In 2022, it is essential for companies of all sizes to prioritize online security. With the frequency of data breaches and cyber-attacks continuing to rise, failing to implement effective online security protocols can lead to a variety of costly issues. This includes extended downtime, reputational damage, fees for not meeting regulatory requirements, and much more.

The good news is that there are a variety of ways that business owners can go about fortifying their online security. In this article, we’ll explore six proven tips that you can leverage to keep your company’s sensitive data and systems secure so that you can focus on generating conversions and growing your brand.

1) Back Up Your Data

When a data breach occurs, a company’s data can sometimes be lost forever. Depending on how important the data in question is to your company’s operations, this loss of data can sometimes bring devastating consequences. The first cybersecurity step that you should take, therefore, is ensuring that you create backups for all of your vital data. Never store too much important data on a single device, and ensure that you back up all of your data via cloud storage.

2) Utilize Multi-Factor Authentification

Creating strong passwords is one of the most important keys to online security. However, even the best passwords can sometimes be cracked. Thankfully, multi-factor authentication enables you to dramatically improve password security. One example of multi-factor authentication is requiring that you respond to a message that is sent to your phone or email address in addition to correctly entering your password. Another example is requiring that you correctly answer a security question. These extra steps may reduce the convenience of logging into the various accounts you and your employees rely on. However, they also make unauthorized access exponentially more difficult.

3) Train and Screen Your Employees

According to data from Equifax, 60% of data breaches are caused by insider threats. In other words, the majority of data breaches are caused by someone with legitimate access to company assets. This figure highlights the importance of both carefully screening your employees and carefully training them in proper online security protocols.

Keep in mind that an inside cybersecurity threat encompasses both intentional and unintentional damage. An employee might not set out to harm your company, but a simple mistake such as opening the wrong file or clicking the wrong link can sometimes have serious consequences. At this juncture, it is imperative to consider that a well-trained workforce is a prerequisite for optimal business performance. For those seeking to enhance the safety and efficiency of their team, https://www.commodious.co.uk/manual-handling could be a suitable avenue to explore. It provides accessible, comprehensive manual handling courses, thereby promoting a safer work environment.

A little effort spent training your employees in safe online practices, therefore, may be the biggest key to preventing security incidents. If you work with remote employees, utilizing an app such as Calendly is a great way to both get to know who you are working with and provide them with clear online security instructions.

4) Install Antivirus Software

Any device that stores sensitive data and is connected to the internet needs to be secured with antivirus software. Data breaches can come from a variety of sources. One common source, though, is malware and spyware that is downloaded onto an internet-connected device.

Thankfully, good antivirus software is quite effective at detecting and eliminating such malicious code. While it may be tempting to utilize one of the many free antivirus programs available, this probably isn’t the best choice; online security isn’t something you should skimp on. Although some free antivirus programs are decent enough, many others aren’t. Taking the time to research available software and being willing to pay a little extra for the best will likely pay dividends in the long run.

5) Protect Your Network With a Firewall

Anyone who has access to your network may be able to access the data stored on the devices connected to it. Breaching Wi-Fi networks, therefore, is one common way that hackers gain access to a company’s data. Antivirus software only secures individual devices and does nothing to secure the network(s) they connect to. For this, you will need to purchase and install a network firewall, learn about top 3 advantages of using payroll software for your business.

A firewall filters incoming and outgoing network traffic in order to identify and prevent unauthorized access. Installing a firewall often isn’t cheap as it requires purchasing hardware that can cost anywhere from $700 to $10,000+. Considering that your business network provides access to every device you and your employees use, though, hiring managed IT services in Charlotte to secure it is well worth the cost.

6) Don’t Mix Business and Pleasure

As a general rule, any device that stores company data shouldn’t be used for personal purposes. Mixing your business and personal life in this manner is bound to open your data up to unnecessary risks. Sharing business devices with friends and family, for example, means that people who might not know about safe online practices could unintentionally give hackers access to the device.

Using a business device for personal means also means that you’ll be creating a lot of extra accounts on the device yourself – another practice that increases cybersecurity risk. While almost every business owner uses their personal device for business during the early stages of their company, it’s a practice that is best abandoned as your brand grows.

Conclusion

There was a time when only large corporations really had to worry about data breaches. Today, though, cybercriminals have widened their nets to target companies of all sizes. As you go about growing your brand, ensuring that you are protecting its sensitive data with effective online security protocols is essential. By following the tips outlined in this article, you’ll be able to ensure that your brand doesn’t become one of the many victims of cybercrime.

The post How You Can Protect Your Online Security When Growing Your Brand appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

Sites our Protect Private Info tool removes from: 

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Opting yourself out of Yellowpages.com is one of many important steps you can take to better safeguard your private information online.

Before we get into how to do that, let’s take a closer look at what purpose the website serves.

You’re probably familiar with the printed yellow pages that have been arriving on door steps for years. Yellowpages.com is the digital version.

The site is an easy way to look up information on both businesses and people.

• Business Listings – search any type of small business including restaurants, dentists, auto repair shops, veterinarians, and more. Businesses can list a profile that includes operation info, hours, contact info, photos, and even customer reviews.
• People Search – allows you to look up people by name, address, or phone number.

YellowPages is owned and operated by Thryv, a company that provides technology solutions to small businesses. No surprise there, especially considering the site’s emphasis on small businesses. If you’re a small business, then you likely want your business information to populate on the site, however, the average person probably prefers their personal information (addresses, phone number, email, age, etc.) to stay off the web.

For the purpose of this guide, we’ll focus on the people search functionality.

How did Yellow Pages get my information?

The YellowPages people search engine is actually powered by another data broker company, Intelius. This practice is pretty commonplace amongst data brokers.

Much of the same types of information can be found on different data broker and people search sites because they are all pulling from similar sources, including government and public records, social media sites, third party databases, and even other brokers.

What type of information do they have?

You can look up information on someone a few different ways: by name, by address, or through reverse phone number lookup.

A basic search on yellowpages.com produces a person’s full name, mailing address, and phone number. You can then click through to be brought to a more detailed report. This report includes a person’s age, additional known phone numbers, location history, work history, education, and known relatives. All of this information is available for free. 

From here, you can purchase a more advanced report that includes: 

• Full contact info (phone, email)
• Additional Aliases 
• Social Networks
• Neighbors / additional relatives
• Property records
• Criminal records 
• Bankruptcies
• Liens
• Judgements / lawsuits 
• Marriage / divorce records 

Having this type of information on the web puts you at a greater risk for identity theft, scammers, telemarketers, robo callers, and more.

Is this legal?

Because the information is a matter of public record, it is legal for sites like yellowpages.com to post your personal details. The law has simply not completely caught up with the prolific nature of the Internet. The good news, is that these sites will remove your information at upon request (more on that below)

Additionally, legislation has been slowly rolling out that serves to further protect consumer privacy on the web. Three particularly significant pieces of legislation include Europe’s GDPR, Vermont’s Protection of Private Info law, and the newest California Privacy Protection Act. Protection under GDPR only extends to EU citizens and it is a relatively complex law, but at its core, it requires companies that operate in the EU to not only completely erase any information they have on someone at their request, but it also allows individuals to request a copy of the information that the company had on them. 

Vermont’s law was significant in the US because it required any company participating in the buying and selling of consumer information to register with the state of Vermont. This provided the first visibility into data brokers and just how large the industry is. 

The newest registration, California’s law provides its residents the right to have their information removed from a company’s databases as well as request what information was originally collected and how. Although it only extends to California’s residents, it’s forced many people search sites to implement further private info removal processes.

Opt your information out of Yellowpages.com manually

Since Yellow pages is powered by Intelius, it’s best to opt yourself out of Intelius directly. This not only removes your information from Intelius, but from any other data broker site that it powers with its search engine (yellowpages.com for one).

