Technology

How addresses are collected and put on people finder sites

Published

8 months ago

June 15, 2025

Press Room

How addresses are collected and put on people finder sites

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Your home address might be easier to find online than you think.

A quick search of your name could turn up past and current locations, all thanks to people finder sites.

These data broker sites quietly collect and publish personal details without your consent, making your privacy vulnerable with just a few clicks.

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A woman searching for herself online. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How your address gets exposed online and who’s using it

If you’ve ever searched for your name and found personal details, like your address, on unfamiliar websites, you’re not alone. People finder platforms collect this information from public records and third-party data brokers, then publish and share it widely. They often link your address to other details such as phone numbers, email addresses and even relatives.

11 EASY WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR ONLINE PRIVACY IN 2025

While this data may already be public in various places, these sites make it far easier to access and monetize it at scale. In one recent breach, more than 183 million login credentials were exposed through an unsecured database. Many of these records were linked to physical addresses, raising concerns about how multiple sources of personal data can be combined and exploited.

Although people finder sites claim to help reconnect friends or locate lost contacts, they also make sensitive personal information available to anyone willing to pay. This includes scammers, spammers and identity thieves who use it for fraud, harassment, and targeted scams.

A woman searching for herself online. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How do people search sites get your home address?

First, let’s define two sources of information; public and private databases that people search sites use to get your detailed profile, including your home address. They run an automated search on these databases with key information about you and add your home address from the search results.

1. Public sources

Your home address can appear in:

Property deeds: When you buy or sell a home, your name and address become part of the public record.
Voter registration: You need to list your address when voting.
Court documents: Addresses appear in legal filings or lawsuits.
Marriage and divorce records: These often include current or past addresses.
Business licenses and professional registrations: If you own a business or hold a license, your address can be listed.

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These records are legal to access, and people finder sites collect and repackage them into detailed personal profiles.

2. Private sources

Other sites buy your data from companies you’ve interacted with:

Online purchases: When you buy something online, your address is recorded and can be sold to marketing companies.
Subscriptions and memberships: Magazines, clubs and loyalty programs often share your information.
Social media platforms: Your location or address details can be gathered indirectly from posts, photos or shared information.
Mobile apps and websites: Some apps track your location.

People finder sites buy this data from other data brokers and combine it with public records to build complete profiles that include address information.

A woman searching for herself online. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

What are the risks of having your address on people finder sites?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advises people to request the removal of their private data, including home addresses, from people search sites due to the associated risks of stalking, scamming and other crimes.

People search sites are a goldmine for cybercriminals looking to target and profile potential victims as well as plan comprehensive cyberattacks. Losses due to targeted phishing attacks increased by 33% in 2024, according to the FBI. So, having your home address publicly accessible can lead to several risks:

Stalking and harassment: Criminals can easily find your home address and threaten you.
Identity theft: Scammers can use your address and other personal information to impersonate you or fraudulently open accounts.
Unwanted contact: Marketers and scammers can use your address to send junk mail or phishing or brushing scams.
Increased financial risks: Insurance companies or lenders can use publicly available address information to unfairly decide your rates or eligibility.
Burglary and home invasion: Criminals can use your location to target your home when you’re away or vulnerable.

How to protect your home address

The good news is that you can take steps to reduce the risks and keep your address private. However, keep in mind that data brokers and people search sites can re-list your information after some time, so you might need to request data removal periodically.

I recommend a few ways to delete your private information, including your home address, from such websites.

1. Use personal data removal services: Data brokers can sell your home address and other personal data to multiple businesses and individuals, so the key is to act fast. If you’re looking for an easier way to protect your privacy, a data removal service can do the heavy lifting for you, automatically requesting data removal from brokers and tracking compliance.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap — and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web

2. Opt out manually : Use a free scanner provided by a data removal service to check which people search sites that list your address. Then, visit each of these websites and look for an opt-out procedure or form: keywords like “opt out,” “delete my information,” etc., point the way.

Follow each site’s opt-out process carefully, and confirm they’ve removed all your personal info, otherwise, it may get relisted.

3. Monitor your digital footprint: I recommend regularly searching online for your name to see if your location is publicly available. If only your social media profile pops up, there’s no need to worry. However, people finder sites tend to relist your private information, including your home address, after some time.

4. Limit sharing your address online: Be careful about sharing your home address on social media, online forms and apps. Review privacy settings regularly, and only provide your address when absolutely necessary. Also, adjust your phone settings so that apps don’t track your location.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Your home address is more vulnerable than you think. People finder sites aggregate data from public records and private sources to display your address online, often without your knowledge or consent. This can lead to serious privacy and safety risks. Taking proactive steps to protect your home address is essential. Do it manually or use a data removal tool for an easier process. By understanding how your location is collected and taking measures to remove your address from online sites, you can reclaim control over your personal data.

How do you feel about companies making your home address so easy to find? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Super Bowl LX ads: all AI everything

Published

30 minutes ago

February 7, 2026

Press Room

Super Bowl LX is nearly here, with the Seattle Seahawks taking on the New England Patriots. While Bad Bunny will be the star of the halftime show, AI could be the star of the commercial breaks, much like crypto was a few years ago.

Super Bowl LX is set to kick off at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT on Sunday, February 8th at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Technology

How to protect a loved one’s identity after death

Published

1 hour ago

February 7, 2026

Press Room

How to protect a loved one’s identity after death

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When someone you love dies, the to-do list can feel endless. There are legal steps, financial paperwork and emotional weight all happening at once. What many families do not realize is that identity protection rarely makes those lists, even though it should.

