Smart or Eircom selling personal details?

muckwarrior

I just got a letter from "ElGordo Internacional Lotto Comision S.A." telling me that I've won €450,000 in teh Spanish Lottery... MY HOLE!

When I signed up with smart they obviously entered my details wrong with the address being fυcked up but I never bothered to change it because the bill always got to me anyway. And guess how the adress was printed on the scammers letter... Yep the exact same way!

I've never had any complaints with my service from smart before now but I must say I'm really pissed off with them over this.

murrayj

It wouldn't surprise me at all.

Have a look at the recent dismal performance of Smart's share price. Their share price has completely collapsed in the last few months. The latest ComReg figures show that they have seriously lost market-share. They also had their 3G licence revoked due to failing to stump up the finance.

My guess is that Smart is now close to Bankruptcy.... selling customer information is probably a good way of getting some quick cash...until someone sues them for violation of data protection.

Steffano2002

Well they want to be extra careful when doing this! If they get caught it's Game Over!

muckwarrior

Anyone got the link to Smart's user forum? Can't seem to find it on their site.

Jumpy

Its not smart. Its Eircom.
I had the same letter years ago, and eircom mispelled my name, badly. Guess who the letter was addressed to? The misspelled name.
I think they might get it from the phone directory. Either that or you didnt say to keep your details private. Which I forgot to.

muckwarrior

I'm not in the phone directory, and if there ever was anything asking me if I wanted to keep my details private I sure as hell would have said yes!

68 lost souls

they can get your name for the voters reg. easy

kaizersoze

muckwarrior wrote:

Anyone got the link to Smart's user forum? Can't seem to find it on their site.

http://support.smarttelecom.ie/forums/

Sponge Bob

Smart must misspell your name same as eircom do or they cannot take over your line.

aaronc

muckwarrior wrote:

I'm not in the phone directory, and if there ever was anything asking me if I wanted to keep my details private I sure as hell would have said yes!

The National Directory Database (NDD) will be updated with your details when you sign up with a telecommunications provider. For landlines ComReg have taken the position that it's opt out meaning by default marketers can use your details. For mobiles it's the opposite. It's tough to figure out the logic on that one.

The NDD is not quite the same as the phone book although I think it works off the same database. The problem is if you choose to be ex-directory then your information is removed from the NDD. This means no marketing preference can be recorded which means you've opted in :rolleyes: . In this case being ex-directory would have prevented you getting the letter but an Irish based marketer could still call your number. If you had a recorded a preference in the NDD to not receive marketing material then you "shouldn't" receive marketing infromation or calls from Irish marketers. As far as offshore marketers go there isn't really much ComReg can do and it's pretty easy to get hold of a copy of the NDD.

So if you want to avoid marketing letters in the post ring up Smart and request that your number be ex-directory. if you want to avoid marketing calls ring up Smart and request they record your marketing opt out preference in the NDD. And I strongly doubt Smart had anything to do with you getting the letter.

Aaron

elivsvonchiaing

I'm a SMART customer too - and wondered how I won £470,000 on uk nat lot.

It looks like we're both lucky :rolleyes:

elivsvonchiaing

Every employee usually signs a confidentiality agreement - though some don't keep it.

Think this is a memory-stick job on last-day ;-)

<You know who you are: free line rental or the real **** comes out ;-)>

kaizersoze

aaronc wrote:

The NDD is not quite the same as the phone book although I think it works off the same database. The problem is if you choose to be ex-directory then your information is removed from the NDD. This means no marketing preference can be recorded which means you've opted in . In this case being ex-directory would have prevented you getting the letter but an Irish based marketer could still call your number. If you had a recorded a preference in the NDD to not receive marketing material then you "shouldn't" receive marketing infromation or calls from Irish marketers. As far as offshore marketers go there isn't really much ComReg can do and it's pretty easy to get hold of a copy of the NDD.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I always assumed that the NDD only had phone numbers made available to third parties and not names and addresses.

dub45

Tempting providence I know but I have not received any lottery material (yet?).

Although I did make a point of opting out of that marketing database.

Anarchist

muckwarrior wrote:

I just got a letter from "ElGordo Internacional Lotto Comision S.A." telling me that I've won €450,000 in teh Spanish Lottery... MY HOLE!

When I signed up with smart they obviously entered my details wrong with the address being fυcked up but I never bothered to change it because the bill always got to me anyway. And guess how the adress was printed on the scammers letter... Yep the exact same way!

I've never had any complaints with my service from smart before now but I mustsay I'm really pissed off with them over this.

I got one as well :mad:

Nick_oliveri

Well thats ghey. Didn't think they would be at this. Still making the move though..... eventually!

murrayj

The OP made it clear that he is ex-directory. Surely this indicates that the Lottery guys must be getting the addressess directly from SMART's customer database rather than the NDD?

I agree it could be a dodgy employee in SMART, but perhaps SMART are taking the liberty of assuming that ex-directory customers are assumed to want marketing, because they haven't specifically opted out of marketing on NDD? This is totally perverse if they are doing this.

It would be interesting to know if any of the other SMART customers who received the Lottery junk mail had specifically opted out of marketing on the NDD?

muckwarrior

Sponge Bob wrote:

Smart must misspell your name same as eircom do or they cannot take over your line.

It has since ocurred to me that this may be the case. I had to sign up with eircom before I could switch to smart. I only ever received the first and final bill from eircom so I can't remember what way the name was spelled, but in fairness I'm now starting to think that they'd be more like the kind of people to do this.

