HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: asa@STL-09SIMA.ARMY.MIL (Will Martin on 9000)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
Subject: Re:  Junk mailers dirty tricks
Date: 24 Dec 1992 09:26:25 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

>From: sean@cobra.dra.com
>True, however they are generally allowed to charge for "reproduction costs."
>This means it is free to sit in the license collector's office and write
>down all the names by hand.  But if you want reproductions (either on a Xerox
>machine, or maganetic media, etc) they will charge you for that service.
>Also you are generally not allowed to remove anything from the premises,
>so you are stuck using their equipement.  The "reproduction costs" rarely
>resemble "fair market value."

This seems to me to be a prime market for those hand-held copy machines
which seemed to be widely available only a few years ago, but then 
completely disappeared and are no longer advertised anywhere! What
happened to them? People like these credit-reporting-company data-
gatherers and anyone else who is scanning manual, paper records for data
should be finding these hand-held copiers a godsend! Why did such a
useful (even though specialized) product disappear after such widespread
advertising and availability?

For example, my wife does a lot of genealogical research. One of these
things would be a nice surprise present for her, and the per-page costs of
library copying machines avoided because she had this thing would
eventually repay its price and the cost of the consumeables it uses. So
why can't I just go buy one any more? Even DAK peddled them... 

Will

Xref: sparky alt.privacy:2794 misc.legal:21899 alt.society.civil-liberty:7195
From: tenney@netcom.com (Glenn S. Tenney)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy,misc.legal,alt.society.civil-liberty
Subject: 1992 only: CA DMV workaround for SSN
Date: 31 Dec 92 18:44:48 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)

If you wish to renew your California drivers license, but do NOT want
to give them your SSN, then there is a way around it...
 
BUT ONLY BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR!!!
 
You only need to provide the SSN this year for new licenses.  Renewals
need the SSN starting 1 January.  You are also allowed to renew your
license any time, but will need to take a written test if you renew
more than six months before your scheduled renewal date.
 
Therefore:  If you go in to the DMV before the end of the year,
you can renew your drivers license without having to give the SSN.
 
I just did it Wed. afternoon! I dealt with a supervisor, and had to take the
written test, but no SSN.  Still that damn thumbprint, but that was another
battle I fought a couple of years ago...
 
I hope those of you in CA who can use the info get it in time.  Those outside
of CA, you should check your state's laws to see if there might not be
a similar hack.  (oops, I mistakenly posted this including a moderated
newsgroup in the list and it got bounced -- so this is VERY late!)
-- 
Glenn Tenney
voice: (415) 574-3420      fax: (415) 574-0546
tenney@netcom.com          Ham radio: AA6ER
From: kaplan@sol1.lrsm.upenn.edu (Peter Kaplan -Yodh)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
Subject: Re: Store settles suit on privacy
Date: 28 Dec 92 20:29:16 GMT
Organization: Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter, University of Pennsylvania

In article <1992Dec16.013515.6624@panix.com> oppedahl@panix.com (Carl Oppedahl) writes:
>
>An article in a recent issue of the New York Times describes a lawsuit
>in which Mervyn's Department stores in California may be 
>eligible for nearly $6 million worth of vouchers.  The store had been
>requiring customers to reveal their telephone numbers when using 
>charge cards, but state law says customers did not have to. 
>Four customers sued, and now the store is settling.

I'm glad they sued, but are we sure that this settlement isn't the
same kind of scam as the settlement in the Airline price fixing suit?

(The airlines are giving out millions of dollars worth of teeny coupons
which require you to bypass your travel agent.  The judge in the case
says that he advised the airlines that he would dismiss the case if
the requested summary judgement (as the case was very weak), but the
airlines refused to be excused.  Alaska Airlines even asked to be
included as defendants, but agreed not to join the suit when they
learned that they could accept the coupons anyway.  It's a big
publicity stunt, and the lawyers walk away with n times 10^6 bucks.)

