Jambo Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 As an inveterate cynic I should already believe that my question is rhetorical but nevertheless I live in hope. I am going to tell you a story. On Friday I collected a regular prescription for the pain I am experiencing in my left knee. Included with it was a note from my doctor suggesting I cut down on the dosage given the fact that I had three weeks ago received a cortisone injection. I needed to respond as he had obviously not received my telephone message advising him that unfortunately it had made no difference and was it worth trying again as I had read sometimes it takes two or three attempts before they work. How to get the message to him as the Practice website contains no email address? A phone call to the Practice receptionist who is in a good mood on Friday and has switched off her usual "Receptionist from hell" mode. She advises me that the only way to get a message to my doctor is to log into their website and click on the "E Consult" link then complete and submit. I thank her and do as suggested. The "E Consult" form is very long but I am required to complete every box before it allows me to move to the next. I enter not only personal information but detailed information about my medical condition and past and current medication etc etc. All unnecessary as what is relevant about me is already entered into the Practice computer(s). The only really useful section was the one which asked "Is their a particular Doctor at the Practice you wish to see this form?" That is where I enter my one paragraph I would have sent by email. Anyway, I send the "E Consult" form off to the Practice just like sending an email without knowing the email address of the recipient. I have been assured that the information I have sent is secure/confidential. About one hour later I receive an acknowledgement from the Practice advising me that I will be contacted by my doctor either by phone or message by 6:30pm on Monday. I get on well with my doctor and that did happen. A few minutes later I receive another email ( some 13 minutes after the acknowledgement from the Practice) from a firm of Medical Lawyers asking me "Are you a victim of medical malpractice? Have you been let down by your Doctor? If so, Contact us @#@#@# and we will take action on your behalf" I have paraphrased somewhat but that was the gist of the email. Am I to believe that an hour or so after I send off a detailed form entitled "E Consult" to my Doctor's Practice it is a pure coincidence that for the first time ever I receive an unsolicited email from a firm of medical lawyers dealing with medical malpractice? At the very least they somehow obtained my email address. At the worst, all the information I completed in the form is no longer confidential. To tell the truth, I am not really that upset about it but I just do not believe this is simply a coincidence. Somebody is making money somewhere. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommy dee Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 i can categorically tell you that NOTHING on the internet is safe or secure. NOTHING. why would it be, the big guys will ask.. as you dont pay to use it. you pay, not one setang. instead sites, like the one you used WILL supply customer details, only name and email, to willing buyers. in fact you will have ticked a box to let them do that, you may not remember, but I promise you, at some time.. you did. maybe when you accepted the terms and conditions without reading them 🙂 FB and Google and gmail are the worst of all at trolling content of messages to sell you to potential sellers. next time you message your daughter, mention that you need a new washing machine,, see what happens 🙂 its why many of use only use encrypted messaging. because, simply put, you get nothign for free IN this world. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john luke Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 I have often noticed that if I look at something on Amazon and then go onto my Facebook page, more times than not there is an advertisement for the item I have been looking at on Amazon. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazle Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 3 hours ago, tommy dee said: i can categorically tell you that NOTHING on the internet is safe or secure. NOTHING. I suspect that virus protection software is also harvesting our information. That's a bit scary when you consider you give it access to everything on your computer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galenkia Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 2 hours ago, john luke said: I have often noticed that if I look at something on Amazon and then go onto my Facebook page, more times than not there is an advertisement for the item I have been looking at on Amazon. There's a good documentary on Netflix about how advertiser's target potential customers. They gather information on everything you look at on the internet. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freee!! Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 51 minutes ago, galenkia said: There's a good documentary on Netflix about how advertiser's target potential customers. They gather information on everything you look at on the internet. Unfortunately they still haven't discovered it is no use to bombard customers with advertisements for things they just bought. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemondropkid Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 (edited) 6 hours ago, Jambo said: As an inveterate cynic I should already believe that my question is rhetorical but nevertheless I live in hope. I am going to tell you a story. On Friday I collected a regular prescription for the pain I am experiencing in my left knee. Included with it was a note from my doctor suggesting I cut down on the dosage given the fact that I had three weeks ago received a cortisone injection. I needed to respond as he had obviously not received my telephone message advising him that unfortunately it had made no difference and was it worth trying again as I had read sometimes it takes two or three attempts before they work. How to get the message to him as the Practice website contains no email address? A phone call to the Practice receptionist who is in a good mood on Friday and has switched off her usual "Receptionist from hell" mode. She advises me that the only way to get a message to my doctor is to log into their website and click on the "E