 04:40 PM

Maybe every time some one does a search it records thier name and other info then they take some random coment from thier database that fits your gender and then you sudenly become part of thier scam.

PyroSama

PyroSama · January 20th, 2003, 04:42 PM

Now Im sure of it I did a search for my name and nothing came up and then I did a search again and it had results.

Looks like I cheated on my wife. Thats odd Im only 15.

PyroSama

chris64 · January 20th, 2003, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by PyroSama
Now Im sure of it I did a search for my name and nothing came up and then I did a search again and it had results.

Looks like I cheated on my wife. Thats odd Im only 15.

PyroSama

That funny I still got a clean record.