Caution:Some Forums Sites will violate your privacy

[yarnellcg17]

I wanted to post this thread as an FYI for anyone who
can use this information as a safe guard for their privacy...

Over the past 2 days I've been getting this from a site
I recently joined 1 week ago..

This is an e-mail I got in my yahoo e-mail 2days ago..
from that site I joined..

Greetings
Please correct your registration information. We REQUIRE valid registration information including a full mailing address and a correct contact phone number including area code. We do check the validity of account information to ensure the safety of our site and it's members.
Your account information as you have entered it is invalid:
And this is what I got in private msg in that site just yesterday..

What I really want to know, along with everyone else is why you are REALLY here?
You don't buy or sell so why are you here? We all find it very odd and are a bit uncomfortable with a self admitted Baptist lurking around with from what we can see is no good reason.
What are you searching for when you search the messages.
I think it is extremely bizarre and so does everyone else is that you talk to no one except your buddy. I would also like to know why you repeatedly ignored my emails to you asking you to correct your registration email until AFTER you were banned from the forums.
Your mailing address still looks incomplete and I will be doing phone confirmations tomorrow.

And by reading those..that alarmed me..

For starters is I didn't give em a valid street address..I felt it was an option not to..
and 2 I didn't give em a valid phone number..I felt it was an option not to..aswell..

I got out of that site and fast..so if that ever occurs to you..think of this info I just posted

I'm glad I use vBulletin formatted forums as I have for years..atleast I know my rights as member and my privacy are protected here with RG and any site using vBulletin:)

[Arkacia]

I'm not asking for a link, but what is the site about? May help the rest of us avoid it. They are seeking way too much personal information. I think you did the right thing in leaving it.

[yarnellcg17]

AuctionWitch..is the name of it
Auction Witch Online Metaphysical Auctions ... Wholesale (13) Current Auction Stats ... Powered by: Auction Witch Software.

[Mick]

I heard a similar story from a friend with an Ebay account. He gets emails that look very authentic with only slight differences to the real thing. They say there has been a security breach at Ebay and some accounts have been hacked into. It then asks you to update you details and provides a link for you to do so, which then takes you to a site which looks like Ebay(Only the address is slightly different).

Once you are there they basically ask you to login and update your details so when you enter you username and password, the fake site uses this on the real Ebay site to check if you have entered it right. So you wont get access to the fake site without your correct name/password which makes it appear more authentic. Then they ask for your details, name, address, phone numbers, credit card details, etc.

Be very wary about anything like that asking for details. An authentic email asking you to do that should tell you to login to their site as you would normally do it, ie using your Favourites/Bookmarks or typing in the address.

These types of attempts at hacking your account are usually done on sites that involve money and it would be far less likely to happen on a forum sites like this one. You did mention it is a forum site but with a name like AuctionWitch im guessing there is money involved in some part of the site.

[Freakums]

Do what I do:
First, send an anonymous email to who you know is the real deal. It should contain soem way of diverting some virus or another. Apoligize in advance.
Then reply to the email asking for too much info with a virus and tellign them you are the hacker.
If it's the site that treying to get too much info, all's good anyway.
If it's a faker tryign to trick you, they'll get punished.
:evil:
Unfortunatly, this cna be very resouce-devouring for the big websites.

[JsWoman]

The site is half forums, and half auctions, just like this one is half forums and half games. The only difference being you have to sign up for both halves of it. They said that you couldn't do the forums unless you also signed up for the auctions. :rolleyes: It's bogus. But, they are very thourough about getting information, it seems.

[Arkacia]

I can understand them needing proper information for the auctions, but why would they need it for the forums? That smacks of invasion of privacy to me.

[yarnellcg17]

Because they are to paranoid about being revealed as witches..In the US.. the 1st amendment protects them..but if ya wanna be the way ya are.. the way ya are and whatever else that may hurt us by wanting our info..and is that sacred..sounds like a good scam to me..