Company getting hold of my mobile

[A55]

Four years ago I parked at a retail park and about two months later got a notice demanding £60, because I apparently walked off site, which I didn't. I wrote them a letter telling them to do one. Over the course of a period, I would say a year I got various letters with the fine going up to £180, then they stopped. I recently started getting letters from a collection agency now demanding £260. Nine days ago my mobile rang, I couldn't answer it, then I got a text from the collection agency, since then I have received a text every week day demanding i contact them.

Now the question, how did they get my mobile phone number?

[r3g]

Unless you specifically opted out when you started the contract, from the mobile phone book.

[Huntsman]

r3g said:

Unless you specifically opted out when you started the contract, from the mobile phone book.

Is there such a thing?

[randlemarcus]

Two not completely unrelated things happen. One, you put your phone number in website contact details for something that seems worth it, or someone else syncs your name and number for their own convenience to somewhere like Facebook. Two, you know people keep banging on about data harvesting?

Throw enough data together, and you suddenly have a commercially valuable resource that's very useful to people like the debt collection agencies, who will pay a quid to find out that your mobile phone number exists, and they can use it to collect.

[r3g]

Huntsman said:

r3g said:

Unless you specifically opted out when you started the contract, from the mobile phone book.

Is there such a thing?

Yes.

[Ham_and_Jam]

A55 said:

Four years ago I parked at a retail park and about two months later got a notice demanding £60, because I apparently walked off site, which I didn't. I wrote them a letter telling them to do one. Over the course of a period, I would say a year I got various letters with the fine going up to £180, then they stopped. I recently started getting letters from a collection agency now demanding £260. Nine days ago my mobile rang, I couldn't answer it, then I got a text from the collection agency, since then I have received a text every week day demanding i contact them.

Now the question, how did they get my mobile phone number?

Just get a female relative to answer the call and say they’ve never heard of you, and to take the number off their database.

[gus607]

Just block the nuisance call.