Might want to check this out, it's not a scam

[dun]

Google has implemented a new feature wherein you can type someone's
telephone number into the search bar and hit enter and then you will
be given a map to their house. Everyone should be aware of this! Note that
you can have your phone number removed or blocked. Before forwarding this, I tested it by typing my telephone number into http://www.google.com. My phone
number came up, and when I clicked on the MapQuest link, it actually mapped out where I live. Quite scary. Please look up your own number. Read below for details. Think about it--if a child or student or ANYONE gives out his/her phone number, someone can actually now look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious, and alarming.

In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to:
http://www.google.com . Type your phone number in
the search bar (i.e. 555-555-1212) and hit enter. If you want to B L O C K
Google from divulging your private information, simply click into your
telephone and then click on the Removal Form. Removal takes 48-hours.
If you are unlisted in the phone book, you might not be in there, but it is a
good idea just to check. If your number does come up if you hit map, it
will show you a direct map to your house... Please share this information with
your students, friends and family.

 

[Kelly]

Thanks for passing that on. I really appreciate it.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Holy be nice!! It is definitely not a scam. I tried it and wow...our number is in there not just with the address but attatched to an organization my husband is with, there were 3 matches to our number...yikes! I tried to do the phone click thing to eliminate it, but it didn't work. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong, I'll try again.
Thankyou Dun for posting this info. I hate to think of how many kids would unwittingly be handing over a map to their home. Not safe.

Katherine

 

[TheBullLady]

The internet.. an incredible.. wonderful and sometimes SCARY thing! The mapquest didn't come up with my location, but I'm in a very rural area. Still something to be concerned about! Thanks for the info dun!

 

[Bama]

Google is not the only way to do that. You can do a search on Switchboard and other sites and it will do the same thing. Its kinda scary. I don't know if you can block all of them. I know some of them have been doing this for years now.

 

[eric]

my home number or my cell number didnt come up, but my business number/address did......maybe because my home number is unlisted and my cell blocks any calls which dont display the calling number?

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

It doesn't work in Canada.

 

[Scotty]

Can we protest this.


Scotty

 

[Subsoil]

It will do the same thing if you put your name and state. I guess I don't see the concern. It's the same information anybody can get out of the phone book. I'm assuming if someone want's to knock you off or steal your stuff, they know where the stuff is or where you live in the first place anyway.

Unless there's some seriel killer that types in random phone numbers into a computer to pick his next victim, I think we're safe.

 

[sillco]

Holy be nice!! It is definitely not a scam. I tried it and wow...our number is in there not just with the address but attatched to an organization my husband is with, there were 3 matches to our number...yikes! I tried to do the phone click thing to eliminate it, but it didn't work. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong, I'll try again.
Thankyou Dun for posting this info. I hate to think of how many kids would unwittingly be handing over a map to their home. Not safe.

Katherine

What<s the matter? You voted for Home Land Security the Bush way. Now you have Big Brother and he is getting bigger and stronger. You have not seen anything yet. But that is alright... he is a Republican.

 

[jkwilson]

Google has had this for years.

 

[dun]

It will do the same thing if you put your name and state. I guess I don't see the concern. It's the same information anybody can get out of the phone book. I'm assuming if someone want's to knock you off or steal your stuff, they know where the stuff is or where you live in the first place anyway.

Unless there's some seriel killer that types in random phone numbers into a computer to pick his next victim, I think we're safe.

Our old phone books had a cross reference, but it was done away with several years ago.
Now all it has is name, city, and phone number

dun

 

[jkwilson]

Our old phone books had a cross reference, but it was done away with several years ago.
Now all it has is name, city, and phone number

dun

Our phone book is small enough you can scan through the numbers to find the name. Maybe 10 minutes to go through them all.

 

[9 ER]

Subsoil Quote:
Unless there's some seriel killer that types in random phone numbers into a computer to pick his next victim, I think we're safe.

Wait a minute. When you deal with high school kids, you dont want them to know where you live. Send one to the office or cut them from a team and the next thing you know your cat is stuffed in your mailbox :devil2: . They can be very vindictive sometimes. If they are gonna get me then I want them to at least put some effort into finding my house. Typing in my name or # and clicking print is too easy.

On the lighter side, our house gets wrapped once a month by my wife's Jr. high players or students. Makes me mad when the toilet paper gets stuck in the trees, but I guess it could be worse.

 

[Kelly]

9 ER I can relate! My 17 yr old son must be getting pay backs or else the girls just love to toilet paper our yard. I really hate when they use the kind that doesn't dissolve when it rains. The stuff just will not go away & they get it up so far in the trees that it is pretty much a permanent fixture.

 

[SimmAngus]

Bama is correct, there are several places to do reverse phone number lookups. It's been there for many years now. Only issue I see is it's now that much easier for everyone to search it out. We're getting to the point we may totally remove our home phone and go strictly cell phone.

 

[dun]

When I was a younger we didn;t have those kinds of problems. That old Sears catalog just didn't do much when it was thrown in a tree.

dun

 

[cowgirl580]

jumpin jesus on a pogo stick :shock: :shock: :shock: !!!! i just typed in our telephone # and it came up with my parents names, both of them, and i clicked on the map and it showed exactly where to go. we live out in a rurual area too. hell, the pop of the town is a whole 2500 or so. and we live 10 mile outta town. the map showed the county road and the river we sit on. hell, it evens shows the wash that runs by our house. the map isn't totally correct, but its within a mile.

 

[cowgirl580]

thanx for posting this dun. it was really weird and a little freaky to find that stuff on google.

 

[dun]

BTW, the remove option works too. I put in the form to remove us and it's gone as of today. Hadn't thought to check before this to see the actual time frame it takes.

dun