If you\u2019ve ever wondered how scammers know so much about you \u2013 your name, relatives, addresses, and even old phone numbers \u2013 it\u2019s because of data brokers. And most of that information is public.<\/p>\n
If you want to fight back, you need to get your data deleted. It is a time consuming process so you can pay a service or treat it as a \u201cfun\u201d weekend project that you can slowly chip away at.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s my guide to removing your personal information from data brokers.<\/p>\n
\u26a0\ufe0f I\u2019ve removed myself from all of these sites (not the super big one at the end though) and you\u2019re welcome to search for me. It\u2019s a painstaking process that I don\u2019t recommend you try to do all in one weekend, unless you like this sort of thing. I\u2019ll be honest, I kind of like this sort of thing. The challenge is that the data somehow always comes back because some other services reports it and so you have to periodically check \u2013 so if you do see my name, please let me know!<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\ude00 What is a data broker? <\/strong>These are companies that collect, analyze, and sell your personal information to marketers, background checkers, and sometimes scammers.<\/p>\n There are several types of data brokers and we\u2019ve broken them up into groups based on priority. We prioritized sites that let you search up people for data or background checks (like criminal records).<\/p>\n Next, we focused on consumer marketing sites that collect information about your purchasing behavior for sake of marketing.<\/p>\n Finally, we have financial and credit sites.<\/p>\n We do not list every site that collects and sells your data. There are simply too many. But we list the high priority ones that have the most data and that appear most often in search engines.<\/p>\n And yes, this will feel like whack-a-mole. Your data will come back, which is why some people prefer to pay a service to do this.<\/p>\n In the lists below, I\u2019ve linked to the opt-out page to start the process. In some cases, they will need you to find your record on their site and get the URL for your profile. To find yourself, search for your name plus your city, state combo. If you recently moved, search for your previous city, state combo too.<\/p>\n But not all of them require this, or the opt out form will include a search, so go to the opt out first and see what that site\u2019s pricess is.<\/p>\n \u23f0 Sadly, many times in this searching process there is a fake \u201cwaiting\u201d screen as they pretend to look you up. Open multiple tabs at once to save time.<\/p>\n Then, you fill out that form, enter your email, and they will take you through an email confirmation process. Once you\u2019ve confirmed your request, they\u2019ll send you an email indicating they\u2019re removing it.<\/p>\n I \u201csnooze\u201d this email in Gmail to check back in a week. Many sites promise to remove it in a few business days, I check a week later to confirm it\u2019s actually been completed.<\/p>\n Unless you are well known on the internet, these are the sites that usually come up when you search for your name and the city you live in. Their whole business model is selling your information to people who are nosey and in many cases, includes your home address and phone number.<\/p>\n In fact, do a quick search now and remove yourself from any sites that appear on the first page, then do the list below. If you find yourself on a site, copy the URL and go down to the footer and look for a link that says something to the effect of \u201cRemove my information\u201d or \u201cDo not sell my personal information\u201d \u2013 that\u2019ll be the opt out page.<\/p>\nTable of Contents<\/summary>\n
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The Approach<\/h2>\n
The Process<\/h3>\n
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\ud83d\udd25 People-Search & Background-Check Sites<\/h2>\n
Day 1<\/h3>\n
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