how did they get my number?

I've been having some new worktops and sink fitted today. Can't afford a full new kitchen unfortunately but I would like some new flooring.

I was looking on my phone at flooring and after I had finished browsing I had a phone call on my mobile. I don't answer numbers I don't recognise but when I did a 'who calls me' I saw the number was from a flooring site I had been looking at!

How did they get my number from browsing? This is bad. Is there no privacy anymore. I don't want all and sundry calling me when I've been browsing. Is there a way to stop it?

Re: how did they get my number?

If you did it on Messenger on your Comp or and I pad.

They got you threw your browers

Re: how did they get my number?

Are they both local companies? Did you mention flooring to the worktops people?

They can't.

Re: how did they get my number?

Maybe it was coincidence, weird though.

Re: how did they get my number?

If you enter a name and ask for a phone number into a search engine I think you will find a number of sites that offer the ability to get the number or vice versa

Re: how did they get my number?

I'm no computer expert but I think the cookies they leave on your computer when you do a search enable them to do a lot of tracing. These are getting more sophisticated all the time I would imagine; like everything else. Just delete this stuff if you don't want to follow it up.

Re: how did they get my number?

Don't tell anyone you have had a sneaky Custard Cream.

Re: how did they get my number?

Actually, if you browse the internet on your phone, your phone number just like your email address on a computer, is sent to the owners of the website you are browsing. What they do with that information depends on the laws of the country where the website is based.

It is well known in the mobile phone world that Apple and Google use hidden programs that send your personal information back to them. Both companies have been caught out numerous times by security researchers who have found hidden programs that run in the background, unseen by the phone owner.

Each time both companies release a press release explaining how sorry they are and that they will change their ways. All they are doing is finding new ways to get your personal information so they can sell it to their 'associated partners'.

A flooring company ringing the phone from someone who has used their mobile phone to browse for flooring is not a coincidence. Incidents such as that have been happening for years. There are loads of tech websites who are reported on such issues, just search for them.

Re: how did they get my number?

Big Brother is watching. Big Brother, Inc. that is.

Re: how did they get my number?

You can make voice calls on messenger and it sounds just like a normal phone tone. This is why I refuse to install it now. Someone on my friends list once called me and it totally freaked me out as it was not someone I knew well enough to give my number. If it's via the regular mobile contacts /phone section then it's possibly your permissions are allowing free reign access to a social media site without you realising. Check in settings.