A data broker’s profile can disclose more than we often realize. It typically includes current and previous addresses, phone numbers, and even public records that might not stem from phishing scams or data breaches. This can be quite frustrating because, despite using strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and maintaining smart online habits, we can’t stop data brokers from gathering public information and commercial data.
Such information often surfaces on people search websites. The danger is that scammers can leverage this data to craft more convincing calls, texts, and emails. Here, we discuss the sources of data broker profiles, the limitations of being vigilant online, and practical measures you can take to restrict what others can find out about you.
Where Data Broker Profiles Get Their Information
Many believe that data brokers acquire information like hackers do—through breaches or phishing attacks. While that’s one way, much data comes from public records and commercial lists.
Data brokers compile profiles from various records, even if someone isn’t particularly active online. These records can include:
- Real estate deeds
- Voter registration lists
- Court filings (both civil and criminal)
- Marriage and divorce records
- Bankruptcy filings
- Business registration notices
- Professional license databases
In many states, such records are publicly accessible, and data brokers don’t need to engage in hacking. They can obtain, collect, or license information continuously. Everyday actions, like buying a home or registering to vote, generate public records that, when compiled, can become fodder for a data broker’s profile.
How Daily Sign-Ups Feed Your Data Broker Profile
Public records are just one piece of the puzzle. Common activities also contribute to data broker databases, including:
- Joining loyalty programs
- Registering warranties
- Subscribing to magazines
- Entering contests or sweepstakes
Commercial aggregators can merge this information with public data to create detailed consumer profiles. Signing up for a warranty isn’t careless, and entering a contest isn’t reckless, yet, both actions can funnel personal information into databases meant for resale.
How Data Broker Listings Facilitate Real-World Fraud
This issue might seem distant until one sees its impact on real people. For instance, InfoUSA, a data broker, allegedly sold a list of verified senior sweepstakes participants to fraudsters. These scammers posed as government officials or insurance agents and defrauded victims of over $100 million by asking for sensitive banking details.
In a larger case, Epsilon Data Management had to pay $150 million to resolve charges for selling consumer data to schemes targeting elderly individuals. Some of their employees were convicted after it was discovered they sold targeted lists to criminals, affecting over 218,000 victims and resulting in losses exceeding $23.7 million.
This is unsettling. Victims were generally just going about their lives, yet their details ended up in marketing databases they likely didn’t even know existed. Scammers then utilized these lists to make their schemes feel more personal and therefore harder to detect.
Curious About Your Online Exposure?
If you want to see where your information might be floating around online, consider doing a free scan. It usually only takes about an hour to get results.
Why Good Online Habits Don’t Erase Public Records
This part often surprises individuals, especially those already conscious about their online footprint. Even if you avoid rewards cards or toss out warranty cards, some details will still be extrapolated from public records. Property records, vehicle registrations, voting records, professional licenses, and court documents can all create a trail with your name on it—and may even link you to relatives through their records.
So, strong online safety doesn’t tackle the entire issue. Sure, good practices like using strong passwords and two-factor authentication help protect your accounts, but data brokers can still collect and resell your public records.
Five Ways to Secure Your Data Broker Profile Today
Implementing a few straightforward steps can help you limit the information already available and control new data entering broker databases.
1) Check Your Name on People Search Sites
Start by discovering what’s already out there. Look up your name on sites like Spokeo or Whitepages to identify addresses, phone numbers, and relatives. This can give you insight into what information might be accessible to scammers and others.
2) Change Easy-to-Guess Security Questions
If your bank or email service asks for information like your mother’s maiden name or your first school, consider that these details may already be public. Change the responses to something only you know, and save them in your password manager. They don’t have to be true—just consistent and hard to guess.
3) Be Selective About Providing Information
Stay more discerning with loyalty programs, warranty registrations, and sweepstakes. Only fill in necessary fields, and maybe use a different email or an alias for sign-ups. Try not to share your phone number unless absolutely necessary; small changes like these can help restrict new data from entering broker systems.
4) Discuss Scam Awareness with Older Relatives
The elderly are often primary targets for fraudsters, who reach them through profiles built from public records. Consider establishing a family password for emergency communications. This can help verify the legitimacy of urgent claims about hospital bills or other financial issues.
5) Utilize a Data Deletion Service for Ongoing Cleanup
Data deletion services can help you remove your personal information from data brokers and people search sites without requiring constant monitoring. They reach out to data brokers on your behalf, requesting deletions, and they keep you updated whenever your information resurfaces.
Consistency is vital, as data broker profiles can return with new database updates. Look for services that cover numerous data broker sites and offer routine removals. Furthermore, consider opting for a family plan, as family members may also be linked in data broker profiles; removing one person’s info might not be enough to shield everyone.
Integrate data broker cleanup into your regular privacy routines by checking for your name, changing easily guessed security answers, limiting what you share, and maybe using a data deletion service to monitor reappearances of your information.
What bothers you most about your personal information being visible online? Let us know through a message.
