I dont understand

[SV_Dude]

[MENTION=50563]helo-mech[/MENTION]

You hit the nail on the head. Not too long ago we needed to get a hold of a rip off vendor who sold a bunch of lights. Does treklights ring a bell? Within about ten minutes I was able to get his full name, address, personal number, work address, work phone number, where he was (out of country) for work and when he will be back. I also got his picture, his wife's picture, his child's picture and information from other relatives. All of this was done within a few minutes with no background in tracking people and not paying for other services. The Internet is amazing when you need to find something on someone. Oh, and the only information I had to go off of when I did this was his forum username and first name. I didn't need any license plates or other personal info to start the search.

 

[TRDCal]

[MENTION=50563]helo-mech[/MENTION] [MENTION=24995]SV_Dude[/MENTION]

Can you try me? I think American and Canadian laws are different when it comes to privacy so I'm curious if you can access the same amount of info.

 

[HHIRunner]

[MENTION=50563]helo-mech[/MENTION] [MENTION=24995]SV_Dude[/MENTION]

Can you try me? I think American and Canadian laws are different when it comes to privacy so I'm curious if you can access the same amount of info.

I agree. I'd like to see how correct it is every time


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

 

[04rnr]

Anybody want to try and find my home address with just a license plate? I don't believe it's that easy.

umm its a LOT easier than you think or at least the where the vehicle is registered. 5 minutes online and someone could find out everything about you, if they knew what they was doing, but yes, its REAL easy with just a plate number.

I use to block out other rigs plates from runs out of courtesy for them, but got to the point, and how I see it,, if you drive your vehicle on any public street, hundreds of people every single day, could right your plate # down, so its a pointless thing to do,

 

[04rnr]

[MENTION=50563]helo-mech[/MENTION]

You hit the nail on the head. Not too long ago we needed to get a hold of a rip off vendor who sold a bunch of lights. Does treklights ring a bell? Within about ten minutes I was able to get his full name, address, personal number, work address, work phone number, where he was (out of country) for work and when he will be back. I also got his picture, his wife's picture, his child's picture and information from other relatives. All of this was done within a few minutes with no background in tracking people and not paying for other services. The Internet is amazing when you need to find something on someone. Oh, and the only information I had to go off of when I did this was his forum username and first name. I didn't need any license plates or other personal info to start the search.

This is why, I tell people to be VERY careful what you do/say online, ITS THERE FOREVER.

 

[helo-mech]

[MENTION=50563]helo-mech[/MENTION] [MENTION=24995]SV_Dude[/MENTION]

Can you try me? I think American and Canadian laws are different when it comes to privacy so I'm curious if you can access the same amount of info.

Sure, I'll try, but your privacy laws won't have an effect on whether I can get any info or not. I didn't use any database searches, pay services or any government sites to track down the address of the member I tried it on. I only used information that the member posted.

I'll give it a go tomorrow when I have a few free minutes, but knowing [MENTION=24995]SV_Dude[/MENTION] he'll probably beat me.

I agree. I'd like to see how correct it is every time


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

I don't know about every time because what I did to accomplish the task was use information that was posted by the individual. If someone was crazy squeaky clean about what was in the background of every picture they posted and the info that they them self posted on every public site they use, then someone like me would have a harder time. I'm not an IT guy so stuff like IP addresses and all the fancy stuff wouldn't make any difference in whether or not I could do it.

I'm so low tech I use a Mac. I just wanna hit the buttons and the thing work. :thumb3:

umm its a LOT easier than you think or at least the where the vehicle is registered. 5 minutes online and someone could find out everything about you, if they knew what they was doing, but yes, its REAL easy with just a plate number.

I use to block out other rigs plates from runs out of courtesy for them, but got to the point, and how I see it,, if you drive your vehicle on any public street, hundreds of people every single day, could right your plate # down, so its a pointless thing to do,

For the most part I am sure it is easy to use a plate, but what I was trying to show was regardless of the plate, I was able to do it pretty easy. I used other items the member had posted just to see if it even mattered as to whether or not the plate was shown.