Consult" link then complete and submit. I thank her and do as suggested. The "E Consult" form is very long but I am required to complete every box before it allows me to move to the next. I enter not only personal information but detailed information about my medical condition and past and current medication etc etc. All unnecessary as what is relevant about me is already entered into the Practice computer(s). The only really useful section was the one which asked "Is their a particular Doctor at the Practice you wish to see this form?" That is where I enter my one paragraph I would have sent by email. Anyway, I send the "E Consult" form off to the Practice just like sending an email without knowing the email address of the recipient. I have been assured that the information I have sent is secure/confidential. About one hour later I receive an acknowledgement from the Practice advising me that I will be contacted by my doctor either by phone or message by 6:30pm on Monday. I get on well with my doctor and that did happen. A few minutes later I receive another email ( some 13 minutes after the acknowledgement from the Practice) from a firm of Medical Lawyers asking me "Are you a victim of medical malpractice? Have you been let down by your Doctor? If so, Contact us @#@#@# and we will take action on your behalf" I have paraphrased somewhat but that was the gist of the email. Am I to believe that an hour or so after I send off a detailed form entitled "E Consult" to my Doctor's Practice it is a pure coincidence that for the first time ever I receive an unsolicited email from a firm of medical lawyers dealing with medical malpractice? At the very least they somehow obtained my email address. At the worst, all the information I completed in the form is no longer confidential. To tell the truth, I am not really that upset about it but I just do not believe this is simply a coincidence. Somebody is making money somewhere. My suspcion would be that your details had long since been sold off before you filled out that E Consult form. As you were contacted by scammers moments after you filled it out it's it's natural to make the connection, but doubt the 2 were connected. Any system is only as good as it's weakest link, which with IT systems off-shored is alway some human being payed peanuts, sat working with valuable data Edited September 14, 2022 by Lemondropkid 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freee!! Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 41 minutes ago, Lemondropkid said: Any system is only as good as it's weakest link, which with IT systems off-shored is always some human monkey being payed peanuts, sat working with valuable data FTFY, pay peanuts, get monkeys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forcebwithu Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 Perhaps if you were using a VPN that had your email address as part of the registration process they could have detected you accessing the E Consult site, then immediately sold that contact info off to the lawyer who had a bot ready to send you the spam email. But the VPN connection would not be able glean any medical data as your inputs would have been encrypted. eConsult delivers full compliance and state-of-the-art security 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommy dee Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 just took a look at their conditions.. wow.. you auto give them approval to send you marketing and advertising based on the details you share theu them. ffs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom51red Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 15 hours ago, john luke said: I have often noticed that if I look at something on Amazon and then go onto my Facebook page, more times than not there is an advertisement for the item I have been looking at on Amazon. Get this all the time aswell,close this add,why am i seeing this add,no help at all really,where is code slayer when ye need him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forcebwithu Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 17 hours ago, john luke said: I have often noticed that if I look at something on Amazon and then go onto my Facebook page, more times than not there is an advertisement for the item I have been looking at on Amazon. They use cookies to track your website clicks. Amazon probably has a marketing deal with FB and others to share that info, thus the reason you see ads for for the same and similar items on FB. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambo Posted September 15, 2022 Author Share Posted September 15, 2022 18 hours ago, Lemondropkid said: My suspcion would be that your details had long since been sold off before you filled out that E Consult form. Yes, after due consideration I am sure you are correct. On the other hand what a very strange association. Does everyone who fills in an E Consult form sent to their own particular medical Practice trigger off an email from a firm of "Sue Grabbit and Run" legal ambulance chasers? 😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemondropkid Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 5 hours ago, Jambo said: Yes, after due consideration I am sure you are correct. On the other hand what a very strange association. Does everyone who fills in an E Consult form sent to their own particular medical Practice trigger off an email from a firm of "Sue Grabbit and Run" legal ambulance chasers? 😄 It would make a great YouTube video for the people who track scammers to set up a scenerio like yours, but with dash a medical negligence thrown in, and the accompanying whiff of a large pay out, Just watch the various villains come out and then confront the whiter, than white owners of EConsut. Mind you it does sound tricky, better off doing a walking vlog of LK Metro, Pothole😴 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painter Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 6 hours ago, Jambo said: Does everyone who fills in an E Consult form sent to their own particular medical Practice trigger off an email from a firm of "Sue Grabbit and Run" legal ambulance chasers? 😄 I'd prefer an email from them than an undertaker...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fygjam Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 (edited) 12 hours ago, Jambo said: Probably barking up the wrong tree. Deleted. Edited September 16, 2022 by fygjam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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