<p>This has to be so rare (I hope). I was really surprised today. My husband and I were in an emergency animal hospital with our pup and spent several hours in the waiting area. It was very nice, clean, had partitions with comfortable built-in cushioned benches with tall backs facing each other, making three ‘seating areas’. If you were sitting in one alone and someone was in another you have the illusion of privacy, but can certainly hear conversations, louder conversations clearly…it’s a public place, the large entry desk fully visible with people coming and going. I hope I’ve explained this well enough.</p>
<p>There was a gentleman in another partition, I never saw him, but it became very clear that using his cellphone on speaker he was applying for a credit program. Each and every bit of data and information he entered or gave was confirmed back to him out loud on his speakerphone, and it was very loud. I was concerned about my pup so for a while I was just aware of the noise level but after a while you start to hear things repeated back, and this goes on for about an hour. You put together it’s very personal information, not because you are being nosy, but because it’s loud and it’s not normal to hear SSN’s repeated on speakerphone. My skin was crawling. It was all I could do not to walk around the bench and let him know that although my husband and I are very honest people, he was in a public place and was broadcasting personal information that anyone could use to open credit in his name, loans, etc. Identity theft. I was surprised that someone would not take steps to protect their personal information more carefully. Obviously he was under stress, needed credit for a medical procedure for a pet, I get that, but it seemed so bizarre.</p>
<p>Is it really just me, does the general public not think along the lines that someone might be listening/watching? IMO this is a different issue then TMI on a cellphone call (although that’s really bad too), or maybe it’s just the ultimate level. Please don’t misunderstand me, I wasn’t irritated by him, I was worried for him. In the end I did nothing because I felt there was no way to say something that would be received well.</p>