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cagardenerwestelle

Strange Event

CA Kate z9
18 years ago

I had the strangest thing happen yesterday -- and I find it more than a little scary.

In the 1980s I had one of my recipes printed/used in a national magazine. Yesterday I got a call from a man who had tracked me down to find out if this soup could be frozen. He said he is a widower and needs to freeze part of most recipes --- Ohhhh Kay........

Since 1989 we have moved 4 times and my husband has worked for 3 different companies in two different States. How did this man get the information to find me after all these years? to ask me IF a recipe can be frozen! ?

I feel like I've been cyber-stalked.

Comments (8)

  • youreit
    18 years ago

    That is freaky, Westelle! Did you ask him how he found you and from where he was calling?

    Hopefully, he's just obsessive-compulsive, and possibly lonely since his wife died, with nothing to do but track down cooks from the 80s. But yes, no matter the reason, it's still freaky.

    Brenda

  • CA Kate z9
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    He called me from Pennsylvania on my cel phone, the number of which he got off our answering machine on our home phone, which he tracked down because we're the only one's with our last name in the Clovis/Fresno phone book, and he knew we lived in this area because he tracked DH's job record to his present employer; before that he didn't say how he tracked us to Connecticut, and then on to LA's two residences, (which are actually three if you count the Apt. DH lived in at first). (And! How the @#% did he know my husband's first name?!)

    He apparently did this all in one day, because he made the soup and then wanted to know if he could freeze the other half.

  • jenn
    18 years ago

    Yikes! He may be an honest, harmless guy but it is freaky that someone, a total stranger, could track you down like that. Maybe he's a private investigator???!!! He must have REALLY wanted to know if he could freeze the soup.

    Jen

  • CA Kate z9
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    More scary: A neighbor gave me a website address where you can type in anyone's name, get a list of what's available, and then order a dossier on that person for $7.95. I typed in my name. Up came my name AND my husband's, AND our ages. AND, the site put enough cookies on my Mac to track my every move. I'm still debating about spending the 7.95 just to see what they do give anyone willing to pay.

  • youreit
    18 years ago

    Ok, after your 2nd post, Westelle, I'd say the guy wasn't your average O.-C. personality. That would give me the willies, no doubt about it.

    On a side note, I'm glad I override the normal cookies settings and use the "Per Site Privacy Actions" option. It's a hassle when visiting new sites (all of the pop-up "Allow/Block" boxes), but my computer hasn't had the problems it used to since I changed it.

    Brenda

  • CA Kate z9
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Cookies don't bother me too much since I go in and delete the ones I don't want about once a week. I haven't tried "on an allowed basis only" set up for years.

  • Mikey
    18 years ago

    Maybe he used Zaba (http://www.zabasearch.com/), a free search engine which gathers data on folks or he could be a paid subscriber and have used LexisNexis or another data collection company which would likely have tons of info on you.

  • CA Kate z9
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Oh Great! "1984" has truely arrived.

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