Is USAA selling my information, including my car VINs and personal email address?

[GON]

A few weeks ago, I received a correspondence from an area Acura dealership about service on my Acura, to include the Acura's vin.

I frequently move, and never updated this Acura's registration address to reflect Washington State. Nor have I had this Acura at any dealership for any services since I purchased the car in California almost five years ago (self-maintained). I did not have a good experience at the dealership in Washington that sent me the email.

I began to wonder "how this dealership found me"? If I had found them, I would have done google reviews of the dealership. But since they found me, and sent such a warm and nice e-mail, I let my guard down. So, a review of everything points to only one probable source of the personal information the dealership had to market me. USAA. They know where the car resides, they know the VIN, and they know my personal email address. I speculate my assumption is accurate, and if so, to think an insurance company is selling a VIN tied to my personal email address, is not a good overall feeling.

My speculation may be wrong. I know insurance companies share information with a industry database hosted by Lexus/Nexis or a like peer, and a data farmer could have taken the Lexis-Nexis information, and then crossed it to other databases to find my e-mail, and then sell my information. But that seems less likely, although possible, than USAA packaging information on its policies and selling that information for supplemental income on the polices they write.

 

[PF52]

Hmmmm, an email? I get correspondence from dealers from time to time, dealers I've never done business with, but thus far it's always regular mail. I have USAA also so I will keep my eyes open.

I always get a lot of those "We're seeing huge demand for cars JUST LIKE YOURS and are ready to make you an offer" letters but those have been around forever I think.

 

[JohnnyG]

That info is out there any number of ways. Dealerships, warranty registration, finance companies, CarFax, and as you say insurance companies. There could be many others.

 

[mrsilv04]

The Illinois Secretary of State's office releases vehicle owner data (to outside non-governmental agencies), even though they firmly deny it.

 

[GON]

I think the center of gravity of the e-mail received, was not only did it have my full name, but also had the VIN of the Acura. Super targeted correspondence, it was not a generic "blast".

The vehicle is not registered in WA, so the secretary of state could not have sold this information to this dealership, as the car is registered in another state at another address over 1k miles from WA. The only thing that ties this vehicle to my address in Washington and my personal e-mail address is the automobile insurance.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Could be USAA, or it could simply be someone like meta selling your online profile. They have a "file" on you. It has the VIN in it from whenever. You innocently update your email at the bank, and your address at some other place, like a loyalty club or whatever. They all populate back to your "file".

There even getting to the point where they can figure out its you online by your behavior - even if you use a VPN.

Then big data companies slice and dice and sell that data back to marketing companies. Perhaps the dealer want names and addresses of all Acura owners in Washington State. You show up.

Assume anything that is ever put online will show up in said file.

My goal its to populate my file with so much crap my file becomes worthless

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

A few weeks ago, I received a correspondence from an areas Acura dealership about service on my Acura, to include the Acura's vin.

I frequently move, and never updated this Acura's registration address to reflect Washington State. Nor have I had this Acura at any dealership for any services since I purchased the car in California almost five years ago (self-maintained). I did not have a good experience at the dealership in Washington that sent me the email.

I began to wonder "how this dealership found me"? If I had found them, I would have done google reviews of the dealership. But since they found me, and sent such a warm and nice e-mail, I let my guard down. So, a review of everything points to only one possible source of the personal information the dealership had to market me. USAA. They know where the car resides, they know the VIN, and they know my personal email address. I speculate my assumption is accurate, and if so, to think a insurance company is selling a VIN tied to my personal email address, is not a good overall feeling.

My speculation may be wrong. I know insurance companies share information with a industry database hosted by Lexus/Nexis or a like peer, and a data farmer could have taken the Lexis-Nexis information, and then crossed it to other databases to find my e-mail, and then sell my information. But that seems less likely, although possible, than USAA packaging information on its policies and selling that information for supplemental income on the polices they write.

I can perform a VIN search via LexisNexis and find you in about 30 secs. It's just as likely that ACURA did something similar.

Ever wonder how people get all those "Extended Warranty" solicitations with a VIN?

 

[brianl703]

Did you file a change of address when you moved from that other state?

 

[racer12306]

The answer is likely yes, but a more accurate answer is it's impossible to tell.

