Vehicle added mysteriously to Owner's smartphone app

I spend quite a bit of time at the dealership (many old friends there) and have never had that happen to me. Sure you or her didn't accidentally add the vehicle?

 

I've noticed on the (very few) occasions when I have visited my local Verizon store, my SmartPhone started to go through all sorts of shenanigans to "Welcome" me to Verizon etc. etc. blah blah blah! …so I've learned to keep the bloody thing turned off when I go there! Shades of "Minority Report" (anyone else remember that dog-crap of a movie (Tom "TheTeeth" Cruise) from 2002?

Here's a note (from wiki) Steven Spielbeg (director of "Minority Report"):

Spielberg described his ideas for the film's technology to Roger Ebert before the movie's release:

I wanted all the toys to come true someday. I want there to be a transportation system that doesn't emit toxins into the atmosphere. And the newspaper that updates itself...

The Internet is watching us now. If they want to. They can see what sites you visit. In the future, television will be watching us, and customizing itself to what it knows about us. The thrilling thing is, that will make us feel we're part of the medium. The scary thing is, we'll lose our right to privacy. An ad will appear in the air around us, talking directly to us

(…see also for early product placement (Lexus), and that was 16 years ago!!!!)

 

Forgive the potential thread-jacking... Bluetooth beacon hacking is a topic of interest to me. Anyone have good links?

Few things give me more joy than corrupting sales & marketing data sources.

 

I've had to go into various apps and turn off Notifications, and whatever other privacy invaders I can find. Minimize the non-essential data flow, both ways.

 

Beacon seems the most likely explanation, although that seems like pretty intrusive marketing. Getting a pop up notification is one thing, but actually adding a car to your "My Vehicles" seems a bit overboard. Also I wonder how they selected RAV4, if if you happened to stop and look at the window sticker of an Avalon would it add an Avalon to your vehicles? Maybe it detected that you spent a certain amount of time in the vicinity of the RAV4, like would be the case if you got inside of it and sat in it for a few minutes.

Next time you are at the dealer you could mention it to them. The person that you talk to may not know anything about it, but you could ask them if they can find out, tell them you are just curious. Who knows you might get an answer.

 

Maybe when it was serviced they inadvertently added the VIN to your name on the service record instead of the correct person?? Maybe it happened to be the same day you were there and they had the computer open to your record and the tech forgot to go to another account?? Still not sure that would automatically add it to the app. Sounds very strange. Where's Rod Serling when you need him?

 

For your consideration - a seemingly ordinary day in an ordinary town in Illinois, where a man who we will simply call "Mr. J" is making what seems to be a routine visit to his local car dealer. However unknown to Mr. J is that his every movement will be observed with keen interest by an unseen force with unimaginable control over space, time, and phone apps. For you see Mr. J is about to enter into - The Toyota Zone

 

Now that cracks me up!!