Scammers actively target the identities of people who have died. They rely on delays, data gaps and the assumption that someone else is handling it. Janet from Indiana recently reached out with a question many families quietly worry about but rarely ask.

My husband just passed away in December. There are lists upon lists of things to do to wrap up his estate, but nothing that tells me how to lock down his identity now that he’s gone so that fraudsters cannot use it. Maybe our government is efficient enough to report to all of the credit bureaus that he is deceased, but I don’t want to bet my financial security on it. We both have our credit frozen with all three agencies, but is there more that I should do? Thank you.
— Janet in Indiana

Janet’s instincts are exactly right. The system often does not work as cleanly as people expect.

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MICROSOFT CROSSES PRIVACY LINE FEW EXPECTED

Scammers often look for recently deceased names because they know systems do not update instantly and families are overwhelmed. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

What the government and credit bureaus do and don’t do

When someone dies, Social Security is usually notified by the funeral home. That step helps, but it does not automatically secure a person’s financial identity.

Here is what often surprises families:

Credit bureaus are not synchronized in real time
A death notice does not instantly stop fraud attempts
Scammers specifically target recently deceased individuals
Gaps between systems create opportunities for misuse

In short, relying on automation alone leaves room for problems.

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Credit freezes and alerts help, but they do not stop every attempt to misuse personal information after a death. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

What you’ve already done right

Before adding more steps, it matters to acknowledge what Janet already did correctly.

Credit freezes with all three bureaus
Early awareness of identity risks
Taking action before fraud appears

When speed matters, credit locks — different from freezes — give you instant on/off control. That combination puts someone well ahead of most families.

Steps to protect a loved one’s identity after death

Once the immediate paperwork is underway, these practical steps help close the gaps scammers look for. None of them is super complicated, but together they create a much stronger layer of protection.

1) Add a deceased flag to credit files

Even with a credit freeze in place, this step adds another layer of protection that lenders see immediately.

Contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion and ask them to mark the credit file as deceased. Each bureau may request:

A copy of the death certificate

Proof that you are the surviving spouse or executor

Once the flag is added, fraudulent applications become much harder to process because lenders are alerted upfront. A credit lock provides the same blocking effect, but with real-time control; this can matter when you’re managing a deceased estate or responding quickly to lender requests.

2) Monitor identity activity while you manage everything else

This is where many checklists fall short. Credit freezes and deceased flags help, but identity misuse can still surface in other ways.

Fraud attempts may appear as:

Account takeovers
Unauthorized credit inquiries
Use of personal data outside traditional credit

That is why ongoing monitoring still matters.

Why identity theft protection helps at this stage

Identity theft protection focuses on identity protection rather than just credit scores, which makes it especially useful after a loss.

Monitors for misuse tied to your loved one’s information
Sends alerts if something suspicious appears
Includes fraud support if action is needed
Reduces the burden of constant manual checks

One of the best parts of my pick for top identity theft service is its all-in-one approach to safeguarding your personal and financial life. It includes identity theft insurance of up to $1 million per adult to cover eligible losses and legal fees, plus 24/7 U.S.-based fraud resolution support with dedicated case managers ready to help restore your identity fast. It also combines three-bureau credit monitoring with an instant credit lock that lets you quickly lock down your Experian file right from the app.

See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com.

3) Secure sensitive documents during estate administration

Estate administration often requires sharing paperwork, which is where identity leaks can happen.

Lock down and limit access to:

Death certificate copies
Social Security numbers
Old tax returns
Insurance and pension records

Only share what is required and keep track of where documents go.

MILLIONS OF AI CHAT MESSAGES EXPOSED IN APP DATA LEAK

A man types on a laptop. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

4) Watch mail and phone calls for warning signs

Small signals often reveal fraud attempts early.

Pay close attention to:

Bills or collection notices in their name
Credit card or loan offers
Bank or government letters you did not expect
Calls asking to verify personal information

If something feels off, pause before responding and verify the source independently.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Protecting a loved one’s identity after death is one more responsibility no one prepares you for. It is not about mistrusting the system. It is about protecting yourself during a time when you are already carrying enough. Janet’s question reflects what many families experience quietly. Identity protection does not end when life does, and scammers know that grief creates gaps. Taking a few extra steps now can spare you months or even years of stress later. You are not being overly cautious. You are being careful at a moment when the system does not always move fast enough to keep up with real life.

If you have handled an estate or are planning ahead, have you taken steps to protect a loved one’s identity after death, or is this something you are just learning about now? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Technology

Apple might let you use ChatGPT from CarPlay

Published

13 hours ago

February 7, 2026

Press Room

Apple might let you use ChatGPT from CarPlay

CarPlay users could soon be able to use their chatbot of choice instead of Siri. As Bloomberg reports, Apple is working to add support for CarPlay voice control apps from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and others. Previously, users who wanted to access third-party chatbots in the car would need to go through their iPhone, but soon they may be able to talk with ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini directly in CarPlay.

However, Apple reportedly “won’t let users replace the Siri button on CarPlay or the wake word that summons the service.” So, users will need to manually open their preferred chatbot’s app. Developers will be able to set their apps to automatically start voice mode whenever they’re opened, though, which could help streamline the experience.

According to Bloomberg, the addition of third-party chatbots in CarPlay could roll out “within the coming months,” but hasn’t been officially announced yet. The rumored update follows Apple’s announcement last month that Google Gemini will power an updated version of Siri, which is slated to arrive sometime this year.