It takes some time, but here is how to manually remove your information.

1. Navigate to  Intelius’ Opt-Out page.
2. Search for your name within their database
3. Select the record that contains your information 
4. Put your email in to submit the opt out request
5. Check your email for the verification email – this part is important, as your opt out request will not be processed unless you click the link in the confirmation email
6. It will take a few days for the opt out request to be processed and for the information to be removed

Keep in mind:

1. Check back to confirm the information has been removed – You won’t receive a confirmation that the information has been removed, so you will need to check yellowpages.com in a few days to make sure the info has been taken down.
2. It’s common for information to be reposted – since these sites gather their information by scraping other sources, it’s common for information to be reposted in some capacity even once it was removed. That’s why it’s important to continuously monitor Yellowpages, and other data brokers, to ensure that your information hasn’t been reposted. If it has, then you will need to go through the opt out process again.
3. Your name and info is on other sites similar to YellowPages – You will need to go through the opt out process with other data brokers as well. Each site has its own process. If you’re looking to do this on your own, Google your name to get a sense of which data brokers have your info.

Remove your info quickly with BrandYourself

The process of removing your info from sites like YellowPages can be time-consuming, especially when you consider just how many sites are out there that have your information. Each one usually has its own opt-process that requires different steps for each.

That’s why we developed our Protect Private Info tool — it finds and removes your exposed personal information on 50 of the most common data broker websites. Since it’s common for these sites to repost information, the tool also includes ongoing monitoring and removal to ensure your privacy is always protected.

Here’s how to get started: 

1. Get your free privacy scan

If you don’t already have a BrandYourself account, create one for free here. You’ll notice that we offer a few different features that speak to different aspects of managing your online presence, including tools to clean up social media, improve personal Google results, and protect online privacy. Navigate to the “Protect Private Info” tab

Put in your name and age to kick off your free privacy scan- we’ll also ask you to verify your location.

2. Upgrade to begin removing your information automatically

Once the scan is complete, we’ll show you what type of information we found and on which websites. For us to remove the information, simply upgrade to our premium Protect Private Info feature.

3. Breathe easy – we’ll take things from here!

There’s nothing else for you to do. We’ll send you regular email updates on our progress and you can check in any time on the status of your removals within your BrandYourself account. We’re constantly scanning the sites on your behalf and if we identify it has been reposted, we’ll remove it. 

Continue to be diligent about your online privacy

As we’ve mentioned, Yellow pages is just one of many sites that are posting your information online. Being aware of and opting out of sites that are publicly sharing your personally identifiable information (name, address, age, phone, email, relatives, etc.) is one critical step to safeguarding your privacy on the web.

Two other steps you should take:

• Stay up to date on company data breaches and exposure on the Dark Web – it seems every few weeks, you hear about a company who experienced a data breach resulting in the personal information of its customers/users being leaked to the Dark Web. These types of breaches elevates your risk of people using your info maliciously. While you can’t remove something once it’s on the dark web, there are steps you can take to mitigate some of the risks. We developed a Dark Web Scan that will notify you if your information has been involved in over 350 (and counting) known data breaches.
• Delete old accounts you no longer use – Over the years, you’ve probably signed up for dozens of accounts, newsletters, mailing lists, etc. You’re likely not even using many of the sites anymore (or remember signing up for them in the first place). It’s best practice to close out any accounts you don’t use to minimize the number of places with your information.  We released a free tool that helps you to identify old accounts you’ve created and helps you to clean them up – just access it in your BrandYourself account.

The post Yellow Pages: Opt Out & Personal Info Removal (2022 Guide) appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

Completing the FastPeopleSearch.com opt out and removal procedure is something we highly encourage you to do.

As one of the most popular people search websites around, FastPeopleSearch shares a boatload of personal information on a daily basis.

Here’s an example of what things they share on the site:

• Names
• Current and past addresses
• Email addresses
• Family information
• Phone numbers (of you and your family)

Some may find the information that is shared on the site problematic, as well as the way they share it is too. FastPeopleSearch.com gives away most of this information for free.

The Manual Fast People Search Opt Out (Step-by-Step)

If you would rather handle the FastPeopleSearch opt out steps on your own you should know a few things first:

• It’s going to take longer
• If you want to manually remove yourself from all the other sites that have your info as well, your twenty minute task just turned into a few hours
• Keeping tabs on the status of your removal request will require you to look yourself up a lot, and you’ll need to be organized about what sites you check and when

If that’s no biggie, here’s the manual FastPeopleSearch opt out process:

Step 1: Go to this page to initiate the opt out process.

Click the terms of service, solve the reCAPTCHA and click “Begin Removal Process”

Step 2: Conduct a search using your name, city and state.

There are often many listings that look very similar. Take some time to distinguish between each of them.

Step 3: Click on your record.

If multiple records exist for your name, click on the record that most closely matches your info – e.g. middle initial, previous city.

Step 4: Click on “Remove My Record”

You can find this button at the top of the page in red.

Step 5: Check your email for an email verification from Fast People Search

The Automatic FastPeopleSearch Opt Out Process (Faster)

The easiest and fastest way to opt out from FastPeopleSearch is by using our privacy protection tool.

It will remove your info from their site with the click of a button, and it’ll do the same for 50+ other sites as well.

Here are the major benefits of this method:

• You’ll save a ton of time by not having to go through the manual opt out process for all these sites (it will take hours to do them all yourself)
• You don’t need to worry about navigating any tricky removal steps yourself
• Monitoring the status of your opt out requests can be done right from the dashboard, instead of having to look yourself up every week or two

If this method sounds like your cup of tea, here’s all you’ll have to do:

Step 1: Go to your BrandYourself account

We’ve made the choice to add this new feature to all existing BrandYourself accounts. This means if you want to automatically complete the FastPeopleSearch opt out process you’ll need to log in to your account.

If you don’t have an account yet you can make one here.

Step 2: Navigate to the brand new “private info” section in your dashboard

We’ve created a new section within the product to serve as the home of our automatic removal tool. You can locate it by looking on the left hand side of your screen.

Click it to move on to step 3 (this is where things get exciting).

Step 3: Begin the automatic FastPeopleSearch opt out process

Once you’re here all you need to do is click the blue button to start the process. Our software will take the lead!

Keep in mind that a FastPeopleSearch opt out request will take a few weeks for them to honor. This is simply due to the fact that they receive a lot each day, so there is a delay even though the request has been sent. This is completely normal and it doesn’t mean they are ignoring your request.

If you want to check on the status you can always visit the dashboard to see where things stand.

Here’s What To Do Next

If you’ve done the automatic FastPeopleSearch opt out and removal process, you’re all set.

However if you went with the manual way the work isn’t over. There are likely dozens of other sites that are sharing your information in the same way FastPeopleSearch did.

You’ll need to opt out of those as well.

To find these sites we suggest conducting a Google search for your name to find the most important ones first. The main offenders like Whitepages will likely show up in your search results if they have your info.

Make a list of all the sites you can find and start removing yourself from them one by one. It might be tedious, but it’s the best way to keep your info safe.

Remember, they have to honor your request. Chip away at it your list whenever you have time, and you’ll be well on your way to being more secure and protected online.

Is Fast People Search Illegal?

Due to the nature of sites like FastPeopleSearch many wonder if it’s legal to operate this way.

The reality is, all data broker sites like this are operating well within the law. This might seem unfair and quite frustrating, but let’s explore why.

Sites like FastPeopleSearch.com aren’t breaking into your office drawer and adding your info to their database. They are finding everything they share on public records.

