This popped into my inbox last week:

quote

Dear Mr Harrison,

Transport for London is committed to keeping your personal information safe
and secure.

To enhance security it is important that you keep your login details secret
and take reasonable precautions to keep them safe by not writing your login
details down or disclosing them to others.

In addition, you should not enter details relating to accounts you hold with
TfL onto any websites other than pages that are part of tfl.gov.uk.

For more information please visit tfl.gov.uk/privacy


Yours sincerely,

Vernon Everitt
Managing Director, Marketing and Communications

unquote

Some years ago I acquired an Oyster and tried, unsuccessfully, to register
it. Since I visit London infrequently I simply add a few pounds when I
need to but usually find Travelcards the way to go so I didn't worry that my
Oyster remains unregistered. But it looks as if something took and they
have my name somewhere.

I have to say I find an unsolicited e-mail like this a tad interesting, even
worrying. Did anyone else get it? Does anyone know if this is just a
bright idea from someone or have they had a problem somewhere and doing a
bit of CYA?

In message , at 14:18:52 on
Sun, 15 May 2011, Graham Harrison
remarked:
This popped into my inbox last week:

quote

Dear Mr Harrison,

Transport for London is committed to keeping your personal information
safe and secure.

To enhance security it is important that you keep your login details
secret and take reasonable precautions to keep them safe by not writing
your login details down or disclosing them to others.

In addition, you should not enter details relating to accounts you hold
with TfL onto any websites other than pages that are part of
tfl.gov.uk.

For more information please visit tfl.gov.uk/privacy


Yours sincerely,

Vernon Everitt
Managing Director, Marketing and Communications

unquote

Some years ago I acquired an Oyster and tried, unsuccessfully, to
register it. Since I visit London infrequently I simply add a few
pounds when I need to but usually find Travelcards the way to go so I
didn't worry that my Oyster remains unregistered. But it looks as if
something took and they have my name somewhere.

I have to say I find an unsolicited e-mail like this a tad interesting,
even worrying. Did anyone else get it? Does anyone know if this is
just a bright idea from someone or have they had a problem somewhere
and doing a bit of CYA?

I got the same email (but I'm registered).

And like you I thought it was a rather sanctimonious bit of preaching
where I wasn't quite sure why TfL had decided to become my net-nanny.

I also wondered if they had in mind some undisclosed phishing (or
similar) threat which involved stealing Oyster log-ins. But it seems low
risk, what's the worst that could happen - someone buy you a top-up you
didn't collect because you never knew it was there?
--
Roland Perry

"Graham Harrison" wrote in message
...

I have to say I find an unsolicited e-mail like this a tad interesting,
even worrying. Did anyone else get it? Does anyone know if this is
just a bright idea from someone or have they had a problem somewhere and
doing a bit of CYA?

I think it might be a warning shot about sites like this:

http://www.chromaroma.com/

That use your Oyster login...

Paul S

On Sun, 15 May 2011 14:40:04 +0100, "Paul Scott"
wrote:

"Graham Harrison" wrote in message
...

I have to say I find an unsolicited e-mail like this a tad interesting,
even worrying. Did anyone else get it? Does anyone know if this is
just a bright idea from someone or have they had a problem somewhere and
doing a bit of CYA?

I think it might be a warning shot about sites like this:

http://www.chromaroma.com/

That use your Oyster login...

It might well be but the question OP is asking is how TfL knew his
e-mail address if he has not registered his Oyster card.

(My suggestion is that maybe the unsuccessful attempt to register got
as far as adding the e-mail address to the TfL database.)

In message , at 14:40:04 on
Sun, 15 May 2011, Paul Scott remarked:
I have to say I find an unsolicited e-mail like this a tad
interesting, even worrying. Did anyone else get it? Does anyone
know if this is just a bright idea from someone or have they had a
problem somewhere and doing a bit of CYA?

I think it might be a warning shot about sites like this:

http://www.chromaroma.com/

That use your Oyster login...