--Peter (kaplan@sol1.lrsm.upenn.edu)
>
>Keep up the good work, I say.
>
>
>Carl Oppedahl AA2KW  (intellectual property lawyer)
>30 Rockefeller Plaza
>New York, NY  10112-0228
>voice 212-408-2578     fax 212-765-2519
From: gallaghe@vax.sonoma.edu (Mycal)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
Subject: Re: Job paperwork stuff
Date: 22 Dec 92 16:39:00 GMT
Organization: Sonoma State University
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

[stuff deleted about company wanting lots of info]

Well there is good news.  I guess in the process of fighting personell
about using my ssn for medical insurers, I unknowingly created a mind
virus.  Half the company asked me for the letter I wrote, and followed
suit.  This created quite an uproar,  I even had to talk to our (not
the new company that bought us out) CEO.  After explaining to him
my objections, he talked to the new company's CEO.  So it seems for
now it has been taken care of.  They won't send our SSN's to the helth
insurer, we will be issued others.  They don't need a copy of our birth-
certificate or ssn card.

So just letting you know if you stand up to your company about using this
kind of information they will usually back down.  This is the third time
I have gone through this and won!   It does seem to be getting harder 
every time though :(

keep fighting,
mycal
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
From: delisle@eskimo.com (Ben Delisle)
Subject: Academic testing and marketing.
Organization: -> ESKIMO NORTH (206) For-Ever <- Public Access Internet & Unix
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 07:32:08 GMT

	About ten years ago when I was still in high school the 
military came to the (public) school and asked them to give the ASVAB test to 
all juniors and seniors; they would then turn over the test results
to the school to be CC'd to the students. What we were told at the
time was that that it was a free way to give assessments to sudents
and the military was using it to get a general idea of how smart the 
area students were and that the results would not be used for 
recruiting. The School made it mandentory.
	Some one lied, either the school or the military because
with in a few weeks of the testing many of the students started getting
mail from most of the military depts. about what thay can offer, 
furthermore, in phone calls they made reference to the test results
and what specalties they could suggest as useable strengths.

--
Internet direct: delisle@eskimo.com : Perfect paranoia is perfect awareness.
From: kieran@world.std.com (Aaron L Dickey)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
Subject: Re: Junk mailers dirty tricks
Date: 27 Dec 92 06:12:20 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA

rrw@sunset.cse.nau.edu (Bob Wier) writes:

>  I have kind of an interesting story on this.  At least twice I have written
>  this outfit asking that I be put ON lists (at one point I was retired and
>  didn't have anything to do but read catalogs :-).  I never got ANYTHING!
>  It looks to me like if you WANT to be on these kinds of list, they don't
>  want you - probably they assume you are a "catalog hound" and you won't
>  ever buy anything...

I don't think that's really the case.  When I was 9 or 10, I discovered
the joys of free junk mail, and back then the DMMA openly advertised that
you could request that you be put ON lists just as easily as you could
request to be taken off them.  I wrote, got a questionnaire back, sent it
in, and my mail skyrocketed.  If I remember correctly, the "put me ON"
service was discontinued several years back because it just added to the
DMMA's workload, and considering that by now all you need to do to get on
half the mailing lists on the known universe is subscribe to one magazine
or buy from one catalog, it just wasn't worth their trouble.

Believe me, if you're having trouble getting junk mail, you aren't really
trying very hard. :)

--Aaron
From: norsk@mobius (Doug Thompson)
Subject: Police/Investigator methods of searching for individuals
Keywords: SSN searching investigation
Reply-To: doug_thompson@novell.com
Organization: Novell, Inc.
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 18:15:06 GMT

Someone recently posted a request on how police/private investagtors
use computers and identification to search for individuals. Well
I asked a family friend who is an investigtor in oregon. She works
for the Public Defenders office and tracks down individuals who are
witnesses, victims, suspects etc. She does various tasks such as
serve warrants as well.

I posed the question to her on what she needs for do a search and
what she does with the info.

For starters, the name is important. If it is unique enough, that
will ususally get the information she wants (they have terminals
at their office - private firm under contract for the county). Next
a birth date provide further focus. Next comes the SSN. Actually,
she mentioned the SSN was what she normal searched for first after
the name, since with the SSN the whole world opens up.

For every loan an individual as applied for, there is the SSN.
Since she is an agent of the court, she can get credit agencies to
give all the information connected to a SSN except for finiancial
info. Addresses for all loan apps, phone numbers, etc become available.