Whether you realize it or not, there are public records available on all of us. If you go down to your local records office you can request to see them on pretty much anyone.

This has been the way things operated for years and years (way before the internet). The big difference was that back in the day the amount of information you could conveniently access was limited.

Not only that, but private info wasn’t as valuable as it is now. Now it’s a billion dollar industry. Back then it wasn’t an industry at all.

So as far as the law is concerned, FastPeopleSearch can access these public records and share them on their site. It’s information that was technically available to the public before they got their hands on it.

This means you have to go through the FastPeopleSearch opt out steps if you want to stop them from sharing your information.

However, some states are beginning to recognize the need for additional regulation around how a company is leveraging a consumer’s personal data. And that brings us to CCPA:

FastPeopleSearch & the California Consumer Privacy Act

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) went into effect January of this year and is one of the first state laws to directly address data brokers. While it only serves California residents, companies operating with the state that meet the law’s requirements are mandated to adhere to it.

So what does it do? The law basically gives California residents greater visibility into how their information is being used by data brokers and how that information has been obtained. It also further empowers residents to request to have the information removed databases and prevent it from being sold in the future.

How It Spreads From FastPeopleSearch To Other Websites

The real issue about this whole situation is how quickly your data can spread from one site to another.

It would be frustrating but manageable if FastPeopleSearch got hold of your information, and that was the end of it. That way you could complete the removal steps and move on.

But it’s not that simple.

You see, there are dozens of massively popular sites just like FastPeopleSearch who all share the data of individuals just like you. The amount of information that can be found on their site is their highest priority.

So what do they do when a competing site has info they don’t? They scrape their competitor and add the new information to their site as well.

This means if FastPeopleSearch has your info, it’s going to be on dozens of other sites in a matter of weeks. That’s why it is so important that you’re actively monitoring these sites to get a sense of who has your information so you can take the necessary steps to opt out.

The post FastPeopleSearch.com Opt Out & Removal: Your Best Options [2022 Update] appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

If you want to learn how to make it through the Instant Checkmate opt out process with no issues, you’ve come to the right place.

This is one of the most requested sites we hear about, and there are a couple reasons for this.

The first is that anyone can use the site to find sensitive information about you relatively easily.

As a matter of fact, here’s the list of everything that can be found about you on Instant Checkmate:

• Phone numbers
• Emails
• Addresses
• Contact information
• Previous arrests
• Criminal convictions
• Traffic citations

Instant Checkmate is more aggressive with their marketing than pretty much all other people search sites.

While most of their competitors grow or die organically, Instant Checkmate invests money to make sure their audience never goes away.

This means that completing the Instant Checkmate opt out process is essential if you value your privacy.

Before we cover the opt out steps you need to take, there’s a common question that we want to address. Understanding this will help you better protect your information in the long run.

Did Instant Checkmate Break The Law By Collecting My Info?

We hear this question all the time from people who are worried about their personal information being shared all over the internet.

The reason for this is because it naturally feels a little bit unethical for this kind of info to be aggregated and viewed by other people. 

Despite this, it’s completely legal for them to do what they’ve been doing.

You see, everything that you can find on Instant Checkmate can be found via public records in one form or another.

These records exist and can be legally accessed by anyone. This is the way things have been since before the internet became the force it is today.

What makes it different now is sites like Instant Checkmate can parse through these records and aggregate them on their site. This is just an extension of publicly accessible information that is already out there.

Legislation has yet to catch up to the data brokers, however, some states are beginning to pass laws to regulate consumer privacy in relation to data brokers like Instant Checkmate:

Instant Checkmate & the California Consumer Privacy Act

The CCPA went into effect at the beginning of this year. It provides enhanced privacy rights to California residents in regards to how companies use their data. It gives residents the ability to request greater visibility into how the information was obtained, what the information is being used for, and also the ability to request to have it removed from data broker databases.

Instant Checkmate has a dedicated section of their privacy policy that speaks to this law and provides additional detail about what info they collect. Even if you’re not a California resident, we recommend checking it out.

How Your Information Gets Accessed And Passed Around

So we hinted at this a little bit in the previous section, but let’s dig into it some more.

Understanding how this whole process works will make it easier for you to protect sensitive information about yourself, even after you’ve gone through the Instant Checkmate opt out procedure.

Instant Checkmate is no different than any other people search site when it comes to how it collects your info.

Honestly, they’re all pretty much the same site with different names.

We’ve already established that public records are one of the main sources Instant Checkmate uses for finding info to share.

You can walk into your local records office and find the same data. Now that everything is shared online, this can all be found there as well.

This is the starting point for sites like Instant Checkmate. They use software to scrape and collect all of this information and add it to their site.

They’re doing this 24/7 and unless regulations change (not likely) they’ll continue to do so.

But there’s another way they collect your information, and you need to be aware of it.

Instant Checkmate and similar sites not only scrape public records, but they scrape each other as well.

What does this mean?

It’s easier to establish a massive database of personal information when you don’t have to start from scratch all the time. If another site has pieces of information Instant Checkmate couldn’t scrape, they’ll use them as a source.

But why is this so important?

It’s important because if Instant Checkmate has your info we can guarantee that it will be found on other sites as well.

They’re essentially sharing your data with each other.

If you want to opt out of Instant Checkmate and keep your info private, this is a massive issue.

You can go through the entire Instant Checkmate opt out process successfully, and still have to worry about dozens of other sites.

To make things even more enjoyable, there isn’t an easy way to manually check what these sites are. You basically have to guess and search through a bunch of different aggregators.

Then once you find a site that has sensitive information about you, you need to go through their opt out process as well.

This is why we launched a new feature within our software that will do the searching for you.

If you’re on any popular people search sites like Instant Checkmate, our software will find out and automatically remove you from them as well. Visit this page if you want to give it a shot.

Why Do They Do This?

The easy answer is money, but let’s explore this a little more.

Instant Checkmate needs to collect a significant amount of information in order to do business. A people search website without any people in the database doesn’t work very well.

The more information they have on the site the better chance they have of convincing potential searchers to purchase a membership. Instant Checkmate pushes these far more aggressively than a lot of other sites, so if they don’t have enough data their growth will slow.

They split up certain types of information in order to incentivize a premium membership.

Here’s what they provide with a standard report:

• Personal information
• Related persons
• Contact details
• Location history
• Criminal and arrest records
• Traffic violations
• Vehicle information
• Social media profiles
• FAA pilot licenses
• DEA controlled substance licenses
• Horoscope information

And here’s what’s included in the premium report:

• Civil Judgements
• Corporate affiliations
• UCC filings
• Property ownership
• Tax liens
• Hunting and fishing permits
• Weapons permits
• Foreclosures
• Neighbors
• Business associates

As you can tell, there’s a ton of information in the premium report that many people would pay for. This is why Instant Checkmate breaks these up into two groups.

Since they’ve been around for a while we’re guessing that strategy is working quite well for them.

The Upside

Despite the reality that you’ve got to deal with opting out of Instant Checkmate whether you like it or not, there’s an upside.

If you go through the Instant Checkmate opt out steps they legally have to honor it.

This isn’t a rule that only applies to Instant Checkmate. It’s actually the case for all people finder sites out there.

Unfortunately this information isn’t widespread, and it can change your entire outlook on how to approach this situation.

Instead of trying removal methods that don’t work you can rest easy knowing things will be fine. Go through the steps properly, monitor the necessary channels, and you’ll be able to remove yourself from the site.

Using Our Software To Opt Out Of Instant Checkmate

If you want the most convenient and speedy option for opting out of Instant Checkmate, our privacy software feature is the way to go. Get started here.

Not only will it scan the web and find out what people finder sites have your information, it will also opt you out from them automatically.

