September 11, 2023 • 5 mins
Rob's Catfishing Drama - Is This Website Selling Your Private Information?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Finally we can find out we can find out where
this company is, or who this company is that allowed
a catfisher to get your home phone number, Robin, or.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Is your byeball number.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
So if you've just sort of joined on this merry
little journey, it started about three weeks ago when a
guy on a Saturday night texted me and I don't
give my number out to anyone, and even when I
was on the dating sites, I would meet people rather
than give them my number, So when someone texted me.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Personally, it's a really big red flag.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Over the last couple of weeks, we discovered that that
guy actually lived in Brisbane. He was lying he was
a catfisher. He said he was forty seven. He was
twenty seven.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
P R.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Dave, our private investigator when I knocked on his door.
He lives with his mom.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
His mom is now taking care of him and I've
kind of let all that go. But one thing he
did give.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Me was I wanted to know how he got my number.
And it turns out that there are global platforms that
use algorithms to gain information from people.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
So when we.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Google, we're usually googling locally to the things that are
in reference to us within Brisbane. But these big companies
can actually use algorithms to get any pieces of information
that you may have put out there. So for example,
if I've been to the UK recently hider car, maybe
they were able to access and I don't know this,
but maybe they were able to access my phone number
(01:14):
and email because I.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Use that car.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Because overseas the privacy laws are really different to the
way they are.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Here right right.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So it's taken and we receive the information as to
what the company's name was, but it's taken about a
week for me to get me off it, and that
was by requesting, with the help of our legal team,
that they remove the information. So right here, right now,
I am going to tell you who they are, and
they're very legal. They are called rocket Reach and when
(01:44):
you google them, it says rocket Reach find any email, relevant,
up to date data, easy to find, real time verified
data for wait for it, seven hundred million professionals across
thirty five five million companies worldwide find anyone's personal or
(02:05):
work email, phone number, and social media profile. Now, before
we actually could announce this, we spoke to Brettlee, who's
our cybersecurity expert, and I kept saying, Brett, what is
the justification for this.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
And he said this, I don't think there is an
answer to that question whereby they can say this is okay.
All I think they can hide behind is the fact
that we are doing it for recruiters. We're doing it
for people who want to get that to use it legitimately.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Recruitment's I mean that is a big industry.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
And sales, I'd say recruitment and sales.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
And when you look at this company, and I'm going
to say it again, it's Rocket Reach r O c
K E t R E A c H dot co.
And when you go on to their front page, it
says trusted by Disney, Amazon, New York Times, Google, Microsoft Matter.
So these big companies are using this data for whatever reason,
(03:00):
and look, it's.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
A legal thing to do.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
The problem is that when it falls into the hands
of people like the Catfisher or Italian Stadion who paid
one thousand dollars a year because it has a paywall, right,
then he was using it to contact me without my permission. Yes,
because you didn't put It's not like you put a
LinkedIn profile out there. No. And this is the difference,
right LinkedIn you control your own information. Yes, and you
(03:24):
can say what you want out there. This organization have
taken that without my permission. Now, as I said, it's
taken about a week of getting me off there, and
there is a functionality on their website that you can
request your removal. The irony of that, however, is that
you then have to provide them with proof of who
you are, which of course is your phone number, email
(03:45):
and ID.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Wow, so you're putting more information out there.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Get your information and thankfully we did receive an email
from them, but let me you know, it's they can
take it quickly, but they can't take it off. Hello Robin,
thank you for your response.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Is requested.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
We have deleted your profile and all related data from
our site. Going forward, this information will no longer show
in search results displayed on our site. Once a profile
is deleted from our system, the contact information is no
longer visible, but it may take a search engine site
such as Google, seven to eight weeks or longer to
update the cachet to remove the link. Once this update
(04:21):
is done, your deleted Rocketreach profile will no longer show
up in search engine results. Unfortunately, we have no control
over Google search results. I apologize for any inconvenience this
may present. So two months you've got to wait until
it's actually clear potentially, And that's only from I noticed
that you emphasize our site because if there's another site,
(04:42):
I know it's still out And the problem is right,
like you look at sales based companies who are desperately
trying to obtain people's informations, like at the moment I'm
currently selling my house, I would imagine that real estate
agents really need to be able to.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Access that's a general part of what they do.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Like, as I said, this is highly legal, it's just
when it's used in other ways and we have no
say in it. And so I'm really glad I'm off
it if this is something you want to do, you know,
I think they give you a couple of searches for
free if you sign up. But there you go, you
sign up, and that was how we actually verified that
I was on there, okay, without paying the paywark free search. Yeah,
(05:17):
I mean, and also you can you can go to
in Australia, it's the I'm just trying to find the
name the office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
And so if you want to kind of complain about this,
but I mean, I think it's just a case again
of the World Wide Web going way ahead of us
and the rest of the laws and legalities not catching up.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Ye.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Anyway, that's it, but you're clear for now, I'm out.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
I'm out.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Well, it just means that people can't. It has unnerved me.
