How retirees can protect their data using a data broker opt-out

Your home address, phone number and relatives‘ names may be sitting on people-search websites you’ve never visited. Anyone who finds those listings could learn more about you than you’re comfortable sharing. A data broker opt-out can help reduce that exposure, especially during retirement, when protecting your finances, family and home becomes a priority.

And a tragic case in Minnesota shows why publicly available personal information deserves a closer look. Here’s what happened in Minnesota and the steps you can take to make your personal information harder to find online.

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WHAT A SCAMMER SEES THE MOMENT THEY GOOGLE YOUR NAME

Minnesota attacks expose a troubling privacy risk

In June 2025, Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were murdered in a targeted attack. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were seriously injured in a separate shooting. Investigators discovered notebooks containing the names of public officials and a handwritten list of 11 people-search websites in the suspect’s vehicle. The list included TruePeopleSearch, Spokeo, Pipl, PeopleFinders, BeenVerified, Whitepages, TruthFinder, Intelius, Ownerly, USSearch and PeopleLooker. The notes described which services were free and what information someone could find through them.

However, the discovery alone did not establish whether the websites supplied the victims‘ addresses. On June 11, Vance Boelter pleaded guilty to federal charges involving the murders, shootings and stalking of the victims. He was sentenced on July 23 to two consecutive life terms plus 40 years in federal prison. Separate state charges remain pending. The case raised an unsettling question: How easily could someone find your home address and information about your family?

What data brokers know about you

Data brokers collect information from public records, online activity, commercial databases and other sources. They then combine those details into profiles that businesses and individuals may be able to purchase or access. Some companies specialize in marketing information. Others operate people-search websites that make personal details available through free searches or paid reports.

Depending on the company and the available records, those profiles may include:

• Your current and previous home addresses
• Phone numbers and email addresses
• Age, birth date and marital status
• Names of relatives and possible associates
• Property ownership and estimated home values
• Employment and education history
• Purchasing interests and other consumer information
• Financial, health-related or political inferences

Not every broker collects or sells all this information. Credit reporting agencies also operate under different legal requirements than many people-search services. Still, these records can reveal details you never intended to share with strangers. For a closer look at how criminals assemble this information, read our CyberGuy report on how scammers build a profile on you using data brokers.

Want to see how much of your personal information may already be exposed? Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com

Why exposed personal information is risky for retirees

Scammers can use publicly available details to make their stories more convincing. As a result, a suspicious call or message may sound surprisingly personal.

Here are some of the potential risks.

• Financial scams: Someone who knows your age, address and family relationships may use those details to impersonate a financial institution, government agency or relative. That familiarity can make a fraudulent request sound credible.
• Home and personal safety: People-search listings may expose where you live, where you previously lived and who lives nearby. This can be particularly concerning for people dealing with stalking, harassment or threats.
• Medicare and healthcare fraud: A scammer who knows your name, age or location could use those details to make a fake Medicare call or insurance offer seem legitimate. Never provide your Medicare number to an unexpected caller.
• Family impersonation scams: Criminals may use relatives‘ names and personal details to create convincing emergency stories. They might claim someone you love needs money immediately.
• Spam calls and unwanted messages: Data brokers and marketing lists can contribute to unwanted contact. However, removing your information will not eliminate every robocall, spam text or phishing email.

Even if you’ve never experienced one of these problems, reducing the amount of personal information available online can make it harder for someone to research you.

THE SECRET LIST THAT TELLS SCAMMERS YOU’RE AN EASY TARGET

How to opt out of data brokers yourself

You can request removal from many people-search websites for free. However, each company may have different requirements, and removing a listing doesn’t always prevent it from returning.

Here’s how to get started.

• Search for yourself online. Look up your full name, city, current address and phone number. Check major people-search websites for matching listings. Avoid paying for reports unless you have a specific reason.
• Save the website addresses. Keep a record of the pages exposing your information so you can return to them later.
• Find each site’s removal instructions. Look for links labeled „Opt Out,“ „Remove My Information“ or „Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information.“ You can also check the site’s privacy policy.
• Submit your removal request. Follow the company’s instructions. Some sites require you to verify your identity or confirm that the record belongs to you. Share only the information necessary to complete the request.
• Complete any verification steps. Check your email for confirmation links or follow-up instructions. A request may remain incomplete until you finish the process.
• Consider search-result removal. If sensitive information appears in Google search results, you may qualify to request its removal. Keep in mind that removing a search result does not erase the information from the original website.
• Check again periodically. Brokers may refresh their records, and previously removed details can reappear. Revisit the sites and submit new requests when necessary.

A new privacy shortcut for California residents

If you live in California, you now have another option. The state’s free Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) at privacy.ca.gov/drop/ launched in January 2026. It allows eligible residents to submit one deletion request to more than 600 registered data brokers. Beginning August 1, 2026, covered data brokers were required to start processing those requests. The system also requires recurring checks for matching information, although legal exceptions apply and removal is not immediate. Other states have their own privacy laws and removal rights, so your options may depend on where you live.

How a data removal service can help protect your personal information

If manually contacting dozens of websites sounds exhausting, a data removal service can handle much of the work for you. These services help identify data brokers and people-search websites that may have your information. They can also submit removal requests on your behalf and follow up when necessary.

Depending on the provider and subscription plan, available features may include:

• Automated removal requests: Services contact covered data brokers and people-search websites to request deletion of your personal information.
• Recurring removals: Some providers periodically repeat requests and check whether previously removed information has reappeared.
• Progress reports: You can track removal requests and review updates about which companies have responded.
• Multiple personal details: Certain services let you submit current and previous addresses, email addresses and phone numbers to help identify matching records.
• Custom removals: Some providers allow you to submit additional website links for review and possible removal assistance.

To get started, choose a reputable data removal service, create an account and provide the information needed to identify your records. You’ll typically need to authorize the service to submit removal requests on your behalf. Some providers also offer family plans that cover multiple household members.

Before subscribing, compare the websites each service covers, its removal process, ongoing monitoring features and subscription costs.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting CyberGuy.com.

What a data removal service cannot do

Even with automated removal, some personal information may remain publicly accessible. Property ownership records, government databases and certain court records can continue displaying details about you. Data removal services generally cannot force government agencies to delete legally available public records.

Additionally, not every website must honor a removal request. Some services offer custom removals, but legal restrictions and technical limitations can prevent certain information from being deleted.

Removing data broker listings also cannot undo previous data breaches or guarantee that scammers will stop contacting you.

Still, reducing the number of websites exposing your information can make it harder for strangers to find personal details. For retirees, that added privacy can help reduce exposure to targeted scams and unwanted contact.

Kurt’s key takeaways

What concerns me most is how much someone can learn about you without ever meeting you. Your address, family connections and personal history can give scammers information they can use to gain your trust. And once that information starts circulating, controlling where it goes becomes difficult. That’s why I recommend taking a proactive approach. Start by finding out what’s publicly available, remove what you can and keep checking. If the process becomes overwhelming, a reputable data removal service can help with the ongoing work. You may never erase every trace of yourself from the internet, but you can make your personal information harder to find.

Have you ever searched your name on a people-search website and been surprised by how much information was available? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.

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