These are the main benefits:

• You can avoid the manual opt out process which is fairly time consuming
• You don’t need to worry about going through the process correctly (it’s tricker than you think)
• It will take care of your exposure on other sites as well

Here’s how to opt out from Instant Checkmate with our tool.

Step 1: Log in to your BrandYourself account

This new tool that automatically opts you out of Instant Checkmate has been added to our current software. To use it hop in to your BrandYourself account.

If you still need to create one you can do it here.

Step 2: Visit the new private info area

The feature is in a brand new section labeled “protect private info” and it can be found on the left hand navigation bar on your screen.

Head over to that section to get started.

Step 3: Put the tool to work

This step is where everything happens, but it’s also super easy to complete.

Just click the blue button that says “remove my private info” and sit back. The software will take care of everything.

The Instant Checkmate opt out process will take a few weeks for the sites to comply with. It’s not immediate. This is par for the course for all people search sites.

The Manual Way

Before you begin the Instant Checkmate opt out procedure manually, you need to be aware of a few important points.

• This will take you a bit longer, so prepare for that
• Removing yourself from all the other sites that have your info as well will take a similar amount of time
• If you want to monitor the progress of your opt out requests you’ll need to keep track manually

If you’re up for it, here’s what to do:

Step 1: Visit Instant Checkmate’s opt out page here.

This is the easiest way to access your listing.

Step 2: Search your name and location to find the right entry for you.

Their search feature is pretty straightforward so it shouldn’t be difficult to access your listing.

Step 3: Find your listing and click the “Remove This Record” button.

Once you find your listing click the massive green button that says “remove your record” to the right of it.

Step 4: Enter your email address and click the “send confirmation email” button.

Drop in your email address and request your confirmation email.

Step 5: You’ll receive an email that lets you finalize the opt out request.

If you don’t see anything in your inbox you should check your spam folder. Once you’ve found your email click the confirmation link and your information will be removed as soon as possible.

They say this will happen within 48 hours but we’ve heard from people who said it took closer to a couple weeks.

The Work Isn’t Done

Even though you’ve gone through the Instant Checkmate opt out process, there’s still work to be done if you want to protect your personal information.

As we’ve mentioned a few times, if your info is on Instant Checkmate it’s on other sites too.

If you want to do things manually you’ll need to start sleuthing around to find out where it is. We recommend that you start by Googling yourself and making a spreadsheet of instances you find, then knocking them off all at once.

The post How To Opt Out From Instant Checkmate (2022 Update) appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

We hear from tons of people who have questions on how to safely and quickly secure a Spokeo opt out.

When it comes to the information available about individuals online, everyone has different comfort levels with what’s out there. Despite this, the uncertainty tends to outweigh the positives in these situations. This is why knowing how to opt out of Spokeo is so important.

Although Spokeo publishes aggregate data that is publicly available about people online, they know that many will find it uncomfortable. Because of that, the site allows individuals to request data removal (aka an opt out) from the site.

The Spokeo opt out process

If you prefer to manually remove information from Spokeo, then follow the steps outlined below. 

Follow the steps below to go through the Spokeo opt out process without any issues:

1. Go to Spokeo.com. 

2. Enter your full name into the search bar and click “Search Now.”

3. Sit tight while the system gathers results for your name.

4. Browse the list of search results. Once you identify the record with your name, click “See results.”

5. Copy the listing URL to your clipboard. 

6. Click here to go directly to the Spokeo opt out page.

7. Check your email. Click the link in the body of the confirmation email.

8. This completes the Spokeo opt out process. It can take 2-3 days for the information to be removed from the website.

What to do next:

After going through the Spokeo opt out process, you still have more work to do.

Remove your info from other data brokers 

While it’s great that this listing will no longer appear on Spokeo, most of it is still publicly available elsewhere, probably not all in the same place. There are hundreds of other popular sites just like this that exist right now. This means that they likely have some piece of information on you as well, and it’s up to you to take action.

To make things easy, our privacy protection software highlights the most popular companies that are similar to Spokeo. Not only that, but it shows you the specific opt out process for each of the sites so you can quickly protect yourself without having to dig through each site (some of them can be a huge pain to figure out).

You can also use it to scan your results and help you easily start searching your name (on Google or another search engine) for more private details you don’t want to be found. Once you’ve gathered a list of potential culprits, follow their respective rules for removal.

Keep an eye on Spokeo to ensure your info doesn’t repopulate 

Why? Your information could still appear on Spokeo in the future. While Spokeo will not simply re-post what you’ve removed, they periodically pull information, so if there is new information associated with your name, there is a good chance that this will appear on their site down the road.

The reason for this is that their software is great at finding data, but not at differentiating between different people. This means that if it discovers a new detail about you that wasn’t on your old account before you went through the Spokeo opt out steps, it could very well add it to their database thinking it’s a completely new person.

It can be extremely frustrating when you went through the removal process only to find another listing a couple months down the line, but it’s unfortunately quite common. This is why we strongly recommend that you add in a more sustainable strategy to go along with the Spokeo opt out process.

Take full control of your online presence

While going through the Spokeo opt out steps (and ones on comparable databases) is a great way to keep private information – well – private, it’s not guaranteed to last forever (or at all – depending on the site removal policies).

Luckily, there is an alternative solution to play defense and keep people from seeing it when they search your name online. This method takes into account the behavior that most people exhibit when looking up someone else online, and uses it to your advantage.

While sites like Spokeo are very popular, most of the people who visit them actually come from search engines (primarily Google). This means that instead of only spending time repeatedly opting out of these sites, you can start one step further in the chain of action to have a more lasting affect.

By preventing other people from easily finding sites like Spokeo when they search your name online, you can keep them from discovering the details you want to keep private even when a new listing appears on the site.

So how is this done?

The technique that we’re referring to is called “suppression” and it’s extremely effective in situations like this. The reason for that is 99% of the people that use a search engine never make it to the second page. If you can bump sites like Spokeo into that area then you’re going to drastically reduce the number of eyes on your listing.

With so many other similar companies in existence, it would become very time-consuming to monitor and opt out of each and every one of them indefinitely (that really sounds like a nightmare). If you control your search results this gives you the luxury of not being stuck on this hamster wheel.

So, what is Spokeo anyway?

Spokeo is an online database that aggregates information about people from multiple sources elsewhere on the web so users can easily find this sort of data in one place. It’s not the first site to do this actually. There are hundreds of them out there that all pull from very similar sources of data.

You have some that are general people searching sites like Whitepages, and you have others that specialize in certain types of information like OkCaller. These are just a couple of the more popular ones, there are dozens of new sites just like Spokeo being created each day!

How does it get your information?

This is one of the areas about Spokeo that many people don’t understand. Because of this, they become nervous and sometimes assume that the site is getting access to their information in ways that are not ethical or legal.

Before we continue, let’s address this misconception directly. Spokeo isn’t breaking the law by finding or sharing your information. You might not like that they do this (you’re definitely not alone), but they are within their legal right to do so.

The same goes for any other similar websites as well, and as long as they are allowed to do this they will continue to do so. This is why going through the Spokeo opt out process is absolutely crucial if you want to prevent others from accessing any sensitive details.

So how does Spokeo get your info?

The site uses various forms of web scraping software to find and aggregate all of the information you find on the site. They pull from public records, other people search websites, anywhere they can find more information about you to add to their database.

Some are surprised by this, but there is plenty of information about you that can legally be found by accessing public records. This is typically the starting point for a site like Spokeo and then they will try other sources to help build up their site with more and more info about you.

No personal information on Spokeo is original research, so if you find it on the site that means it is also somewhere else. This means it’s important to secure a Spokeo opt out, but you need to be aware of other sites as well as your general privacy protection online.