Review their privacy policy to know what they say they will do, but there's so many avenues for your specific information to be out in the world.

 

[RamFan]

The Illinois Secretary of State's office releases vehicle owner data, even though they firmly deny it.

Got a source on that?

I think the center of gravity of the e-mail received, was not only did it have my full name, but also had the VIN of the Acura. Super targeted correspondence, it was not a generic "blast".

The vehicle is not registered in WA, so the secretary of state could not have sold this information to this dealership, as the car is registered in another state at another address over 1k miles from WA. The only thing that ties this vehicle to my address in Washington and my personal e-mail address is the automobile insurance.

I have USAA as well, and the only correspondence I receive regarding both our vehicles are from the dealerships they were purchased at. I'd be surprised if USAA did sell this data because they are so transparent about almost everything, but at the same time, we all know that data is all too valuable and the powers that be have decided we don't have the right to privacy on this data so I wouldn't be surprised if they did sell some of it. Do you take any toll roads in WA and use a transponder?

 

[GON]

I can perform a VIN search via LexisNexis and find you in about 30 secs. It's just as likely that ACURA did something similar.

Ever wonder how people get all those "Extended Warranty" solicitations with a VIN?

A MWR search on this Acura would report this Acura in another state, over a thousand miles away. Until I brought the car to the Washington Acura dealership 48 hours ago, the only tie of this Acura to Washington state that I can think of is the auto insurance coverage.

 

[GON]

Got a source on that?

I have USAA as well, and the only correspondence I receive regarding both our vehicles are from the dealerships they were purchased at. I'd be surprised if USAA did sell this data because they are so transparent about almost everything, but at the same time, we all know that data is all too valuable and the powers that be have decided we don't have the right to privacy on this data so I wouldn't be surprised if they did sell some of it. Do you take any toll roads in WA and use a transponder?

No toll roads in WA that the vehicle is been on, zero transponders.

 

[Vercingetorix]

It’s satellites.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Got a source on that?

No specific information on Illinois, but does Illinois charge property tax on vehicles? The south Carolina DMV does not sell personal information, but there are county taxes on the vehicle. Those taxes are a matter of public record, and get scraped up and entered into the "file" by 3rd parties.

 

[DuckRyder]

a industry database hosted by Lexus/Nexis or a like peer

Accurint - you would be shocked what just one piece of information about you would pull. ADD123 to lesser extent and ISO.

I wouldn't automatically suspect USAA, in fact based on recent experience I would suspect USPS and your bank / mortgage company...

I used to seed information so that I would know where it came from but it is futile at this point.

Funny Mrs DuckRyder recently started getting correspondence addressed to Mrs "Her first name DuckRyder JR" you'd think they could filter that out ... LOL

 

[Wrenchturner44]

GON, there are many communities that now have license plate cameras. I am not positive about this, but I would guess most of these communities hire private companies to install and manage these infrastructurers. If you plate was captured more than once in an area of record then that data could end up in a local resident data base that is in turn sold to commercial market inquirers.

 

[brianl703]

No toll roads in WA that the vehicle is been on, zero transponders.

There are companies that have cars equipped with cameras that scan license plates. They are looking for vehicles that are up for repossession, but it makes you wonder what they do with the data from the other license plates that they scan. They could package that data and sell it to dealerships or others looking for potential customers who just moved to a new area or something like that.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

A MWR search on this Acura would report this Acura in another state, over a thousand miles away. Until I brought the car to the Washington Acura dealership 48 hours ago, the only tie of this Acura to Washington state that I can think of is the auto insurance coverage.

Well what may happen is that USAA or another creditor (ex, utilities, cellular, banks, etc.) report a change of address to credit bureaus and then it's just a matter of Acura pulling that change of address.

 

[Barkleymut]

ALL of your information is "out there" no one is immune. Unless you dropped off the radar back in the 80s and hide all of your $$ under a mattress.

I don't like it, but I accept it.

 

[GON]

Well what may happen is that USAA or another creditor (ex, Utilities, banks, etc) reports a change of address to credit bureaus and then it's just a matter of Acura pulling that change of address.

That all seems very feasible-except when it came to my personal email. That is the part I can't connect. The correspondence did not come in the US mail, it came exclusively through my personal email.