True People Search grabs data about an individual from several public sources and makes it available in one place. Whereas most people search sites require payment upfront, True People Search is completely free. In other words, there’s nothing stopping strangers from finding out where you live, how to contact you, or who your family members are.
Aside from just being creepy, this puts you at risk of identity theft. After all, plenty of services ask for your date of birth, maiden name, home address, or phone number to verify that you are who you claim to be. The good news is that it’s relatively easy to opt out of True People Search (and its more-invasive sister site, BeenVerified). This only takes a few minutes and doesn’t cost anything, but can greatly increase your privacy.
Important: even if you delete your True People Search profile, your data will remain available on sites like Whitepages and Nuwber. Normally, you’d have to submit takedown requests to each service individually, but there are tools that can automate this process for you. This guide will tell you about the best one on the market right now, Incogni.
Our #1 data-removal service: Incogni
Incogni is a new personal data-deletion service from Surfshark. This company is known for its high-quality VPN and antivirus software, and has proven its commitment to user privacy. Incogni automatically submits takedown requests to more than 180 data brokers and checks back with them periodically to make sure your details are never reacquired.
There are a couple of reasons we recommend Incogni instead of its competitors. First off, it’s available in a wider range of countries including Canada, the UK, the US, and most of Europe. Additionally, it can chase up unresponsive brokers and send complaints to governing authorities if they refuse to comply with your requests.
How to opt out of True People Search with Incogni:
Here’s how to remove your data from True People Search and most people search sites automatically:
- The first step is to sign up for Incogni. Monthly plans cost $12.99 USD although it’s possible to save up to 50 percent by choosing an annual subscription
- Provide Incogni with basic information like your name and address, then authorize it to act on your behalf
- Incogni will get right to work contacting brokers
- After a few days, your dashboard should update to show the first completed requests. After a month, most of the first wave should be resolved
- Incogni will now begin another wave of requests, and periodically revisit old ones to ensure they haven’t regained access to your data. Incogni continuously adds support for additional websites and brokers, so the longer you use it, the more comprehensive your protection
BEST DATA-DELETION TOOL:Incogni is a great way to remove your info from people search sites, and it’s extremely easy to use. It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it completely risk-free.
How to manually opt out of True People Search
Opting out of True People Finder is relatively simple. That said, this site heavily promotes BeenVerified, another people search service that reveals even more personal information. Below, we’ll reveal how to force both services to delete your data.
- Visit True People Finder’s website. Scroll to bottom and click Do Not Sell My Personal Information
- Click the removal tool link under the How to delete heading
- Enter your email address, accept the terms, and click Begin Removal
- You’ll be redirected to a search page. Type in your name and location
- Find your profile in the results and click View Details
- Scroll down and click Remove this Record
- You’ll receive an email. Click the link to finalize your request. Your profile should be removed within 72 hours.
- Next, open BeenVerified. Select Do Not Sell My Personal Information at the very bottom of the page
- Enter your name and hit Search
- Find your record and click Proceed to Opt Out
- Enter your email address and click Send Verification Email
- Shortly after, you’ll receive an email. Click the link inside. Your data should be deleted within 24 hours.
It’s bad enough having your personal information out there on the internet without your consent. Most people searching sites charge money, which at least adds a small barrier to entry. True People Search, on the other hand, allows anyone to view sensitive info free-of-charge. This includes:
- Full name, previous names, and aliases
- Age and date of birth
- Current and former addresses
- Past and present phone numbers, as well as which carriers you’ve used
- Email addresses
- Details about your home including how big it is, how much it’s worth, and which school district it’s in
- An extensive list of possible relatives and associates (who each have their own page of results as well)
Whenever you search for someone, the site will also try to tempt you to pay for a more comprehensive report on BeenVerified. This service promises all of the above data, as well as:
- Education and employment history
- Criminal record
- Bankruptcy, business, and mortgage filings
- Estimated value of your assets
- Which licenses and permits you hold
- Usernames associated with the target
- Photos
- Vehicle registration details
- Any social media accounts you use
- Details about your neighbors
- Automatic alerts whenever any of this info changes
True People Search: Frequently Asked Questions
Why am I blocked from True People Search?
If you try to access True People Search from outside of the US, you’ll see an error that says, “Sorry, you have been blocked”. This is a rudimentary attempt to make sure that only Americans can use the service, but it also means that people traveling abroad for work can’t submit data-deletion requests.
There is an easy workaround, though. By connecting to a VPN, you can change your IP address, which is what sites like True People Search use to determine your location. Just choose a US server and you should be able to access the site from anywhere.
Is True People Search actually free?
Yes, True People Search is completely free to use. It prompts users multiple times to visit BeenVerified to gain access to even more information about the target. BeenVerified makes a big show of running scans and saying how hard this data would be to get on your own (which takes several minutes) before hitting users with a paywall at the last second.
Are people search sites legal?
Unfortunately, sites like True People Search are completely legal. That’s because they only display information that’s already publicly-available. It would be illegal (and against the terms of service) to use the results to determine eligibility for scholarships, employment, or insurance, but there’s no way to prove if this has actually happened or not.
The problem is that the services try to have their cake and eat it too. True People Search, for instance, says it can be used to find out who’s stalking or harassing you online. However, it fails to mention that it is, by design, a tool that people can use to contact you against your will. Additionally, True People Search recommends reporting stalkers’ social media accounts as spam, instead of providing a way to report people who have misused its service.
Why should I delete my True People Search profile?
There are plenty of disadvantages to having your personal information online, and really no benefits. Services like True People Search are a goldmine for anyone trying to dox, SWAT, or cyberbully you. Worse still, unless you specifically choose to opt out, True People Search happily shares your data with anyone, no checks, verification, or payment info needed.
This can be extremely dangerous for anyone fleeing abuse. Not only that, but scammers can use this freely-available info to steal your identity, compromise your accounts, or just spam you with calls. For these reasons, we strongly recommend deleting yourself from people search sites, either manually, or with a tool like Incogni.
See also:
