A cash register was able to text my Note 2 without my permission, immediately after a sale. How???

Misterb

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May 26, 2011
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I went to a cafe for the first time today. I used my visa debit card. They had a Square payment system connected to an iPad they they ran my card through. They didn't ask for any personal information. Just ran my card. Within seconds, my Note 2 beeped with a new text message. I look down, and it is from Square, thanking me for my purchase (then named the cafe), and told me I could register online to then be able to pay by just giving them my name, and then it gave me a link to click on.

I don't like this. It felt like an intrusion of my privacy. How did they gain access to do this, and how do I keep other vendors from doing the same thing?
 

jweimn

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Sep 2, 2011
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Welcome to a technology world. Its probably from the fact that square got the info from your bank. No matter how much you try companies seem to know more about you than you do it seems sometimes.

I wouldn't worry too much about it though.
 

anon(394005)

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Jul 5, 2011
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Is your cell phone number tied to your Visa card (as in part of your billing information)? That may be how the merchant got your number to send you the receipt. Otherwise, looking at Square's website (see links below), if you want a receipt for the transaction (usually a text, can also be e-mailed), you are either asked for your telephone number verbally (and they enter it for you) or you can enter it yourself on the iPad during the transaction.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...2F5070-send-and-print-receipts&token=jlEQ0zdU

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...ures-and-Receipts-for-Payments&token=bLMceRq1
 

TabGuy

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Jul 3, 2011
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This is odd behavior for a retailer. Sending a text message is a poor choice as there's no way to insure that the message was received. It could be a land line, which can't receive text messages. It could be a corporate phone which often have text messages disabled. (Most smart corporations disable text messages as there's no conversation trail that can be used in court for harassment cases.) On top of that it could cost the recipient money for the text, something that could lose a customer.

No matter how they got you phone number it was just a bad design decision to send a text. I'd confront the retailer and ask them to turn it off.
 

Bobman

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Jan 26, 2011
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The way the Square Register works is after swiping your card, it will ask if you want a receipt sent to an email address or texted to a number. You must have paid with square somewhere else and put your phone number in. This would then be remembered by Square and show up other places you use the same card.

Don't blow this out of proportion. They aren't getting the info from your bank. You wouldn't have to have a Square account, just have paid with Square previously and put your phone number in.

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