In reality, I made a mistake in my tactics and after succeeding, if I had paid more attention to my first note that I made while digging through old posts, I would have succeeded in less than 30 seconds. I spent about 20 minutes looking at information posted by the member and using Google Maps, realized a correlation, took about 1 minute to verify and about another 4 writing my original response and PMing the member. No plate needed.

 

[helo-mech]

This is why, I tell people to be VERY careful what you do/say online, ITS THERE FOREVER.

And that is why there are threads that I don't even post in. The topic may get my blood boiling on here and stupid FB, but I stay out. I remember when FB was all about letting people know what you had going on in your life. Now it is about every other freaking cause or agenda.

In reality, it is about the $$$$ and bottom line of others, yet people keep feeding the beast.

 

[SV_Dude]

[MENTION=50563]helo-mech[/MENTION] [MENTION=24995]SV_Dude[/MENTION]

Can you try me? I think American and Canadian laws are different when it comes to privacy so I'm curious if you can access the same amount of info.

PM Sent. That was just a few minutes of searching the web. Imagine what I could find within 30 minutes or so.

 

[helo-mech]

PM Sent. That was just a few minutes of searching the web. Imagine what I could find within 30 minutes or so.

Yeah [MENTION=72962]TRDCal[/MENTION] that was pretty easy. I was even taking time to PM SV_Dude and you while I was searching.

I will say don't tick off SV though. Good grief he is good at this.

 

[mikebontoft]

well this thread has taken turn... now everyone wants to know how visible they are out there.

If anyone's bored enough... let's see what you can find on me.

 

[Steven94]

Personally I don't worry about it to much either. Yes you are opening it up to a broader public than you might see in one day, but I have noticed that most people on forums and other places are not in my area. Also in a daily drive, there maybe hundreds of cars that can see your plate. I would figure over all, there are more people that see your plate on the road then there are on the internet. And they are all in your are. They could follow you to your house and know exactly where you live. As far as the internet goes though, with this day in technology there are people that could find out your address with minimal info. They could probably find out who you are if you just sign up for a forum like this one.

All in all, if you stay away from people, and don't give out your info to anyone you are less likely to get killed or have your identity stolen or whatever. Though even if you give out all your info, you are still not that likely o have these things happen. I know we hear all these stories and t could happen to anyone, but looking at the big picture it is pretty rare.

 

[helo-mech]

well this thread has taken turn... now everyone wants to know how visible they are out there.

If anyone's bored enough... let's see what you can find on me.

Seriously man it is too easy. We don't realize it, but we throw stuff out there all the time that when put together it paints a pretty clear picture. This is probably true for 99% of us. I'm sure there is that guy that is a crazy freak about the way he goes about protecting his identity that would stump an amateur like me, but being that way is probably his hobby. I've done it twice, both listed above, and if I can find what I found I am scared to think what is really out there.

Heck I know after 17 years in the military that my crap is out there.

 

[mikebontoft]

one other thing I'd like to add though... just a month or two ago, a DMV employee here got in a road rage incident with someone. she got the plate and looked up the girl's info, then sent someone to burn her car to the ground. Fortunately she was caught but wtf.

 

[SV_Dude]

Bottom line that I think we can take from this is that there is no protecting yourself on the internet. The best thing that you can do for your own protection is try to stay aware of your surroundings. Don't let your guard down and be ready to defend yourself. As long as me and my family are physically safe then we are doing okay. Yes, someone with some skills can steal your identity and mess up your credit but most banks have insurances for that so I don't see that as a big risk.

 

[helo-mech]

one other thing I'd like to add though... just a month or two ago, a DMV employee here got in a road rage incident with someone. she got the plate and looked up the girl's info, then sent someone to burn her car to the ground. Fortunately she was caught but wtf.

Exactly my point. You can take all the precautions you want and they won't mean crap to someone who WANTS to find you. From our daily lives and what people see on the street, to our posts on forums and FB, the info is out there.

People in any position of authority over information have the easiest access. Don't think for a second in my line of work I can't make some calls, throw some key words and titles around and get dang near anything I would want. That's why the punishment for that kind of crap should be HARSH!!!!!
[MENTION=24995]SV_Dude[/MENTION] said it. Keep your head on a swivel, be smart where you can, enjoy your life and protect what's important to you with the requisite amount of action/force.