However, there is an upside. Even though they are legally allowed to publish what they have on their site, they are also legally obligated to fulfill any request for removal.

Because of this, when you go through the Spokeo opt out steps they HAVE to remove your information from the site. We will get into the actual steps in a moment but it’s definitely worth noting that you actually have the legal upper hand in this situation.

Why is it an issue?

While search results from Spokeo may feel troublesome for some more than others, there’s no denying that your search results matter. No matter what your profession, you are being looked up online by others. From business partners to potential customers to dates and coworkers – someone is googling your name!

This means if your name, phone number, or address is floating around online there’s a good chance it will be found.

With sites like Spokeo in the mix, it only gets easier for someone to come across this information. This is one of the most common reasons why people want to go through the Spokeo opt out procedure.

The vast majority don’t want their address, phone number, or names of family members available for anyone to find. It’s an uncomfortable notion and how easy it can be done.

While some might argue that it’s simply aggregating information that anyone could find anyway, it’s not that simple. The barrier of entry argument is one that we often cite in this situation.

It takes far more effort and understanding of the system to access public records and whoever does this has to be very motivated to do so. When you can simply look up someone online and find all of this in five seconds, it significantly widens the range of people who might see it.

Not only this, but this information can be scraped in bulk from malicious spam websites and used for any number of things. Scams, identify theft, credit card theft, it’s all on the table. Being able to access a significant amount of this information with less friction makes it easier for criminals to make these attempts.

In addition to the security concerns, there’s another reason to take Spokeo listings seriously. By diluting your online footprint with information that doesn’t benefit a professional searcher you can hurt your online reputation significantly.

The data supports how important your online reputation is – especially when it comes to your professional life. Nearly half (42%) of the online U.S. adults that looked somebody up in a search engine, did so before deciding to do business with them (2012 BrandYourself/Harris Interactive study). This makes understanding how to opt out of Spokeo even more important.

This can have a staggering impact on your career – for better or for worse. So instead of greeting a potential colleague, employee or employer with your birthday and home phone number, make sure that they see relevant information about you. This makes the Spokeo opt out process very important for many people.

Spokeo & The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA )

Implemented this year, the California Consumer Privacy Act aims to protect the online privacy of California residents and is putting data brokers like Spokeo on alert. The law dictates that California residents have the right to not only have access to what information is being retained about them, but also the right to have it removed from databases and prevented from being sold.

Many data brokers are addressing the law specifically on their website and Spokeo is no different. There is a dedicated space on the Spokeo website for CA residents to begin the removal request process. 

The wrap up

When dealing with exposed information on sites like Spokeo, simply aiming for removal isn’t enough. You need to create a presence to replace and overwhelm the information that you can’t control and don’t want others to see.

If you want to use our tools and services to help guarantee the Spokeo opt out procedure goes smoothly, visit the pages below:

Our reputation management software: Walks you through the process of monitoring and improving your online presence yourself with a number of features to help you understand how you look now and what steps you should take to improve. (Our standard tool is free, with the option to add additional features and access for a fee).

Online reputation management services: Put you together with a team of BrandYourself-certified Reputation Specialists who handle the work for you. This includes extracting your personal brand (what you want people to know about you), building high-quality websites and profiles, and consistently publishing well-branded content on your behalf.

The post Spokeo Opt Out And Removal Methods (2022 Update) appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

When was the last time that you googled your name? If you’re conscious of your online brand, search results for your name will vary from news articles and reviews to your website to social media accounts. But, if you’re like most people, you’ll find personal information like your home address, age and phone number listed on different sites when you search for your name online as well. “MyLife” is an information brokerage company that acts as a database of personal information about people currently living in the US. In this article, you’ll learn how MyLife works, and how to remove your personal information from this website by following the MyLife opt-out process. 

What is MyLife?

Before understanding how a site like MyLife got your personal information, or figuring out how to remove this personal data from the site, you may be curious as to what MyLife actually is. While many websites are out there that aggregate this kind of personal information, MyLife is unique in a few ways. For starters, before MyLife became “MyLife”, it was actually called Reunion.com. This site was created with the explicit purpose of helping the general public (re)connect with past schoolmates long after graduating.

Nowadays, according to a report on Kryptoszene, Mylife is a US-based “information brokerage” website. This means that the site is a business that operates through aggregating and sharing personal identifying information about people. MyLife essentially gathers personal data about individuals through publicly accessible means (like public records and social media) to then create a “MyLife Public Page” and reputation profiles for just about everyone. MyLife synthesizes a vast amount of data that can include information like: an individual’s name, age, home address, work address, phone number, email address, employment history, academic history, pictures, family members, political parties, personal biography, reviews, and all kinds of other information. The site boasts an index of over 325 million people! So it shouldn’t be a surprise that you’re on it. 

The website offers a free and a paid subscription model, depending on what the user is looking for. Additionally, the site offers a reputation ranker. MyLife claims that its primary focus is to make consumers safer and marketplaces more trustworthy by aggregating all of this information together in an easily accessible format. Users can then publicly review and comment on these pages. MyLife.com is identified as a social networking site, although its primary function seems to be to gather and share information as opposed to being a platform for directly interacting with others. MyLife.com emphasizes its role as a layer of protection for businesses and consumers.

How did MyLife get my information?

Now that you know what MyLife is, you are probably wondering how exactly all of your information ended up there. Well, the good news is that most of the information found on the site is publicly available, so nothing is available that couldn’t be accessed by just about anyone elsewhere. However, you may be surprised by the volume of information currently available about you (or your business) merely through public record. 

MyLife.com accesses various databases and other public resources (think newspapers, genealogy websites, court documents, social networking sites, etc) to create a pooled public profile of people, businesses and other organizations. This information is similar to what you would find through a (very extensive) Google Search. It’s also possible that MyLife purchases profile information from marketing or commercial indexes. MyLife may use and discard some of that information then combine it with data obtained from other sources mentioned above. MyLife uses software that crawls the Internet for free content about people that has already been indexed by larger search engines. Commercial and government databases also provide a wealth of information for MyLife to flesh out their individual profiles. 

MyLife automatically generates a page for every name in the US and acts as a centralized location for people to learn about that person based on their online footprint. The site also uses a reputation meter that calculates a score for users based on the information the site finds online and the kinds of reviews that others leave about you online. These reviews come from other review sites as well as from the reviews left on individual profiles. This reputation score is constantly updated to reflect new reviews and information coming in. 

How to remove information from MyLife

While sharing personal information online is becoming more and more common, there may be some information that you’d like to keep private. By having information like your phone number, email address, home address, etc available to the public, you open yourself up to certain risks. From unending telemarketers, to junk mail, to stalking or even identity theft – the risks are real. That’s why it’s worthwhile to pay attention to what people can find out about you online.  If you aren’t interested in having your information publicly available on MyLife, you have the option to remove it from the site. By creating a free account and joining mylife.com you have the power to edit what information other people can see about you on your profile page or request a MyLife opt-out. But keep in mind the fact that even when you edit your page on mylife.com, it’s likely that this information will still be accessible elsewhere online on the pages where this content came from originally. 

When it comes to the review section of a profile, once you claim your profile page, you can delete anonymous reviews or reach out to reviewers who left unfavourable remarks. You can also contact customer service directly if any defamation, libel or hate speech is happening.

As you start the process of removing some personal information about yourself from the mylife.com website, it’s a good idea to use this as an opportunity to find where else this information appears online. MyLife did not randomly create information about you. Instead, it automatically pooled the information that’s already out there. With that in mind, use this as an opportunity to take a hard look at your online presence and get to work on any information that you want to keep private. 

