How does someone find employer?!
How does someone find employer?!
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Discussion

mw88

Original Poster:

1,457 posts

134 months

Wednesday 18th November 2020
quotequote all
Bit of an odd one today - A previous customer of a former employer called my current employers Help Desk asking for me/my details.

I've been with current employer for over 18 months, and it's been at least 3 years since I had contact with this person in the previous job.

What I'm struggling to work out is, how they found my current employers details. I don't use LinkedIn (Until today, haven't logged in for 5 years), and there's no job info on any Social Media (Not that I use it much). None of my former colleagues know the name of the company, and my previous employer wouldn't have told them.

There's probably something simple I'm missing, but how would someone find out where I work? Is it possible for a random Charted Accountant to get this info from HMRC?

sherman

14,853 posts

238 months

Wednesday 18th November 2020
quotequote all
Are you still in the same industry?
If so its amazing how networks of people come together. They may have found where you work from working with someone else you know. Maybe even one of your non workmates.

mw88

Original Poster:

1,457 posts

134 months

Wednesday 18th November 2020
quotequote all
sherman said:
Are you still in the same industry?
If so its amazing how networks of people come together. They may have found where you work from working with someone else you know. Maybe even one of your non workmates.
Completely different industry, and current employer is fairly large and has a few offices dotted around the country so 95% of the company probably don't even know who I am laugh

Pretty certain any non-work mates would have mentioned something if a random person approached them on the interwebs.

I know Facebook/LinkedIn algorithms can be scarily accurate with a bit of data, but I don't have any current colleagues on Facebook or LinkedIn (I'm an anti-social person!)

anonymous-user

77 months

Wednesday 18th November 2020
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You're being stalked....

Countdown

47,128 posts

219 months

Wednesday 18th November 2020
quotequote all
mw88 said:
Bit of an odd one today - A previous customer of a former employer called my current employers Help Desk asking for me/my details.

I've been with current employer for over 18 months, and it's been at least 3 years since I had contact with this person in the previous job.

What I'm struggling to work out is, how they found my current employers details. I don't use LinkedIn (Until today, haven't logged in for 5 years), and there's no job info on any Social Media (Not that I use it much). None of my former colleagues know the name of the company, and my previous employer wouldn't have told them.

There's probably something simple I'm missing, but how would someone find out where I work? Is it possible for a random Charted Accountant to get this info from HMRC?
Appreciate this is completely different but there are companies who will "find" people who owe you money using various databases. It may be that this person has access to some of those databases.

Could you not just ask him?

Jader1973

4,816 posts

223 months

Wednesday 18th November 2020
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Was it Liam Neeson?

Macneil

1,056 posts

103 months

Wednesday 18th November 2020
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So when you left that job, where you met the customer, no-one at all knew where you were going next? And have you never told anyone in this job where you used to work?

sociopath

3,433 posts

89 months

Wednesday 18th November 2020
quotequote all
"can I speak to mr X please?"

"I'm sorry he's gone to work at zzz.ltd"

"Oh thanks very much, goodbye"

john2443

6,496 posts

234 months

Wednesday 18th November 2020
quotequote all
What comes up if you Google your name and maybe also job title / industry? Does your current employer's website say Mr mw88 has joined us from OldCompany plc or something like that?

Wacky Racer

40,572 posts

270 months

Wednesday 18th November 2020
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Jader1973 said:
Was it Liam Neeson?
I WILL find you, and when I do I will kill you.......

The Brummie

9,424 posts

210 months

Wednesday 18th November 2020
quotequote all
probably don't even know who I am

As in Ronnie Pickering???

mcflurry

9,184 posts

276 months

Thursday 19th November 2020
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Do you have an unusual name?
It's probably easier to find an Avery Mephistopheles than a John Smith..

Cyberprog

2,291 posts

206 months

Friday 20th November 2020
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sociopath said:
"can I speak to mr X please?"

"I'm sorry he's gone to work at zzz.ltd"

"Oh thanks very much, goodbye"
Unlikely, they'd want to retain the customer if it's the same industry! They might, if pushed disclose where you went, but it's unlikely.

Thisonepotato

843 posts

174 months

Thursday 26th November 2020
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Cyberprog said:
Unlikely, they'd want to retain the customer if it's the same industry! They might, if pushed disclose where you went, but it's unlikely.
Easy to test. Call up the old work place and ask for yourself. See what they say.

anonymous-user

77 months

Thursday 26th November 2020
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Jader1973 said:
Was it Liam Neeson?
Underrated Tweet.

Jimmy No Hands

5,064 posts

179 months

Friday 27th November 2020
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This happened to a friend of mine some years back.



RIP John. Gone but not forgotten.

anonymous-user

77 months

Saturday 28th November 2020
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So this previous customer has found you, what did he want?

Marcellus

7,193 posts

242 months

Sunday 29th November 2020
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Perhaps it’s as simple as your replacement told them when he went and met them?

Badda

3,581 posts

105 months

Sunday 29th November 2020
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Fascinating.

Countdown

47,128 posts

219 months

Sunday 29th November 2020
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gottans said:
So this previous customer has found you, what did he want?
A refund?