I almost forgot to post this. Last week I got a call from an FM Radio Station. Apparently, I had won a music CD in some contest that they had conducted. It took me a minute to remember that I had indeed sent an SMS. The lady who called me then asked me for my residential address.

Now, I don't officially belong to the Paranoid Community but I sometimes come pretty close to becoming part of one. This was one of those moments. So I asked the lady if there was any way I could confirm that she was really calling from the place she claimed to call from. I could sense that she was slightly taken aback. Perhaps, none of the people she had dealt with so far had ever asked her that. But she immediately recovered and suggested I call the number I was seeing on my mobile screen.

Now it was my turn to kick myself for not thinking of this. I hung up and dialed the number. Happily, I was greeted by the signature tune of the channel and this was followed by a recorded message of their various programs. Of course, some of you might say that this cannot be a complete proof because this also can be set up. I agree.

Anyways, soon afterwards, I was connected to the lady who had called me in the first place. I gave her the address and received the CD in due course of time.

But this whole episode threw up an important question: Do people who receive calls take pains to verify their source before parting with an important piece of information like their residential address?