Start with low hanging fruit like pictures that you posted on your social media accounts. Maybe it’s time to remove certain photos or at least update your privacy settings. You can also opt out of having your name, phone number and address from sites like the whitepages and other databases by simply following the instructions on those sites. 

Unfortunately  the specific removal process varies by website database, so always consult with the specific site first. Additionally, it may be a good idea to use tools and resources to help you monitor what personal information about you appears online on an ongoing basis. 

In addition to removing your name from MyLife and other websites like it, it’s a good idea to put some thought into how you want to present yourself online. By building a comprehensive online presence for yourself, you have the chance to shape what people can learn about you when they google your name. Use resources and services to help you create a personal website, and learn how social media can help you craft the online presence that makes sense for you. Following the steps to remove private information about yourself on mylife.com is only part of the equation when it comes to how you look online. The personal information that you remove should be replaced by content that you create and curate to tell the story of who you are. 

But before you get ahead of yourself, make sure to follow the opt-out process described below. This is how to remove information from MyLife. 

MyLife Opt-Out Process 

To make sure that you are following the most recently updated protocol for removing your personal information from mylife.com, visit the website directly and look for this topic in the FAQ section. Currently these are the steps you can take:

1. Visit mylife.com on your computer
2. Find the search bar that is located in the middle of the page.
3. Type your name (phone number, email address, or home address) in the search bar then hit “Enter” (or click the magnifying glass icon to the right of the bar).
4. Review the results that come up for your name and find the entries that are related to you.
5. If you have a very common name, you can filter these search results by, “States”, “City”, and, “Age”. Use these tools to help find the correct profile (or profiles) for you. 
6. Once you have located your profile, hit the button on the right of the profile that says, “This is me”. 
7. From here you will be prompted to Create a report. Do that, then follow the prompts to create a free account. Make sure to use an email address that is not your primary email address but a dummy account (an account that you use for junk mail that doesn’t possess any personal information about you in the name). 
8. DO NOT PURCHASE ANYTHING!
9. Instead, complete the profile claiming process (you may have to verify the email address) of all profiles that pertain to you. 
10. Delete all information that you can, but if there are any membership fees associated with this process, do not share your personal payment information.
11. To remove MyLife profile, you have a few options.
    1. Option 1: Call MyLife’s customer support team. They can be reached at, 888.704.1900 with operators available Monday through Friday from 6am to 7pm PST and Saturday-Sunday from 6am to 5pm PST. (NOTE: Keep your personal information nearby (ie name, age, birthday, email addresses, current and past mailing addresses, and the links to the different profiles that pertain to you). Make sure to keep a note of when you called, who you spoke with in case you need to follow up with any additional questions)
    2. Option 2: Email MyLife’s customer support team at either privacy@mylife.com or membersupport@mylife.com. In your email, make sure to include a subject like, “Opt-out request for YOUR NAME” or, “Remove listing – request for YOUR NAME”. In the body of the email, make sure to state your name, age, birthday, current address and previous request. Include a link to your profile (or relevant profiles) and request that they remove your personal identifying information from their site and any affiliated sites due to privacy concerns.  
    3. Option 3: Remove MyLife profile directly from the site. You’ll need to follow the prompts starting in the FAQ section with the question, “How can I have my Reputation Profile removed?”. Make sure to select, “Continue with removal” when prompted to eventually remove MyLife profile. 

Now What?

Regardless of how you choose to request removal of your personal information from mylife.com, make sure to find out when you should expect to no longer see your information appear on the site and any of its affiliate sites. 

Mark this date in your calendar so that you remember to follow up when the time is needed. If you are still seeing your information on the site, reach out to customer support and reference the date and means through which you submitted your request to remove all personal information related to you.  

Additionally, you should make sure to put an annual or semi-annual date in your calendar to ensure that your information doesn’t appear on this site again in the future. Think of this as part of the long-term MyLife opt-out plan. 

Keep in mind that mylife.com (and other information brokerage sites like it) pulls from other databases. This means that it’s entirely possible that your information could accidentally end up here in the future. Whether you manually check for this scenario, or use automated tools to monitor this, stay vigilant to maintain your privacy. At BrandYourself, our software now offers a “Protect Private Info feature”. This feature finds and removes your private information (home address, phone number, age, etc.) from over 50 popular data broker sites that are exposing it online. This helps prevent spammers, robo-callers, and identity thieves from finding your personal information on any of these sites.

The post Opt Out & Remove Information from MyLife.com (2022 Guide) appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

Going through the Whitepages opt out process is extremely important if you value your privacy. Here’s why: Whitepages is one of the largest data brokers/people search sites. Their current website states that they have private information for 275 million people nationwide and that the site receives about 35 million visits per month. 

That’s a lot of people searching (and finding) a lot of personal data. You can see why plenty of people have an issue with it. However, most don’t realize that you can opt out and remove your listing from Whitepages without very much effort.

How do you secure a Whitepages opt out the manual way?

If you don’t want to do this automatically and would rather submit the request directly, there are a few things you need to be aware of:

• It will take a little more time
• You will need to opt out of the other sites manually as well
• You’ll have to check back periodically to see when your listing has been removed

If you’re fine with all that, here’s how to do things the old fashioned way.

Step 1: Go to Whitepages and search for your full name and city, state or zipcode.

Step 2: Identify the listing with your information and click “View Details”. 

Make sure you’re confident that this is the correct listing before moving forward. If there are two that seem the same you can go back and try the other one, just make sure you remember which you clicked on!

Step 3: Highlight the URL of the profile and right click to copy it to your clipboard.

Step 4: Click here to go directly to the Whitepages opt out form.

Paste the URL of the profile you had copied in step 3 into the opt out form field and click “opt-out”.

Step 6: Verify this is the information you wish to have removed.

Step 7: Provide a reason for why you want to remove your name and listing from Whitepages and then hit “Submit.

Step 8: Provide a valid phone number (a phone you have access to at the moment), check the box affirming you want the information removed, and click “call now to verify”. 

Whitepages will auto-dial you with a verification to verify your identity with a phone call. This is a very important step in the Whitepages opt out process. You need to be ready for the phone call so you can secure the opt out. If you miss the call there is a chance that you will have to start the process all over again (some people have reported this issue) so play it safe and be near your phone!

Step 9: Pick up when Whitepages calls (it will be instantaneous) and provide the supplied verification code using your keypad.

This completes your Whitepages opt out and there are no more steps to take on the site. It can take up to 24 hours for the listing and name to be removed from Whitepages’ website.

Opting out of Whitepages Premium 

You may notice that there are actually two listings for your name on Whitepages. As we mentioned above, there are standard listings and Whitepages Premium listings which provide access to a SmartCheck background report on a person. In order to remove your info from a Whitepages premium listing, then you will need to submit a support request as shown here: 

How does Whitepages get your information?

Whitepages scours the web on an ongoing basis to find names and information to add to its database. They have invested a lot of time and money into this technology and it works extremely well.

Phone companies are the most common source of the personal information you can find on the site. They have very large lists of consumers with their name, address, phone numbers, and email addresses all readily available. These are the main pieces of information that Whitepages goes after when creating a new listing for someone, so naturally they take advantage of this.

Whitepages also looks at other sources when finding their info. Social media sites, third parties, and broadly indexed information on the web are all part of their sources as well. The advantage of this is it makes your Whitepages opt out a little easier since you will be able to identify your listing with more confidence.

Here’s the laundry list of what Whitepages looks for:

• Cellphone and landline numbers
• Physical and mailing addresses
• Age
• Legal histories
• Email addresses
• Housing information
• Maiden names
• Mobile phone carrier information
• Business details
• Auto incidents

This is why opting out of Whitepages is absolutely necessary. Their technology is very efficient when it comes to aggregating information and populating listings, so blocking their sources is not a viable option.

