This article is sponsored by Incogni. Product choices and opinions expressed are from the sponsor and do not reflect the views of How-to Geek editorial staff.
It’s never a good thing to learn that your phone number has been exposed online. Between spam callers, robocallers, and the ever-present threat of harassment or identity theft, having your phone number easily and readily accessible by anyone at anytime can be a major risk to you and your family’s security.
This risk only increases if your number gets picked up by data brokers who can then sell that information to scammers, fraudsters, and more. Fortunately, there are many things that you can do when this happens to protect your personal information and avoid unwanted calls, identity theft, and phishing, including the use of a reliable tool like Incogni.
Request Removal From People Search Websites
People search websites are online services that allow anyone to find out information about somebody. Some of this information may come from public records or social media, but depending on the website, the source of this information could be just about anything.
If your phone number is listed on a people search website, that means that anybody can contact you for any reason. If you want to reduce this risk, then it’s a good idea to opt out of these people search websites.
The process for opting out of these websites differs from website to website, so it’s difficult to give exact step-by-step instructions. You’ll want to go to any of the people search websites that have your information listed (common websites include Whitepages and Spokeo, though there are many more) and track down its specific opt out section. This can sometimes be listed under privacy or security sections as well.
After that, you’ll need to follow the instructions on the website itself. This can be a tedious process, as these websites often prefer if you don’t opt out. This means that you may need to jump through some hoops in order to actually get your information taken down.
Once you’ve actually completed this step, you’ll also want to ensure that your information is truly gone. Sometimes these opt out requests can take a while to process, and once your phone number has been removed, you may also find that it gets automatically re-added to the people search website again later. This means that you’ll want to check back regularly and might even need to repeat the opting-out process periodically.
Use a Third-Party Service
Incogni: Online Data Removal Service
Incogni is a subscription-based service that maintains the online privacy and safety of its customers by working with the world’s top data brokers to have their information removed from the web.
If this all seems a little technical or time-consuming, worry not. There are plenty of third-party services that can handle this and other parts of the process for you. For instance, Incogni is a privacy service that aims to help users remove their personal information from people search and data broker websites.
This means that instead of manually trawling through website after website trying to identify where that spam caller is getting your number from or constantly having to check and recheck the same people search website to ensure that your phone number stays off it, these third-party services will handle the brunt of the work for you.
Incogni is great for this because it has a huge database of data brokers who could potentially have your information, and regularly expands on this list with new data brokers and people search sites over time.
From there, Incogni will send removal requests whenever a record matching your own is found in order to have it removed. This process is automated, meaning that your information is scanned and requested for removal at regular intervals, preventing you from having to worry about your information being re-added at a later date.
Incogni
What’s great about this is that you can track this process as it happens thanks to Incogni’s dashboard. This allows you to see what Incogni is doing by showing you the data broker or people search websites that Incogni is finding, the requests that are being sent, and when your personal information such as your phone number has been successfully removed.
The efficacy of these third-party services will vary from service to service based in no small part on the information that it takes in. For example, Incogni uses three phone numbers, three emails, and three addresses to held identify and remove not just your current phone number from any potential database, but also any other current or former information that may be used to create your digital footprint.
If you’re worried about your more susceptible elderly family members being taken advantage of, then a third-party service like Incogni is a great option because it requires no digital literacy in order for you to make the most of it. Incogni even has a Family & Friends plan that can be used to protect multiple people.
Additionally, many of these third-party services run promotions where you can save money on their services. For instance, Incogni is currently running a 58% discount on its services if you use the coupon code HOWTOGEEK at checkout.
Sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry
The National Do Not Call Registry is a service provided by the U. S. government that allows you to opt out of receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls. In order to use this service, all you need to do is visit the website and sign up with your home or mobile phone number.
This service is entirely free and a great way to prevent telemarketers from reaching out to you, as it is enforced by the FTC. However, it isn’t a perfect solution. Political campaigns, charities, and surveyors are all exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry and will still be able to call you, and more importantly, so will scammers or robocallers.
This is because most scammers aren’t concerned with regulations and will continue to call you anyway, and can do so using caller ID spoofing that makes it difficult to track them anyway. This means that there’s no real way for the FTC to properly trace or identify them, meaning they can continue to call you as much as they desire.
Protect You and Your Loved Ones From Phishing and Scam Attempts
As you can see, having your phone number listed online can be a serious risk to you and your family. Luckily, there are still things that you can do in order to try and protect you and yours from being taken advantage of. Removing your phone number from an online website is a great way to increase your security and peace of mind, but proactive measures often work best.
