Trying to keep your identity completely off the internet is next to impossible and with Breaches becoming a common accordance, your identity could be stolen and sold on the dark web. Even being ‘off the grid’ isn’t as safe anymore.
Knowing that thieves are always on the lookout for identities to steal on the internet and social media sites and your identity already being a valuable commodity to Data Brokers, it’s hard comprehend how may entities want your identity.
The best we can do is to remove and/or minimize what we can and with basic monitoring we can reduce our exposure to identity thieves.
So let start with the entities that sells our name, address and credit habits to third party companies who then flood our mailboxes with junk mail and pre-approved offers, the credit bureaus.
By contacting OptOutPrescreen.com, you have the option for five years or permanent removal.
Next are companies known for Data Aggregation, they sell your Personally Identifiable Information PII to businesses for marketing and to state and local government agencies. Most of these companies fall under the Fair Credit Reporting Act or the FCRA, which means as a consumer you can request they remove your name from their databases.
Acxiom – offers steps to remove your name from their massive database, they also offer a free brochure on protecting your privacy.
LexisNexis – follow the steps to remove your personal data from there databases.
Whitepages – this company does not make it easy. I’ll give you a good work around. First search for your name and if found, select Option then create an account. Select remove posting. You can email them directly if needed at support@whitepages.com
Here are some ‘people search’ companies with their Optout sites available: Intelius, Inc., LexisNexis Accurint, People Finders, and Google.
After about 60-90 days you should see a reduction of your identity listed on the internet and almost no junk mail. Randomly search for your Name & Image to see who may still be providing your data and request they removed it.
Remember to check your social media websites have secure settings in place. Optout any time you can. Most companies provide the option, but don’t always make it easy. Look for their Privacy Policies then search for ‘Optout’.
Mark Fullbright
Mark is an ICFE CITRMS® Certified Identity Theft Advocate. His experience includes over 20 years in Financial Crimes, with his specialty (and his favorite) being his dedication to helping the victims of Identity Theft.