Their system is has local database access to criminals who have
been involved with the court system plus state and federal tie ins.
If an individual has a record OR has had civil involvements, including
suits, with the courts, its all public record.

Sounds like fun, eh? Shes good at what she does and says that she
will find individuals (locally) within a few days (this assumes
the individuals is still at current addresses, is still working etc)
if someone goes underground, then that is a different story.

She her self has put up a very big wall around her self, namely for
self protection. Uses a PO Box FOR EVERYTHING. Both phone lines are
unlisted. (I use 2 lines and the telco will only print one in the
book, and I requested no address listed and only my initials in the
phone book.
This reminds me of what happened in michigan. We listed both my name
and my wife's name for printing in the book. Abt a year after we
moved there, she got obsecene phone calls BY NAME. We learned and
always do the above. DON'T PRINT YOUR ADDRESS IN THE PHONE BOOK
and don't use your or your SO's female names (not a sexist remark, just
practical advice).

She is very careful on who knows where she is and who knows about
her. I'm beginning to follow suit.

For what its work.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
email:   norsk@novell.com or doug_thompson@novell.com
phone:   801-429-3495
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
From: delisle@eskimo.com (Ben Delisle)
Subject: Re: Miracle at Radio Shack
Organization: -> ESKIMO NORTH (206) For-Ever <-
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 07:08:08 GMT

	Yesterday, I gave the servicedroid at Raido Shack their own 
address and the guy did not catch the fact that I read it (in reverse)
off the store front window.    


--
UUCP old:        delisle@eskimo.celestial.com
Internet direct: delisle@eskimo.com
From: paladin@west.darkside.com (Paladin)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
Subject: Re: Miracle at Radio Shack
Date: 24 Dec 92 08:31:52 GMT
Organization: The Dark Side of the Moon +1 408 245 SPAM

delisle@eskimo.com (Ben Delisle) writes:

> 	Yesterday, I gave the servicedroid at Raido Shack their own 
> address and the guy did not catch the fact that I read it (in reverse)
> off the store front window.    
> 
> 
> --
> UUCP old:        delisle@eskimo.celestial.com
> Internet direct: delisle@eskimo.com
> 

It takes not a college degree for a job at Radio Shack, but rather a 
pulse...
Xref: sparky alt.privacy:2765 misc.consumers:21210
From: kenny@osf.org (Kenneth Crudup)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy,misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Junk mailers dirty tricks
Date: 26 Dec 92 23:22:50 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Open Software Foundation

In article <1992Dec16.173930.28867@informix.com>
lynns@informix.com (Lynn Schneider) writes:

>...Sure enough, it doesn't take long before some sweepstakes company
>declares that this fictional person may be a million dollar winner. Etc,
>etc. 

I was just about to ask this- I just got a sweepstakes letter conveying the
joyful news that Kenneth Rcrudup (sic) damn well could be $10M richer. They've
gotten my middle initial and last name concatenated.

What happens if that name wins? Will I get screwed out of it on a technicality?

	-Kenny

-- 
Kenny Crudup, Contractor, OSF DCE QA
OSF, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142	+1 617 621 7306
kenny@osf.osf.org			OSF has nothing to do with this post.
	  Religion: The longest-running gag ever played on Mankind.
From: scott@bbx.basis.com (Scott Amspoker)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
Subject: Re: Police/Investigator methods of searching for individuals
Keywords: SSN searching investigation
Date: 21 Dec 92 21:55:04 GMT
Organization: BASIS International, Ltd., Albuquerque NM USA

In article <BzMG16.Htu@Novell.COM> doug_thompson@novell.com writes:
>I asked a family friend who is an investigtor in oregon. She works
>for the Public Defenders office and tracks down individuals who are
>witnesses, victims, suspects etc. She does various tasks such as
>serve warrants as well.
>[...]
>She her self has put up a very big wall around her self, namely for
>self protection. Uses a PO Box FOR EVERYTHING. Both phone lines are
>unlisted.

This reminds me of Gene Hackman in "The Conversaion" - someone who
earns a living by snooping into peoples' private lives and
is consequently obsessed with their own privacy.