How do they use it?

The first way that Whitepages uses your basic information is by making it publicly available to anyone who visits the site.

It’s pretty common knowledge that Whitepages is a popular site. However, let’s run some numbers to really understand the reach we’re dealing with to better illustrate why opting out is so important.

It’s estimated that Whitepages has over 30 million unique monthly visitors and they have information on roughly 90% of the US population. Not only that, but the information they have on the site is quite accurate.

The combination of their popularity and technological ability to find information means two things: your information is most likely on the site, and it’s probably been seen by someone else. This makes completing the Whitepages opt out process even more important.

However there’s another part of the company that many don’t know about, their background check services. Consumers aren’t the only ones that go to Whitepages for its information.

Large companies like Intuit, Jetblue, and Lego all rely heavily on the Whitepages online database to provide them with tons of information about candidates under consideration for being hired. Businesses can also use this site to evaluate potential business partners, fact-check credentials, and implement fraud prevention services.

What does this mean for you?

It means if someone wants to do a deeper dive on your information other than the basics, Whitepages will do it for them.

As a matter of fact, this is now their primary business model. While they used to rely heavily on ads, now they try to sell their background check services more aggressively.

This means they are pushing more private info in the hands of other people.

So, let’s get into the step-by-step process for removing a listing from Whitepages.

Whitepages vs. Whitepages Premium vs. WhitePages Tenant

If you’ve taken some time to poke around Whitepages’ site, you’ll notice that they have a few different offerings based on what type of information someone may be looking for.

• Standard Whitepages Listing (FREE) – A simple search will deliver some basic information on an individual including their name, age, location, relatives, and phone number. Depending on how you back into a search (ex: search for a person’s name or use the phone number lookup feature) will dictate the type of information that is returned back.
• Whitepages Premium / SmartCheck Background Checks– For nearly every individual, Whitepages offers the ability to run a background report using their Smart Check technology. What’s actually in each background report will vary by individual but you can typically find criminal & traffic records, public records, previous addresses, financial records, liens, judgements, licenses, permits and more. Access to reports requires you to upgrade to one of their paid plans, which usually runs about $24.99 per report or $12.99 per month for access to multiple reports and contact lookups.
• Tenant Screening – This feature targets landlords who are looking to screen potential renters. Reports are a premium feature and include a person’s credit report, identity verification, eviction report, and a criminal background check. It’s important to note that tenant screening laws vary state by state.

Whitepages & the California Privacy Protection Act (CCPA) 

The California Privacy Protection Act (CCPA) went into effect January of this year. It extends additional rights to residents of California to have better visibility into what information a company is retaining on them and greater control to limit the sale of their personal data as well as to opt out completely.

This legislation has forced many data brokers to step up and respond. Whitepages has a specific section on their site for California residents that breaks down what information they have, how they collect it, and how they can opt out under provision of the law. You can access that here.

The job is not done yet

While opting out of Whitepages is a great step in the right direction, this isn’t the only issue that needs to be addressed.

Whitepages isn’t the only information aggregator out there.

As a matter of fact, there are a ton of them and more are popping up each day. This means that the information Whitepages pulled together for their listing can, and will be found by other sites. Whether you use BrandYourself to monitor these sites automatically or handle the work yourself, it’s very important that you’re diligent about which sites have your data.

The post How To Opt Out And Remove Listings From Whitepages (2022) appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

One of the first things we recommend for anyone looking to protect their personal information online is to go through the True People Search removal process.

There are a number of reasons for this. 

• They share a vast amount of personal info that can be used for harmful purposes
• It’s totally free (this is a big one)
• They have gained a decent amount of popularity that doesn’t seem to be fading

This combined with the fact that they have a decent user base means you have to take them seriously, and opting out or completing the True People Search removal steps is the only way to do it.

The Step-by-Step Process for Opting out of True People Search

If the manual process is more your speed here are the steps you’ll need. Removing yourself from True People Search manually still works quite well, but there are a couple downsides you should know before you start:

• It will take you significantly longer
• You’ll need to repeat this manually for all other sites that have access to your information as well
• If you want to keep tabs on your privacy, be prepared to Google your name a lot (and track everything)

If you’re still up to the challenge, here’s what you need to do to manually complete the True People Search removal process:

Step 1: Click the removal link here

This is the page you need to start on in order for your removal request to go through properly.

Step 2: Click the checkbox agreeing that you’re the subject of the record, solve the captcha, and click the “Begin Removal” button.

Step 3: Enter the your name, city and state, then click the blue search button.

Step 4: Find the correct listing, then click the “View All Details” button. 

Read this carefully because many of the listings look very similar at first glance.

Step 5: Scroll down to the bottom of the listing, then click “Remove This Record”

Step 6: You’re done! 

They say that your information will be removed in a few hours, but from what we’ve seen it typically takes longer. Check back in a few days to make sure the information has successfully been removed. If the info is still up, you will need to go through the manual process again.

The Fastest Method For Removal

If you want to remove yourself or opt out from True People Search the fastest way to do it is with the tool we developed.

Here’s what it can do for you:

• Complete the True People Search removal process automatically
• Opt you out of 50+ other websites that share you information automatically as well
• Guarantee correct completion of the removal steps no matter how much they change over time (these sites like to switch thing up frequently)
• Monitor the web to make sure your personal info doesn’t show up on any of these sites again

If you’re interested in giving it a shot and saving a lot of time, here’s what to do:

Step 1: Log in to your BrandYourself account

If you don’t have an account yet you can create one here.

Step 2: Enter the “private info” area

The tab is labeled “protect private info” which you will need to visit in order to start the automatic removal process.

Step 3: Put the feature to work

Right away we’ll automatically scan the web to look for any personal information that might be floating around on one of these sites.

When this is done all you need to do is click the blue button and you’re in business. We’ll automatically begin the True People Search removal process and do the same for the 50+ other sites on our list.

When everything is all said and done your info is going to be much, much safer.

This section is also where you should return in the future to monitor the progress of your opt out requests as well as ensure that no new private information has been exposed.

As far as a timeline goes, expect to wait 3-4 weeks for these sites to honor your removal request. They get a lot of these opt out requests every day (no surprise there) so there’s a lot for them to go through, even when it’s automated.

What To Do When Your Done

If you used our software to complete the True People Search removal process then you won’t have to worry about this.

We recommend that you visit the dashboard every once in a while to make sure we didn’t find any new exposed information, but that’s all you need to do!

If you went with the manual opt out process then we highly recommend you do the following:

• Revisit True People Search in a couple weeks to make sure they removed all of your information correctly
• Google yourself to see if any other sites have similar information about you (this is highly likely)
• When you find something new, complete their opt out steps and repeat the whole process again

This might seem like overkill, but it’s the smartest thing you can do to protect your privacy online.

Sites like True People Search are the first place scammers and hackers go when they look to collect information about other people in bulk. You don’t want your information to be on there when they do.

What Is True People Search?

A lot of people find out that their information is on this website, but don’t really understand what they are.

As we briefly mentioned before, TruePeopleSearch.com is a website that’s sole function is to share personal information with other people.

They find this information by scraping public records and other people search sites like Whitepages.

Here’s a list of the kind of stuff they share:

• Address histories
• Phone numbers
• Lists of relatives
• Lists of associates
• Email addresses

What makes True People Search unique is that it is free: 

Is True People Search A Scam? Is This Legal?

These are two of the most common questions that get thrown our way when we speak to people interested in going through the True People Search removal steps.

Their practices are completely legal.

The way the law sees it, True People Search is simply taking publicly accessible information and aggregating it on their site.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that there are public records available for every single one of us. There might be more information available on some than others, but there are records on everyone.