That looks a lot like a Facebook app. Do Chromaroma have access to your
journey history once you've signed up?
--
Roland Perry

In message , Roland Perry
writes

Do Chromaroma have access to your journey history once you've signed
up?

Yes, and your Borisbike data if you sign up for that as well. It's
supposed to be all above board - developed in collaboration with the
GLA. They get round the data protection act by only releasing personal
data to the person concerned ... at least until such time as the hackers
break in.
--
Paul Terry

In message , at 17:31:38 on Sun, 15
May 2011, Paul Terry remarked:

Yes, and your Borisbike data if you sign up for that as well. It's
supposed to be all above board - developed in collaboration with the
GLA. They get round the data protection act by only releasing personal
data to the person concerned ... at least until such time as the
hackers break in.

That's OK if the people asking you to let them be a proxy for your data
access are honest.

The problems start (and I assume this is where Tfl's email comes in)
when similar sounding schemes are actually being run by scammers.

The trouble is, the TfL email discourages you from a relationship with
even the honest intermediaries.

How can you tell one from the other? TfL could list the approved ones,
perhaps.
--
Roland Perry

On 15/05/2011 14:34, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 14:18:52 on
Sun, 15 May 2011, Graham Harrison
remarked:
This popped into my inbox last week:

quote

Dear Mr Harrison,

Transport for London is committed to keeping your personal information
safe and secure.

To enhance security it is important that you keep your login details
secret and take reasonable precautions to keep them safe by not
writing your login details down or disclosing them to others.

In addition, you should not enter details relating to accounts you
hold with TfL onto any websites other than pages that are part of
tfl.gov.uk.

For more information please visit tfl.gov.uk/privacy


Yours sincerely,

Vernon Everitt
Managing Director, Marketing and Communications

unquote

Some years ago I acquired an Oyster and tried, unsuccessfully, to
register it. Since I visit London infrequently I simply add a few
pounds when I need to but usually find Travelcards the way to go so I
didn't worry that my Oyster remains unregistered. But it looks as if
something took and they have my name somewhere.

I have to say I find an unsolicited e-mail like this a tad
interesting, even worrying. Did anyone else get it? Does anyone know
if this is just a bright idea from someone or have they had a problem
somewhere and doing a bit of CYA?

I got the same email (but I'm registered).

And like you I thought it was a rather sanctimonious bit of preaching
where I wasn't quite sure why TfL had decided to become my net-nanny.

Me too. I wondered if it was a bizarre new Nigerian scam, but couldn't
work out how.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

On May 15, 2:40*pm, "Paul Scott"
wrote:
"Graham Harrison" wrote in message

...

I have to say I find an unsolicited e-mail like this a tad interesting,
even worrying. * Did anyone else get it? * Does anyone know if this is
just a bright idea from someone or have they had a problem somewhere and
doing a bit of CYA?

I think it might be a warning shot about sites like this:

http://www.chromaroma.com/

That use your Oyster login...

Paul S

My girlfriend received one such email (a few weeks after I did,
curiously). She asked why she might have got it, I suggested it might
have been warning against Chromaroma - which she hadn't heard about,
liked the sound of and immediately went to register for...

On Mon, 16 May 2011 10:43:32 -0700 (PDT), martin
wrote:

On May 15, 2:40*pm, "Paul Scott"
wrote:
"Graham Harrison" wrote in message

...

I have to say I find an unsolicited e-mail like this a tad interesting,
even worrying. * Did anyone else get it? * Does anyone know if this is
just a bright idea from someone or have they had a problem somewhere and
doing a bit of CYA?

I think it might be a warning shot about sites like this:

http://www.chromaroma.com/

That use your Oyster login...

Paul S

My girlfriend received one such email (a few weeks after I did,
curiously). She asked why she might have got it, I suggested it might
have been warning against Chromaroma - which she hadn't heard about,
liked the sound of and immediately went to register for...

Had your girlfriend registered her Oyster card with TfL and provided
an e-mail address? Remember the original question was how did TfL
manage to send an e-mail to OP when his card was not registered.