You DON'T do this. You JUST DON'T do this!

[beaucoup]

WOW!
I'm carefuly about how much personal info I give out online, or at least I try to be. On Facebook, my page is private. Or as private as I've gotten it to be. Not all my friends even get to see everything I post. I'm selective. I do not accept friend requests at all from people I don't know. And I don't even select them from everyone I know.

I posted something to a local news stations FB page.

Some guy, looked up my name somewhere somehow AND CALLED ME! Looking for more info about what I posted, wanted name & address about someone in what I posted. He left the message on my machine, and laughed, sort of weirdly, through the entire call.

Seriously, WTH dude? My private facebook page wasn't enough of a clue. You still could have sent me a message thru FB. But I feel looking up my phone # was OVER STEPPING BIG TIME!!!!! He didn't need to know where I live as there aren't many of me.

Don't do this people. Just don't!

 

[Michelle67]

Yeah I agree that's pretty freaky. Get your phone number and any other personal information OFF your FB page! As you've found out, even on a private page that information can be found.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Just like my disboard life, I don't use my real names on line. And I definitely don't link my face Book. I don't have anything to hide--but I certainly don't want strangers finding me.

I feel inclined to agree, but just because your Facebook is private, it seems you were still listed in the phone directory.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Yeah I agree that's pretty freaky. Get your phone number and any other personal information OFF your FB page! As you've found out, even on a private page that information can be found.

I understood that he used other means to track her down and that OP figured her private status on Facebook was enough of a clue that she did not want to be contacted.

 

[ols386]

Yeah, I agree, the guy overstepped his boundaries.

I recently had my FB and email accounts hacked. If someone is desperate enough to get your personal information, they will find a way to get it on FB. I had all of my stuff as private as I know how to make it, and someone was still able to hack into it. It's kind of unnerving when you really think about it.

 

[DebbieB]

WOW!
I'm carefuly about how much personal info I give out online, or at least I try to be. On Facebook, my page is private. Or as private as I've gotten it to be. Not all my friends even get to see everything I post. I'm selective. I do not accept friend requests at all from people I don't know. And I don't even select them from everyone I know.

I posted something to a local news stations FB page.

Some guy, looked up my name somewhere somehow AND CALLED ME! Looking for more info about what I posted, wanted name & address about someone in what I posted. He left the message on my machine, and laughed, sort of weirdly, through the entire call.

Seriously, WTH dude? My private facebook page wasn't enough of a clue. You still could have sent me a message thru FB. But I feel looking up my phone # was OVER STEPPING BIG TIME!!!!! He didn't need to know where I live as there aren't many of me.

Don't do this people. Just don't!

Just shows it is not as private as you think. When you post to a news stations page, your name is out there for thousands of people. I wouldn't count on all of them respecting your privacy.

 

[beaucoup]

I don't have the ph# on my FB page. Or my town.

But just because you CAN look up someones phone # by other means, doesn't mean you SHOULD call them. That's my point.

Just because there is a door bell on someones house, doesn't mean I should walk up and ring it.

I would have been fine with him sending a message through FB, which he could have done. Doesn't mean I would have answered it. LOL

 

[a1tinkfans]

WOW!
I'm carefuly about how much personal info I give out online, or at least I try to be. On Facebook, my page is private. Or as private as I've gotten it to be. Not all my friends even get to see everything I post. I'm selective. I do not accept friend requests at all from people I don't know. And I don't even select them from everyone I know.

I posted something to a local news stations FB page.

Some guy, looked up my name somewhere somehow AND CALLED ME! Looking for more info about what I posted, wanted name & address about someone in what I posted. He left the message on my machine, and laughed, sort of weirdly, through the entire call.

Seriously, WTH dude? My private facebook page wasn't enough of a clue. You still could have sent me a message thru FB. But I feel looking up my phone # was OVER STEPPING BIG TIME!!!!! He didn't need to know where I live as there aren't many of me.