Peace

I've signed up to smart (6weeks later still no BB but i won't go into it) and told them no to sharing my info with other companies. I thought it best as they wouldn't specify who they were sharing it with.

Sponge Bob

muckwarrior wrote:

It has since ocurred to me that this may be the case.

There was a PROVEN DATA BREACH IN EIRCOM as well or had you not heard.

This came from the section in Eircom that deals with Smart Customers.

I would complain to Comreg if I were you and let them figure out who leaked the information . Its called 'Make Comreg Do Their Job Properly'

event

so whats the proof that it was smart?

or are you all just presuming?

Cabaal

event wrote:

so whats the proof that it was smart?

or are you all just presuming?

It would appear their assuming, could just as easily be Eircom since Smart pass the order/info to them.

event

Cabaal wrote:

It would appear their assuming, could just as easily be Eircom since Smart pass the order/info to them.

exactly

Mountjoy Mugger

I'd suggest that the OP makes sure he's ex directory. He might wll have been before he switched to Smart, but if he changed his phone number, he might well find himself listed now. http://159.134.203.172/search.asp?source=Eircom

That certainly happened me.

RangeR

I'm ex-directory and on the NDD and with Smart. My girlfriend got one of those lottery things yesterday too but the Smart bill is in my name. I really don't think it was Smart.

muckwarrior

Sponge Bob wrote:

There was a PROVEN DATA BREACH IN EIRCOM as well or had you not heard.

This came from the section in Eircom that deals with Smart Customers.

Interesting. I must admit it's looking increasingly likely that I jumped the gun in blaming smart.

Sponge Bob

muckwarrior wrote:

Interesting. I must admit it's looking increasingly likely that I jumped the gun in blaming smart.

Can you edit the first post in this thread ( go advanced) and point out in teh subject line that it was EITHER Smart OR Eircom.

Also complain to Comreg and the Data Protection Commissioner as well. The latter will go thru the lot of them to chase the leak.

Foxwood

murrayj wrote:

They also had their 3G licence revoked due to failing to stump up the finance.

That's not exactly true. Smart provided 56 million euro to Comreg, but Comreg "withdrew the offer" in very unusual, and quite controversial circumstances (it would appear that there were more communications between eircom and Comreg than between Smart and Comreg about the matter).

The bottom line is that the High Court is to hear the case next week.

Foxwood

murrayj wrote:

My guess is that Smart is now close to Bankruptcy.... selling customer information is probably a good way of getting some quick cash...until someone sues them for violation of data protection.

That'd be hilarious if it wasn't so ridiculous. ComReg and Smart are entering High Court proceedings about 50 million euro - just how much "quick cash" do you think a mailing list is worth? It'd hardly pay a barristers lunch money!

ZENER

muckwarrior wrote:

I just got a letter from "ElGordo Internacional Lotto Comision S.A." telling me that I've won €450,000 in teh Spanish Lottery... MY HOLE!

What ? You mean I haven't won a million then ? Bugger !!!

I got one of those letters too, I presume they are phishing for personal details for identity theft purposes. Anyway the name and address on the envelope were exactly as they appear in the telephone directory entry.

<sirname> <Initial>
<address minus county name>
<country>

ZEN

opus

Mountjoy Mugger wrote:

I'd suggest that the OP makes sure he's ex directory. He might wll have been before he switched to Smart, but if he changed his phone number, he might well find himself listed now. http://159.134.203.172/search.asp?source=Eircom

That certainly happened me.

Cheers for that, I moved to Smart & see that my new number is back in the directory. Just wondering do I contact Smart or Eircom to get it removed?

murrayj

It's seems like everyone who received the Lottery thing is a SMART customer?? Is this just a co-incidence?

I am an Eircom customer, never ex-directory, never removed from NDD, and I still didn't receive the Lottery mail!

Has anyone received the Lottery mail who is not a SMART customer?

muckwarrior

murrayj wrote:

It's seems like everyone who received the Lottery thing is a SMART customer?? Is this just a co-incidence?

I am an Eircom customer, never ex-directory, never removed from NDD, and I still didn't receive the Lottery mail!

Has anyone received the Lottery mail who is not a SMART customer?

Going by Sponge Bob's post it's more than plausible that even though it's smart customers that are affected the data may still have come from eircom.

Foxwood

murrayj wrote:

It's seems like everyone who received the Lottery thing is a SMART customer?? Is this just a co-incidence?

I am an Eircom customer, never ex-directory, never removed from NDD, and I still didn't receive the Lottery mail!

Has anyone received the Lottery mail who is not a SMART customer?

Did you bother to read the thread? IrishTLRs girlfriend isn't a customer of Smart.

RangeR

Foxwood wrote:

Did you bother to read the thread? IrishTLRs girlfriend isn't a customer of Smart.

Indeed. Thank you Foxwood. Balming Smart or Eircom from the start is a little premature. For one thing, our sample size is too small to say wth certainty.

As far as my girlfriend is concerned, she is not named on the Smart account OR the Eircom old account at our current address. For this reason alone I don't think Eircom or Smart are at fault here.

spurious

opus wrote:

Cheers for that, I moved to Smart & see that my new number is back in the directory. Just wondering do I contact Smart or Eircom to get it removed?

Contact Smart. They'll change it at their end, then eircom will take forever to do anything with the updated data Smart sends over - as usual.