CPP /Garlik Datapatrol Experiment

buchos

Hi,
This time last year I joined my partners ID/CCard protection scheme through M+S. Its a family scheme that covers all our cards and forms if ID around £24pa.

My CPP policy which includes Garlic Data Patrol had just renewed at £79.99pa against my MBNA card, when I checked only £15 of this is the actual policy and the rest is for the 'other' services, so I thought I'd try something out.

CPP/Garlik states this on their sales blurb: "Online DataPatrol, provided by Internet security specialists Garlik, keeps a constant eye on your personal and financial information online. We'll show you the unsecure websites and public databases we find holding information about you and tell you how at risk you are"

As I had already paid for the CPP policy and my cards were now covered elsewhere, I changed all my details in the CPP/Garlik website to bogus ones, thats card numbers, addresses, national insurance no, emails addresses, dob etc. Then I published the details arbitrarily on several sites in plain text with headers like 'buy credit cards details here'. After a few weeks, typing some of the details into Google would bring the sites up first in its search results, but during the year on CPP/Garlik....nothing was found!

I'm not trying to say their service is crap, perhaps its very clever indeed, judge for yourself. I just thought I'd share this with you.

I've cancelled the CPP scheme now, not totally because of the above, but because I didn't think it represented very good value for money and also because their own data protection statement on the renewal form states they will 'share your information with others for products and service you may be interested in' which is a bit ironic considering what they are selling you.

jonesMUFCforever

Have you had permission from the mods to post your business e-mail address?

JohalaReewi

I was part of the Garlik trial a few years back. It was rubbish then.

buchos

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

Have you had permission from the mods to post your business e-mail address?

You've confused me now, what business email address?

I don't sell data protection, I fix washing machines!

jonesMUFCforever

buchos wrote: »

You've confused me now, what business email address?

I don't sell data protection, I fix washing machines!

The post I was referring to has been removed by the mods - so the thread makes no sense - sorry it was not meant at you at all.

Venusflytrap

Thanks for this Buchos. I too was a CPP customer for almost 2 years and Garlik would send me emails saying that some of my data had been found on websites who might be illegally trading them. Whenever I followed Garlik's advice to contact CPP for further details it was always the same response: "Only your post code was found so nothing needs be done". I therefore began to wonder why I was being sent these 'urgent emails' in the first place.

I concluded that, provided I was sensible and careful enough with my personal info, I really didn't need this "privilege". So I cut 'em loose and all's ok for now.

buchos

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

The post I was referring to has been removed by the mods - so the thread makes no sense - sorry it was not meant at you at all.

Must have missed that post, fair enough