You’ve been able to go down to your local records office and find this sort of information for years. It’s nothing new.

Here’s where it became a problem:

When sites like True People Search compiled all this info and made it available to anyone online, it changed the game.

Instead of one person with bad intentions having to drive down to an office and go after a single individual, they can go after millions from the comfort of their own home.

An Issue To Be Aware Of

If your information is on True People Search there is a 100% chance it’s on other sites as well.

There are hundreds of sites like this and they all scrape each other for additional information. This means if Site A has your info, Site B will likely find it as well (even if they didn’t have access to your records).

This is something a lot of people don’t understand, and that causes them to let their guard down when the job isn’t finished.

Removing your info from True People Search is a massive step in the right direction. However you should be aware of the other sites that have your information as well.

They might not be as popular as True People Search or hide most of their information behind a paywall, but you should still opt out of them.

It’s a massive pain having to keep track of this (unless you use our tool) but it’s the reality if you want to achieve privacy in the modern age.

What’s The Point?

Why do sites like True People Search do this in the first place? What’s in it for them?

First of all, the whole point of having a massive database of information is to draw visitors to their site. People want to look up the information of others for a number of reasons.

A quick side note: Most of the people who use sites like this aren’t being malicious. They’re just looking up an old friend or something along those lines. It’s the few who want to exploit that personal info who ruin it for everyone.

So once True People Search has a consistent group of visitors coming to their site on a monthly basis, it’s time to monetize.

There are a number of ways that people finder sites make money. Some of the common ones are:

• Charging for information scans
• Displaying ads on the site
• Partnership or affiliate agreements

From what we can tell, True People Search makes their money by showing ads and affiliate agreements with other people search sites.

As you browse any of their listings you’ll see that there’s at least one or two ads on each page. This might not seem like much but it adds up over time.

If you click the button requesting a background check on one of the listings, you’ll be redirected to another people search site where they will likely try to sell you a background check package.

This is another reason why the industry is so challenging to deal with. They all share so much information with each other that they can seamlessly integrate each other into their sales process.

It becomes hard to tell where one site ends and another begins.

Your Advantage

Despite the inconvenience and frustration that True People Search may cause, you have a massive advantage when it comes to keeping your private info safe.

All of these sites have to honor your opt out requests.

This means when you submit a True People Search removal request, they can’t ignore it. Doing so would mean they’re breaking the law (and these sites don’t want that kind of trouble).

All you need to do is opt out correctly on all the proper sites, and keep tabs on when they remove your information.

Here are a few reasons why some people fail to stop their info from appearing on sites like True People Search:

• They only opt out from a few sites
• They don’t complete the removal steps correctly
• They don’t monitor these sites going forward (information can sometimes appear in the future by accident)

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to do all this. You just need to be organized (or simply use our software).

So without further delay, here are the steps for removing your information from True People Search.

The post True People Search Removal & Opt Out Instructions (2022 Guide) appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

And unfortunately, it happens more often than you may think. According to the Insurance Information Institution, the FTC received 4.8 million identity theft and fraud reports in 2020, up a staggering 45% from 3.3 million in 2019.

How did this happen? It’s primarily due to the 113% increase in identity theft complaints. To make sure this doesn’t happen, everyone should be armed with knowing if their identity has been stolen.

Unlike some threats, identity theft has specific warning signs, and it’s in your best interest to arm yourself with this knowledge.

What is identity theft?

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal or financial information without your permission. If a hacker has access to your name, address, credit card number, banking information, or Social Security Number, the malicious individual could use them to:

• Buy expensive items with your credit card
• Open new credit cards in your name
• Use your health insurance for pricey medical procedures
• Steal  your tax refund

And that’s just the tip of the identity theft iceberg. No matter who you are, it’s in your best interest to know the signs that your identity has been stolen so that you can prevent identity theft from happening to you.

Signs your identity has been stolen

To protect yourself against identity theft, there are specific warning signs and red flags you can look out for. Identity theft can happen to anyone at any time, so it’s in your best interest to know what to be aware of and what constitutes a red flag.

1. Unusual credit card activity

The first thing you can do to prevent identity theft is to check your credit card activity and banking statements. Whether you view your monthly bank and credit card statements online or a physical copy in the mail, read through every transaction. Even if there’s something small or inexpensive that you don’t remember purchasing, this can be the red flag that signals identity theft. Not every scammer will start with large or expensive purchases. Some start small to verify the credit card is active and can be used.

If something looks unusual, call your bank or credit card company immediately. Be ready to dispute the charges, open a new bank account, or get a new credit card. These signs are especially important to know because according to the Federal Trade Commission, credit card fraud is the most common kind of identity theft.

2. Frequent phone calls from debt collectors

Random unknown numbers or annoying telemarketers calling you can be frustrating, but pay attention to persistent calls from collection agencies you’ve never heard of. If this starts happening, a scammer may have spent thousands of dollars in debt in your name.

If you’ve forgotten to be diligent about checking your bank or credit card statements, this is another sign that your credit card has been stolen or your bank account has been hacked. This can also happen if you’ve lost your wallet and the person who found it has stolen your identity.

The next time a debt collector calls you, don’t let it go to voicemail.

3. Your income tax statement isn’t accurate

Another sure sign your identity has been stolen is your income tax return isn’t making sense. Tax fraud happens all year — not just during tax season. In fact, it’s most common at the start of a new year, before you’ve filed taxes with the IRS. Someone who has stolen your identity may choose to report income that qualifies you for a tax return. Once they cash the check, they disappear.

There are specific warning signs here to look out for. First, it should be a red flag to you if a tax return has been filed on your behalf. Or if you receive tax forms, like a W2, from a company you don’t recognize or have never worked for. Consider going one step further in identity theft prevention and reviewing your tax return status on the IRS website.

Once tax season does come around, another warning sign to be aware of is issues filling your taxes. If a thief has your Social Security Number or other personal details, they could use this information to file early as they impersonate you. If you’re unable to file your taxes, it could be because your identity has been stolen.

4. Issues with medical bills

As you make it part of your routine to check credit card statements and banking information, don’t forget about incoming medical bills.

If a scammer received medical treatment using your identity, you’d be the one billed for the treatment, care, or tests. If an unusual medical bill comes in the mail that includes treatment you never needed, reach out to your insurance company or healthcare provider immediately.

In addition to medical bills, you’ll always want to look out for the identity theft sign of your insurance company contacting you regarding your benefits limit. A red flag and warning sign to be aware of is the medical claim you’re filing for the care you did receive being denied due to a message from your healthcare provider.

This type of identity theft occurs when a thief has posed as you to receive healthcare under your insurance policy, which depletes your coverage, leaving you uncovered for the care or treatment you need.

5. Missing or unexpected physical mail

Another warning sign your identity has fallen into the wrong hands is that you’re being sent suspicious items in the mail, or the usual things you’re used to receiving stop being sent. The next time you go to your mailbox, double-check for credit card statements or letters from agencies you don’t recognize. If you start to notice this, someone could be applying for credit cards or loans in your name.

Similarly, missing physical mail is a sign you should look out for, too. While some identity thieves prefer to operate out of sight, some will still package right off your front porch or mail from your mailbox. Some may take it one step further by requesting a change of address. If you’re expecting a new credit card in the mail or a replacement Social Security card, take the extra precaution of monitoring your mailbox for these documents.

The more you know

If you think identity theft can’t happen to you, think again. The first step to protecting against identity theft is knowing the signs. The second step? Find a trusted ID theft protection service to keep your identity safe with extensive monitoring of your personal information, accounts, IDs, and more. From securing your online accounts to preventing financial loss against fraud, the best offense is a great defense.

The post 5 Warning Signs Your Identity Has Been Stolen and What to Look For appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.