 

[TRDCal]

PM Sent. That was just a few minutes of searching the web. Imagine what I could find within 30 minutes or so.

Yeah [MENTION=72962]TRDCal[/MENTION] that was pretty easy. I was even taking time to PM SV_Dude and you while I was searching.

I will say don't tick off SV though. Good grief he is good at this.

Pretty crazy guys! Between the info that [MENTION=24995]SV_Dude[/MENTION] and [MENTION=50563]helo-mech[/MENTION] PM'ed me, they'd have no issues tracking me down. Not so much from my license plate number and more from FB and other forums. I'll blame my lax privacy settings (which have since been changed) on facebook abit but too be honest, that probably wouldn't change what info they'd find, it just means it would take longer to find it.

Bottom line, do what ever you need to do to feel save but the only real way to keep yourself private is to have zero connection with the electronic world. But that's a lot like the best way to prevent pregnancy and STD's is abstinence...but where's the fun it that! Plus if you'd like to see the glass half full...hey hopefully this lack of privacy will keep the forum trolls to a minimum.

 

[zopperman]

I work as a legal investigator, it's my job to find people that don't want to be found. I could find all of your social security numbers, past addresses, family etc while sitting here at my computer. Granted I would lose my job, the point is its very easy to find out these things. every time you enter info on a website like amazon, they sell it to third parties who sell it to these search agencies. Well, some websites claim that they don't. I can find you from your license plate, your facebook, whatever. If you already have your name on the internet somewhere, you've given up a lot of privacy.

 

[RandyDaytona]

I work as a legal investigator, it's my job to find people that don't want to be found. I could find all of your social security numbers, past addresses, family etc while sitting here at my computer. Granted I would lose my job, the point is its very easy to find out these things. every time you enter info on a website like amazon, they sell it to third parties who sell it to these search agencies. Well, some websites claim that they don't. I can find you from your license plate, your facebook, whatever. If you already have your name on the internet somewhere, you've given up a lot of privacy.

This. There are commercial databases that are available for what are deemed "official" purposes - for use by the courts and law enforcement, yes. But also by insurance investigators, security companies, etc. Not available to the public, but available to a wide enough group that it's worth noting.

Like Zak said, law enforcement officers can also lose their jobs for running anyone without having a valid reason. That's not to say there aren't those who do it, anyway.

For example, there was a high-ranking law enforcement official here in Minnesota who was recently fired for running THOUSANDS of people with no actual reason to do so. I've also had the unpleasant experience of having a plate on an undercover vehicle run by someone who we were investigating: their cousin was a deputy sheriff and she did it for them. Rare, but it happens. My point is you never know what kind of access someone might have or who they might know who has access.

As far as people seeing your plate while you're driving - they see it for a split second. Or if you're parked somewhere, for whatever amount of time you're parked.

In short, the time they get to look at it is limited. Posting it on the internet, however, means it could be available for a loooong time.

The internet and technology has made the world a very small place. I think it pays to preserve whatever anonymity you might have.

 

[SV_Dude]

Most of the information that can be found on people is phblic record. The city halls or county clerks offices keep records for a ton of things. You can go there and find out who has what for a business license, what homes they own, etc. pretty much anything that is filed through a city, county or state is public record. You don't need to be a police officer to have a federal or state database to get info on someone. These sights that you pay to get info on someone, all they do is pull the info from public records. Blurring out your plates (in my mind) is pointless as proven here. Myself and helo-mech just found a ton of info on someone from another country with very little info to start from. I as I said before, I found a whole bunch of very personal info about Troy from treklights that coupe allow anyone upset person to go and do whatever they please with him or his info and not nice did I use a license plate.

 

[zopperman]

You don't need to be a police officer to have a federal or state database to get info on someone. These sights that you pay to get info on someone, all they do is pull the info from public records. Blurring out your plates (in my mind) is pointless as proven here. Myself and helo-mech just found a ton of info on someone from another country with very little info to start from. I as I said before, I found a whole bunch of very personal info about Troy from treklights that coupe allow anyone upset person to go and do whatever they please with him or his info and not nice did I use a license plate.

Yes, but it's awesome! :wink2:

As for Troy, I wish I could plug him into one of those databases without risking losing my job hah. :mod: