Way back when, Radio Shack (remember them?) had a battery club where they gave you a free battery. All you had to do was fill out a card with your name and address. There was no requirement to purchase anything.

One time I I hurriedly filled out the card and misspelled my last name. I got many offers from various companies for goods and services with the incorrect last name.

So, this information collecting and sale of said information has been going on for a long time.