Friday, August 19, 2022

I Hope They Enjoyed Selling My Information

The Pony drove Farmer H to his medical procedure Thursday morning. Specifically, Farmer H drove them THERE, and The Pony drove them home after Farmer H regained consciousness. The Pony had instructions to listen to the doctor's instructions (Farmer H is a generalizer), and to keep me updated.
 
The last time The Pony took Farmer H to this medical facility, he waited in the car. I think that was his choice. They would have let him sit inside, but he said the chairs were uncomfortable. They came out to update him. This was the clinic back then, not the regular hospital as this time.

At 7:04, I got a text from the hospital, saying I was signed up to receive procedure update messages. I wondered if The Pony was also getting them.
 
7:06 "I got a message that I will get updates."
 
7:06 "Okay?"
 
7:07 "I guess Dad gave my number."
 
7:10 "Yeah. They're putting mine in now. Dad gave them yours yesterday."

7:35 "Who knows if they actually put me in, but they got my number at least. Sitting with him. People are coming in with instructions."

7:55 "They just wheeled him back. I'm in the waiting room now. It actually is really nice."

8:39 "Did you get a text that the procedure has begun?"

8:39 "No, so they probably forgot to actually change it. I saw it update on the board, though."

Heh, heh! Apparently that place has a board like an airport, with departures and arrivals!

Anyhoo... I continued to get updates. I sent them to The Pony, even though he could see them on the board. But then a funny thing happened. 

I STARTED GETTING SCAM PHONE CALLS!

I never give out my cell phone number. Only to medical facilities. And all at once I was getting scam calls from assorted numbers. Every hour or so! I had FIVE of them. Each from a different area code and number, each one labeled SCAM CALLER by my phone.

Not exactly a coincidence, methinks...

2 comments:

River said...

Definitely NOT a coincidence. Probably the facility doesn't give out your numbers though, I'd suspect instead that hackers are into their system.
Farmer H is okay? Nothing life threatening going on?

Hillbilly Mom said...

River,
I think you might be onto something about the hackers. Because every few years, we'll get a letter from assorted clinics or hospitals, saying that their system was hacked, and offering a free credit report for our inconvenience.

Farmer H is okay. He's not kickin' off just yet! He had an electronic thingy implanted in an organ not his heart, and will go back to check how it's working in two weeks. Maybe details in the future, maybe not... He's not bedbound like those Charlie Bucket grandparents in Willy Wonka! He's still out doing his regular things.