Genes Reunited

[Springbok]

Thanks for your comment  Bob re your parent's middle names . An aspect which had never crossed my mind.

Off to my Bank site now to change their entries.

Embarrassing as I'm usually so careful regarding security! 

Spring

[millymcb]

It surprises me that banks still use mother's maiden name, and school you attended and those kinds of information to verify people....

Mind you - one of my accounts asked for my "memorable name" the other day..... I tried all sorts and couldn't remember what it was    

Milly

[Tricia_2]

I always feel that other people's family trees are interesting, useful & informative, but if I haven't checked the info for myself, I don't think I should add it to my tree.

If it's my own research, then fine.

Obviously I wouldn't add a living person, without their consent, but I am also wary of adding the deceased parents or siblings of living people too ~ unless those people are OK with it and I have checked the info myself.

Too often I see my research, or that of my relatives, being added to other relatives' trees, without them double-checking anything.

Sometimes they take it from people who haven't checked the details, themselves, and I have to point out that those names are not even part of our family.

Often they just don't realise that this can offend ~ they just get carried away with 'their research', but people get angry & upset and errors occur, which might be passed on to others.

[Martin Briscoe]

It surprises me that banks still use mother's maiden name, and school you attended and those kinds of information to verify people....

Mind you - one of my accounts asked for my "memorable name" the other day..... I tried all sorts and couldn't remember what it was    

Milly

You don't have to give them the true answer, all that matters is that the name you have given them originally for verification purposes is the same as the one that you give over the phone or online.  You could tell them you went to St Trinian's!

The nasty thing is there have been examples given where people have had some of the information and by the banks helping them with the answer because they said they had forgotten what they put down.

Martin Briscoe

[Springbok]

Much of my interest is information from contacts where I have in the 1700/early 1800 of family ancestors who have lived for generations in one village.
I may have, say, a marriage in one decade, between a male "John Bull" with a "Mary Doe"
To find a link on someone else's Tree between an earlier "Steven Doe" and an" Anne Bull"  .Somewhere there is most probably a relationship. If I can find that, it is much more satisfying than entering the present day descendants.

Those earlier names I would add to GR and never any  of someone else's later information.
Spring

[lesleyhannah]

I removed my tree from GR last year because of this problem. I found my name, and my husband's name appearing on several trees. When I contacted the people concerned (some didn't reply) it seemed that someone I had given access to (she was related to me, distantly) had copied hundreds of names and had then given free access to her tree.

What really upset me was when I found my husband's tree had been put on a public website - and included relatives who certainly hadn't given permission for their details to be used. Some of that information had been given to me in confidence by one of his relatives. As my husband's family had nothing to do with the woman I'd allowed to view my tree it hadn't occurred to me that she would have copied those details, much less pass them on. And once those names were on her tree then GR makes the fact public and anyone interested in that family could contact her and get the entire tree.

It's too late to do anything about it now, but I did remove my large tree from GR and just keep a skeleton online. When people contact me I give them full information on the branch of the tree they are connected to, and no more. It's time consuming but the only way.

I hadn't realised the danger in making your mother's maiden name public. Something else to worry about in the small hours  . . .

[Siamese Girl]

I removed my tree from GR last year because of this problem. I found my name, and my husband's name appearing on several trees. When I contacted the people concerned (some didn't reply) it seemed that someone I had given access to (she was related to me, distantly) had copied hundreds of names and had then given free access to her tree.

What really upset me was when I found my husband's tree had been put on a public website - and included relatives who certainly hadn't given permission for their details to be used. Some of that information had been given to me in confidence by one of his relatives. As my husband's family had nothing to do with the woman I'd allowed to view my tree it hadn't occurred to me that she would have copied those details, much less pass them on. And once those names were on her tree then GR makes the fact public and anyone interested in that family could contact her and get the entire tree.

It's too late to do anything about it now, but I did remove my large tree from GR and just keep a skeleton online. When people contact me I give them full information on the branch of the tree they are connected to, and no more. It's time consuming but the only way.

I hadn't realised the danger in making your mother's maiden name public. Something else to worry about in the small hours  . . .

Which are some of the reasons why I wouldn't post my tree on the internet - anywhere. Personally I don't think there should be open access to BMDs either - especially births in, say, the last 75 years.

Carole

[lesleyhannah]

To be honest Carole, one of the reasons I put my tree on GR in the first place was I thought it would be safe if I lost all my computer/backup sticks etc (as in a fire?). I also gave my son access to the tree, so he could add bits from his inlaws from his computer.

I was a bit naive about it - and the ironic thing is, the woman who caused all the trouble didn't give me any new info at all!

[Bob2399]

One of the things that I try to keep in mind is that we can take all of the precautions in the world and still be one behind someone who's one desire is to do mischief.  Sadly the day that we get ahead of these people, will probably be the day that everything stops