Banks are like your neighborhood aunties

I casually checked my loan eligibility online with HDFC, just to see what options I might have. But within hours, it felt like I’d triggered some kind of mass notification system. Not only did HDFC start calling me, but somehow, other banks also got my number! Now I’m bombarded with calls from banks I’ve never even interacted with, all asking, “Do you want a loan?” Like, how do you even know I was looking in the first place? Is there a secret bank network where they trade leads? At first, I thought it would stop if I ignored them, but nope. These calls are relentless, coming in at all hours from random numbers. Blocking doesn’t help because they just keep coming from new ones. Anyone else experienced this? How is my data being shared like this, and more importantly, how do I make them stop? Is there a way to opt out, or am I doomed to be on every bank’s hit list forever? Irony is that I got interrupted atleast twice by them while I am penning this post!!