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So, we all know that our online data is being used by companies to target advertisements with pinpoint precision. However, advertising is not the only use for data collected from your internet usage.

For instance, did you know that ordering pizza can affect your ability to obtain a mortgage? If a college grad is living with his or her parents while saving for a mortgage, while claiming apartment rent, data collected from online pizza delivery can determine where you live and tie that data with who actually owns the home. If someone is trying to refinance a home, but pizza is ordered to a home in another state, it becomes apparent that the home is not a primary residence.

Where you shop can also be used to identify those with disposable income. Targeted mailing, internet advertisements, etc can be directed based on the type of store credit cards you hold. A person with a Nordstrom’s card is perceived to have more income than someone with a TJMaxx credit card.

A recent blog post by a scientist with AVG suggests his facebook information was used by his bank to confirm his identity. He suggests the age of his daughter in law was used in a security question.

All of this seems a bit creepy. However, if you can get past being creeped out, there could be some fun ways to trick corporations into thinking you are more wealthy than you actually are. More on that later.