Don't do this people. Just don't!

 

[beaucoup]

Just shows it is not as private as you think. When you post to a news stations page, your name is out there for thousands of people.

I completely know that, but you don't go calling those people. Do you?

 

[Aisling]

I completely know that, but you don't go calling those people. Do you?

I wouldn't have called unless it was a matter of life and death, like if you were my long lost brother and I needed your kidney.

 

[beaucoup]

Just like my disboard life, I don't use my real names on line. And I definitely don't link my face Book. I don't have anything to hide--but I certainly don't want strangers finding me.

I feel inclined to agree, but just because your Facebook is private, it seems you were still listed in the phone directory.

I know. I use different names on different websites. And I do not cross FB & any of those message boards.

I should have known better but really, you don't do this. I may be getting a new FB name after this! I had signed up long ago when you had to use a real name. Now it seems you are allowed to make up names. So I think I will.

 

[DebbieB]

I completely know that, but you don't go calling those people. Do you?

No I don't, but when you are posting to a website that thousands of people "like" any weirdo can pick it up. I'm just saying to be careful.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I completely know that, but you don't go calling those people. Do you?

Right! Unfortunately, people like that don't follow common courtesy.

 

[dicar123]

I was on the news a couple of times because of the death of my son. We received phone calls from strangers both times. The people were very kind, but it was still unnerving.

I'd recommend mailing a letter instead. It feels much less intrusive.

 

[ChrisFL]

People, there's something called a Phone book, you can actually LOOK UP people's names addresses and phone numbers based on their name!! How scary!!

 

[topolino]

It's completely weird that he called you, but really, how private did you think it'd be to post your first and last name on a page that is NOT private, and in fact holds an interest to thousands of people in your community?

But yeah, the guy's behavior is odd.

 

[Witch Mountain]

Your info is locked down on FB, but the pages for TV/Radio or any other 'public' entity are there for anyone to see.

He definitely went over the line in calling you, but you may want to limit what you say in commenting anywhere on FB that is not your own private wall.

Things I posted on my High School's page on FB come up if you Google my name. They won't make it a private group, so I stopped posting on there.

 

[Imzadi]

I would have been fine with him sending a message through FB, which he could have done. Doesn't mean I would have answered it. LOL

Wow! That was creepy.

I don't do FB at all, so I don't understand: if your account is set to private, how can he send you a message? Do those still go through?

 

[Michelle67]

I don't have the ph# on my FB page. Or my town.

But just because you CAN look up someones phone # by other means, doesn't mean you SHOULD call them. That's my point.

Just because there is a door bell on someones house, doesn't mean I should walk up and ring it.

I would have been fine with him sending a message through FB, which he could have done. Doesn't mean I would have answered it. LOL

Ah, I'm sorry. I misinterpreted what I read. I agree that it's really freaky behavior!

 

[tvguy]

I don't have the ph# on my FB page. Or my town.

But just because you CAN look up someones phone # by other means, doesn't mean you SHOULD call them. That's my point.

Just because there is a door bell on someones house, doesn't mean I should walk up and ring it.

I would have been fine with him sending a message through FB, which he could have done. Doesn't mean I would have answered it. LOL

Well, my suggestion would be not to post on a news media page, but if you do, and do not want to be contacted, put that in the post. Full disclosure, I work for a TV station, and we routinely contact people who post story ideas on our Facebook, Twitter and websites. HOWEVER, we have people use a form and one of the options is "do not contact me".
The reason we phone people is because we are facing a deadline and have a question....we always ask the question first via the media it was received on, but if we do not get a response in a timely fashion, we will call.

As for finding your phone number, address, things like that. We use public records to find you. The information has always been out there, but admittedly the internet has made access easier. If you own a home, vote, drive, own a car, have been arrested, have filed a lawsuit, hold a professional license or certification, own an airplane, serve on a community advisory board, have children in little league or soccer, your information from those records is generally public information