Cambridge Who's Who

[legion]

I got a letter in the mail today "inviting" me to be listed in Cambridge Who's Who. The letter describes it as a directory of "influential people". (Yeah right, why do they want me? )

Anyway, the letter gives me a website where I can "complete my registration". The website has my name in it. This concerns me, so I check it out. Yep, they ask all sorts of questions I have no intention of answering: cell phone number, household income, etc...

You have to understand that I am paranoid about my privacy. I don't have a listed phone number. I do a Google search on my name once a month and see what comes up--and none of the hits reference me. (From what I gather, there are three other people in the country with my same first/last name.) Part of it is that I don't want to be easy pickings for scammers. Part of it is that I have a few ex girlfriends whose lives have become train wrecks and I have a feeling they want to "reconnect". Part of it is a loser friend from high school who still calls and begs for money.

I'm guessing all they have is my name and address that they paid for from some service.

Has anyone heard of these guys? No way am I giving them my info, but I'm just curious if this is a real directory or just a scam.

[Pazuzu]

Who's Who is a long standing tradition of making you feel special, getting your info, putting you in a big old book, then requesting lots of cash so you can have your own copy of said book to show off.

They have dozens (maybe hundreds) of categories, just about everyone with a pulse would qualify for at least one Who's Who book.

[Zeke]

I agree that before the era of phishing that books like this were more or less legit. But as enterprises, not as a public service. The world as I knew it for 60 some odd years of my life was a reasonably safe place. Sure, some guy gets an actress's address and murders her. Then they restricted DMV info. That was what. 10 years ago?

Now, it's out of control. I think it's best to drop out of sight.

[DARISC]

I was invited to be listed in Who's Who in American Coleges and Universities after I got out of grad school. Supposedly an anonymous faculty member had submitted/recommended me - yeah, right. They were hawking the book for $65 or whatever, a LOT of money for that kind of book back then. I didn't bite, didn't think it was legit, didn't care.

[Gogar]

+1 back before the internet, it was called "Who's Who among American High School Students." You or your parents pay $50 or $100 or something and you get a big book with thousands of names, and YOURS is in it too!

To qualify to be in the book, you have to be able to pay the $100.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by legion

...but I'm just curious if this is a real directory or just a scam.

if you don't immediately and intuitively know the answer to this question, you belong in the directory.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

if you don't immediately and intuitively know the answer to this question, you belong in the directory.

LOL, and I don't do that often!

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by milt

LOL, and I don't do that often!

Shaun and I are both proud to be listed in "Who's Who Among Those Who Alienate Those Who Ask Silly Questions".

The listing is free; a public service, I guess.

[legion]

I guess because I thought an old scam might have been recycled into a new scam, that makes me an idiot.

And why'd you have to go and quote the troll Milt?

[Z-man]

Originally Posted by milt

Now, it's out of control. I think it's best to drop out of sight.

The way I see it, in a few short years, "living off the grid" is going to be very appealing to lots of folks, including me.

As for the "Who's Who" books - they should rename it as "Who's Who - folks who were duped into paying 100 bucks just to see their name in a meaningless book."

-Z

[Christien]

Originally Posted by legion

I guess because I thought an old scam might have been recycled into a new scam, that makes me an idiot.

And why'd you have to go and quote the troll Milt?

Ok, this may not be PARF, so thick skin may not be required here, but really, if you're so concerned about privacy, etc one would think you'd have come across this scam a long time ago. They've been suckering people into it since the 50s.

I thought Shaun's response was quite humourous! C'mon, lighten up a little! He's just busting your balls a bit.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by legion

I guess because I thought an old scam might have been recycled into a new scam, that makes me an idiot.

Oh, I wouldn't be that hard on myself. No one called you an idiot...you idiot! JUST KIDDING!

And why'd you have to go and quote the troll Milt?

Well, I suppose I didn't...hey wait! Milt's a troll?

..

[URY914]

We could all be listed in " The Who's Who Among PPOT Losers".

[MRM]

The organization that contacted you is not "Who's Who". That is a social register that few of us will have to worry about being listed in, and when we are, they will already have our biography and we'll be included without registering.

This is just a for-profit company piggybacking on the name "Who's Who" and making its money by selling your information and selling you a handsome bound volume with your name in it. In college I was nominated an "Outstanding Young Man in America" a few times and some other "Who's Who in ______" things, and they were all the same.

There's nothing sinister about them, they just aren't the real Who's Who and make their money off of people who are vain enough to pay to think they're somehow listed in something like Who's Who.

[legion]

Originally Posted by URY914

We could all be listed in " The Who's Who Among PPOT Losers".

I better be at the top of that list.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Scam. I knew it when they sent me something, because I know for a fact that I'm a loser.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by legion

I better be at the top of that list.

You have me to compete with for that lofty position. I not only don't know who's who, I also often don't know what's what.

Trump that, you (second place) loser!

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by legion

And why'd you have to go and quote the troll Milt?

First time I have ever been called a troll. Is a curmudgeon a troll?

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by milt

First time I have ever been called a troll. Is a curmudgeon a troll?

Ah ha, so you're a droll troll.

[Gogar]

Funny, I got a letter in the mail today. Apparently I have been selected for the

"Biltmore Who's Who directory." It's free to be listed, but no mention of how much the "directory" costs.

Sweet!