It unnerves me because I think of who else has
that information? But rocket Reach is the organization and dot
co if you want to check it out for yourself,
Finally we can find out we can find out where
this company is, or who this company is that allowed
a catfisher to get your home phone number, Robin, or.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Is your byeball number.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
So if you've just sort of joined on this merry
little journey, it started about three weeks ago when a
guy on a Saturday night texted me and I don't
give my number out to anyone, and even when I
was on the dating sites, I would meet people rather
than give them my number, So when someone texted me.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Personally, it's a really big red flag.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Over the last couple of weeks, we discovered that that
guy actually lived in Brisbane. He was lying he was
a catfisher. He said he was forty seven. He was
twenty seven.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
P R.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Dave, our private investigator when I knocked on his door.
He lives with his mom.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
His mom is now taking care of him and I've
kind of let all that go. But one thing he
did give.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Me was I wanted to know how he got my number.
And it turns out that there are global platforms that
use algorithms to gain information from people.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
So when we.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Google, we're usually googling locally to the things that are
in reference to us within Brisbane. But these big companies
can actually use algorithms to get any pieces of information
that you may have put out there. So for example,
if I've been to the UK recently hider car, maybe
they were able to access and I don't know this,
but maybe they were able to access my phone number
(01:14):
and email because I.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Use that car.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Because overseas the privacy laws are really different to the
way they are.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Here right right.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So it's taken and we receive the information as to
what the company's name was, but it's taken about a
week for me to get me off it, and that
was by requesting, with the help of our legal team,
that they remove the information. So right here, right now,
I am going to tell you who they are, and
they're very legal. They are called rocket Reach and when
(01:44):
you google them, it says rocket Reach find any email, relevant,
up to date data, easy to find, real time verified
data for wait for it, seven hundred million professionals across
thirty five five million companies worldwide find anyone's personal or
(02:05):
work email, phone number, and social media profile. Now, before
we actually could announce this, we spoke to Brettlee, who's
our cybersecurity expert, and I kept saying, Brett, what is
the justification for this.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
And he said this, I don't think there is an
answer to that question whereby they can say this is okay.
All I think they can hide behind is the fact
that we are doing it for recruiters. We're doing it
for people who want to get that to use it legitimately.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Recruitment's I mean that is a big industry.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
And sales, I'd say recruitment and sales.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
And when you look at this company, and I'm going
to say it again, it's Rocket Reach r O c
K E t R E A c H dot co.
And when you go on to their front page, it
says trusted by Disney, Amazon, New York Times, Google, Microsoft Matter.
So these big companies are using this data for whatever reason,
(03:00):
and look, it's.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
A legal thing to do.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
The problem is that when it falls into the hands
of people like the Catfisher or Italian Stadion who paid
one thousand dollars a year because it has a paywall, right,
then he was using it to contact me without my permission. Yes,
because you didn't put It's not like you put a
LinkedIn profile out there. No. And this is the difference,
right LinkedIn you control your own information. Yes, and you
(03:24):
can say what you want out there. This organization have
taken that without my permission. Now, as I said, it's
taken about a week of getting me off there, and
there is a functionality on their website that you can
request your removal. The irony of that, however, is that
you then have to provide them with proof of who
you are, which of course is your phone number, email
(03:45):
and ID.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Wow, so you're putting more information out there.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Get your information and thankfully we did receive an email
from them, but let me you know, it's they can
take it quickly, but they can't take it off. Hello Robin,
thank you for your response.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Is requested.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
We have deleted your profile and all related data from
our site. Going forward, this information will no longer show
in search results displayed on our site. Once a profile
is deleted from our system, the contact information is no
longer visible, but it may take a search engine site
such as Google, seven to eight weeks or longer to
update the cachet to remove the link. Once this update
(04:21):
is done, your deleted Rocketreach profile will no longer show
up in search engine results. Unfortunately, we have no control
over Google search results. I apologize for any inconvenience this
may present. So two months you've got to wait until
it's actually clear potentially, And that's only from I noticed
that you emphasize our site because if there's another site,
(04:42):
I know it's still out And the problem is right,
like you look at sales based companies who are desperately
trying to obtain people's informations, like at the moment I'm
currently selling my house, I would imagine that real estate
agents really need to be able to.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Access that's a general part of what they do.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Like, as I said, this is highly legal, it's just
when it's used in other ways and we have no
say in it. And so I'm really glad I'm off
it if this is something you want to do, you know,
I think they give you a couple of searches for
free if you sign up. But there you go, you
sign up, and that was how we actually verified that
I was on there, okay, without paying the paywark free search. Yeah,
(05:17):
I mean, and also you can you can go to
in Australia, it's the I'm just trying to find the
name the office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
And so if you want to kind of complain about this,
but I mean, I think it's just a case again
of the World Wide Web going way ahead of us
and the rest of the laws and legalities not catching up.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Ye.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Anyway, that's it, but you're clear for now, I'm out.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
I'm out.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Well, it just means that people can't. It has unnerved me.
It unnerves me because I think of who else has
that information? But rocket Reach is the organization and dot
co if you want to check it out for yourself,
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