-- 
Scott Amspoker                       |    
Basis International, Albuquerque, NM |  Too bad ignorance isn't really
                                     |  bliss.  Then it could be outlawed.
scott@bbx.basis.com                  |
Newsgroups: alt.privacy,misc.consumers
From: n36c@pnet16.cts.com (Rm1 Straight)
Subject: Re: Cat Paws
Organization: People-Net [pnet16], NCTAMS EASTPAC
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 01:16:04 GMT

Thanks to all for the advise. Some good, some impossible (because of the
rain up here, it would wash away). I'll try and use the water jug method,
and see what happens. If not then I'll try milk laced with prestone. Just
kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                                   Str8
Navy Special Communications. Is there anything else?
Xref: sparky alt.privacy:2800 alt.security:5249 alt.self-improve:815 alt.mindcontrol:170
From: curt@access.digex.com (curt williams)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy,alt.security,alt.self-improve,alt.mindcontrol
Subject: GAMMA GROUP         Information Request
Date: 1 Jan 1993 16:13:35 GMT
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: access.digex.com
Keywords: GAMMA GROUP

this is cross-posted (I hope) to alt.privacy, alt.security, alt-self-improve
and alt.mindcontrol


Has anyone out there ever heard of the Gamma Group?



If so, please let me know:
    1.  who they are
    2.  what their story is
    3.  are they benign or harmful

IS THIS A CULT OR A MARKETING SCHEME (ala AMWAY)   ?

Thanks
Newsgroups: alt.privacy,misc.consumers
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Junk mailers dirty tricks
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1992 10:10:25 GMT

adams@spss.com (Steve Adams) writes:
: oppedahl@panix.com (Carl Oppedahl) writes:
: 
: >Yes.  The way you slipped up was by revealing your actual new address to
: >the Postal Service when you moved.  Smart thing to do is have your mail
: >forwarded to a post office box in the new location.  The junk mailers will
: >learn the po box number by address correction requested, or simply by
: >buying the list of movers from the postal service.
: >
: >But later you just close the po box, having revealed your actual new
: >address only to those of your choosing.
: 
: Not quite.  Anyone who wants to, can get the boxholder's street address
: from the Postmaster.

That is easy to handle by getting the PO Box, before you move.  Once you
have it, the Post Awful never checks the address again. You could move to
a different city, and they don't care - as long as you pay the rent once
a year.

Bill
Xref: sparky alt.privacy:2754 misc.consumers:21146
From: lynns@informix.com (Lynn Schneider)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy,misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Junk mailers dirty tricks
Date: 16 Dec 92 17:39:30 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.

I'm sure many of you in netland have tried this, but I still find it a
source of amusement.

When subscribing for magazines or other stuff that I think may get me on
a junk mail list, I sometimes make up a name that is similar to mine
(similar enough that the post office won't have trouble delivering it).

Sure enough, it doesn't take long before some sweepstakes company
declares that this fictional person may be a million dollar winner. Etc,
etc. 

Anyway, it is a good way to "track" who is using your name and who is
not. 

If the junk mail gets too annoying, you can always get in touch with the
Direct Marketing Association (don't have the number handy, but it's 
"out there" to ask them to remove your name (or names! ;-) from their
files.
Xref: sparky alt.privacy:2725 misc.consumers:21035
From: mjc+@cs.cmu.edu (Monica Cellio)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy,misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Junk mailers dirty tricks
Date: 21 Dec 92 18:44:12 GMT
Article-I.D.: NL.mjc.724963452
Distribution: na
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon

>My wife works in the circulation of a free weekly newspaper that is
>heavily dependent on advertising and has almost weekly hassles with
>the USPS over the mailing charges.  In addition to that, there are
>audits at least twice a year to verify that the circulation counts
>add up to what is claimed (no fraudulent addresses.

How odd.  I've been doing bulk mailings (of a newsletter) for three years
and have not been audited once.  What the folks at the PO do is weigh my
entire mailing, weigh 10 pieces from it, and see if the numbers jive with
what I've told them the total count is.  You could slip by a couple percent 
if you wanted, but not much more.  I've been "caught" when my count on a 
3000-piece mailing was off by 100 (math error).  I've never been asked to
show the PO my mailing list.  (In fact, I would be unable to.  The 
organization's central office sends me mailing labels, and I put them on
newsletters and mail 'em out.)  In case it makes any difference, I'm mailing
at the 3rd-class non-profit organization rate; your wife probably isn't.

