In today's world, we can never be too careful. And for good reason.
Statistics show that scammers stole $16 billion from a total of 15.4 million hard-working Americans in the year 2016 alone.
Even if you think you're being careful with where you share your information online, chances are there's a complete record somewhere that contains your name, address, phone number, employment history and other pertinent data.
Scammers can use this data to take advantage of you, especially if it ends up in a major data breach.
So, how can you know what's out there? Use TruthFinder to scour the web and track down your personal information. Once you see just how much is out there, TruthFinder can even help you remove your name from its database. That way, you can take matters into your own hands.
Don't let yourself be burned by a scammer
I wasn't always so knowledgeable about internet safety. I always thought that as long as I never fell for a blatant scam or posted my credit card number, I would be fine.
I didn't know how wrong I was.
A couple years back, I was checking my email when I noticed a message from Amazon. That was strange, as I hadn't ordered anything recently.
When I opened the email, I saw my home address, name and a link that asked me to confirm my identity so my package would arrive on time.
Clearly, it was a scam email, but how had these people gotten all my personal information?
I felt completely violated and vulnerable. If the sender of this email could access this much without even knowing who I was, how much could other people find?
In short: A lot.
Luckily, I was able to avoid being taken advantage of here. But it really opened my eyes to the possibilities. That scam was one of the most creative I had ever seen, and I almost fell for it because my personal details were right there.
What if the next scam is just a bit cleverer? What information should I be wary of random people finding?
To figure out the answers to these questions, I turned to one of the web's most trusted public search record sites: TruthFinder.
What exactly is out there?
Because a lot of local, state and federal data is now uploaded online, this means it's available for anyone with a little sleuthing skills to peruse. While Google might not have court records and employment history indexed, plenty of sites on the Deep Web do.
In fact, here's just some of the information that may be floating around online:
- Arrest records
- Phone number
- Mailing address
- Email address
- Education
- Employment history
- Traffic records
- Bankruptcy
- And so much more
Curious about what information the web holds on you? Try out TruthFinder. It's a site that searches through the murk of the web to pull out every shed of information that exists on public records.
It goes deeper than Google by diving into the Deep Web and pulling up details that scammers can access.
When I searched for myself, I immediately found tons of intimate details. It listed all of my relatives, had information for all of my social media profiles, and even included my data from the latest Census.
Much of this stuff is a matter of public record, so there's nothing you can do to clear it off. But for your personal privacy, TruthFinder offers a way to hide it from view.
That's right. If you don't want people to use TruthFinder to find out your intimate details, all you have to do is opt out.
TruthFinder will pull your info out of their search results so no one can use it to find your report. Amazing, right?
Take control of your information
Do keep in mind that opting out on TruthFinder doesn't mean the information is pulled off the web entirely. It's still there, but scammers just have one less way to find it.
As an American, it's your right to be in charge of your life. You have the freedom to stop people from interfering with you, and it's time to exercise that. Use TruthFinder to decrease your risk of being scammed.
Sure, creative scammers still might find a way. But since TruthFinder is the web's leading public records search, you'll be so much safer at the end of the day. Protect yourself, protect your family and protect the American way.