I often wonder where companies get our mobile phone numbers from. Every other day, I get SMS messages encouraging me to buy tickets for this, that or the other. I get texts from insurance firms, shops, supermarkets and countless other entities.

The thing is, I never gave them my number. How did they get it? Who is giving them my data? I am convinced that I am not the only person to receive them – a quick straw poll among my friends and relatives confirmed that. So I wonder: Do the authorities check these things up? It is clearly a violation of privacy.

■ John Debono

Gżira