Monica
Newsgroups: alt.privacy,misc.consumers
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Junk mailers dirty tricks
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1992 10:14:20 GMT

bear@tigger.cs.Colorado.EDU (Bear Giles) writes:
: 
: BTW, he also mails his magazine first-class.  It seems that the Post Office
: only grants magazine rates to companies willing to reveal their mailing
: lists on demand; once again, since death threats are fairly common to
: him and his contributors he refuses to run the risk of that list falling
: into the wrong hands.

Hm, that has not been my experience. I have been involved with a couple
of groups that were non-profit. All the post awful required was proof of
non-profit status. They did not care, in the least, who or what was on
the mailing list - all they required was a certain minimum number of 
mailings in each batch.

Bill
From: miles@emx.cc.utexas.edu (Miles Abernathy)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
Subject: Re: drug dealers on the h
Date: 23 Dec 92 18:19:28 GMT
Organization: University of Texas
X-UserAgent: Nuntius v1.1.1d10
X-XXMessage-ID: <A75E09BA8B019F2B@mac33.util.utexas.edu>
X-XXDate: Wed, 23 Dec 92 12:19:06 GMT

I used to live in Argentina, where the traditional national drink is
"mate," pronounced MAH-tay. This stuff is just green tea, with no
mind-altering properties at all. The gauchos (cowboys) drank it from
decorated gourds, using a silver straw with a strainer on the end.
(Warning: silver straws conduct heat to the lips amazingly effectively!)

My father noted that mate was somewhat unique, being one of the few macho
men's drinks in the world that did not cause intoxication.

OBTW, I later noticed an ad in a low-class American magazine for
Argentine / Paraguayan "Mate tea," which was portrayed as a powerful
aphrodesiac....
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
  _     Miles Abernathy, N5KOB        =
 | |__  miles@emx.cc.utexas.edu       =
_|    | POB 7580, Austin TX 78713     =
\  * /  University of Texas @ Austin  =
  \/    tel. (512) 471-6521           =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
From: les@SAIL.Stanford.edu (Les Earnest)
Subject: Re: Job paperwork stuff
Reply-To: les@cs.stanford.edu
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University
	<BzMEy6.H2t@Novell.COM>
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 00:16:14 GMT

David Lesher wrote:
   Anyone else remember the posting from the fellow that said:
   	Race:  Mongrel
   on his security clearance forms?

Doug Thompson responds:
   YES!! YES!!, and does anyone have a copy of it. I had a hardcopy in
    the Software Engineering Notes, but can't find it. I've used mongrel
   myself on many forms (the last time was with my last mortgage and the
   guy said "he would correct it later")!!!!!

   I'd love to have the article again.

Ask and ye shall receive.  A troff -ms version of that article is
in email to Doug.

As you may recall, that story began as a newsgroup anecdote but grew
into a longer article that appeared in the February 1989 issue of
CACM.  Apparently some people stack that journal for a long time -- I
received email last week from a person in South Africa who had just
run across it and seemed to enjoy it.

--
Les Earnest           Phone:  415 941-3984    Fax: 415 941-3934
Internet: Les@cs.Stanford.edu              USMail: 12769 Dianne Drive
UUCP: . . . decwrl!cs.Stanford.edu!Les         Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
Newsgroups: alt.privacy,misc.consumers
From: n36c@pnet16.cts.com (Rm1 Straight)
Subject: Cat Paws
Organization: People-Net [pnet16], NCTAMS EASTPAC
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 19:56:03 GMT

I was just wondering if there is anyway I can keep cats from lounging on
my car. Yes I live in Hawaii, but the area where I live (Wahiawa) is in
the middle of a rain forest, henceforth, RAIN. The cats crawl on mine and
others cars and leave paw prints all over the hood, roof etc...I'm just
looking for an effective way to keep them away without having to kill them.
No, I would never do that, but I get tempted sometimes. Please no flames,
Hawaii is nice but the sooner I transfer, the better. I now have a blue car
but by the time I leave, it'll probably be red (stained from the dirt). 
Thank you and have a Happy Holiday season!
                                                  Str8
Navy Special Communications. Is there anything else?
Newsgroups: alt.privacy