You probably don’t know it, but your phone number is all over the web. Also, your SSN, addresses, and even details of your shopping habits. You could have put your contact details on your social media profiles, health sites, or while shopping and using numerous services online.
Your phone number and other data mean good money to data brokers and scammers who are always on the prowl to profit from the personal details of internet users. People Search Sites make their job easier as scammers can scan such sites and use your data for illegal activities.
But you can prevent scammers from accessing your info and protect your data. Take the right step right now with Incogni, a personal data removal service created by Surfshark that removes users’ personal information from hundreds of data brokers’ databases.
Your Risks With Your Private Data Made Public
Of course, you can’t do without being online. But you leave your digital footprint that data brokers exploit to get your information—without your consent. They buy and sell your data such as Social Security numbers, contact details, physical addresses, and educational, employment, health, and financial information.
A key culprit exposing your online data is people search sites, especially if you are in the US. People search sites collect your information, compile personal profiles, and sell the records to anyone looking them up. Some even publish these profiles online for free.
Anyone can access people search sites to look you up, including potential employers, landlords, and even dates.
With your private data on public display, you and your family are vulnerable to stalking and online harassment. Moreover, institutions like banks and insurance companies can use such information to discriminate against you and refuse loans and coverage.
Scammers can dupe you of your money and steal your identity to take loans in your name. And also spam you with phishing emails and fraud calls claiming to be from the IRS or Amazon.
You might have experienced such calls and wondered how your number and name were available to these callers. Robocalls are a glaring example of how your privacy is invaded every day.
You could also have health insurers raising your rates based on information bought from data brokers.
Indeed, you face many risks with your phone number and private data accessible to data brokers and scammers. But you can protect yourself by keeping your private data offline with Incogni.
How Incogni Protects Your Data and Privacy
Consider Incogni a robust and reliable shield that protects you and your data from the world’s data brokers. Incogni contacts data brokers and sends them requests to remove your personal information from their databases. This includes highly sensitive data such as SSNs, login credentials, browsing and purchase histories, and more.
Opt-out requests are also sent to people search sites such as BeenVerified and Intelius on your behalf for removing details such as addresses, household members, asset information, and more from their publicly searchable databases.
Incogni is a recognized legal entity and uses the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the UK GDPR to make data brokers comply with data removal requests. Data brokers are capable of restarting data collection, so Incogni also monitors people search sites and resends opt-out requests periodically to ensure your data does not land on their databases again.
All you have to do is get your Incogni account by signing up with your email and giving consent to having Incogni act on your behalf. Then relax and watch how your data gets erased.
What Makes Incogni the Better Choice
You may find several personal data removal services. But Incogni makes the better choice for several reasons:
- Widest market coverage, including the US, UK, EU, Switzerland, and Canada.
- Widest data-broker type coverage, not just people search sites. Over 180 data brokers are on its list, with more added continually for a wider search.
- Created by Surfshark, a trusted name in cybersecurity with successful tools like Surfshark VPN.
- Most affordable automated data removal. Get the yearly subscription at just $6.49 with a 50% discount. And being an HTG reader, you get 55% off the Incogni annual plan using the code: htg55.
- Fast and transparent data removal. Most people search sites remove your data within 24 hours to 14 working days of getting removal requests. And since Incogni works according to GDPR and CCPA guidelines, other brokers are legally obligated to process requests in 30-45 days.
Moreover, you can monitor the progress of your data removal with the self-explanatory Incogni dashboard.
How You Can Keep Your Data Safe
You can enjoy peace of mind once you subscribe to Incogni. However, you can make securing your data a way of life through a few good practices:
- Remove all unnecessary and unused apps as they are made to track your data.
- Check your social profiles for your visible phone number, and hide or remove it.
- Remove your phone number from company sites, given for using their services.
Entrust Your Data Protection and Privacy to Incogni
Data brokers and scammers are out to get your phone number and personal details. But you can stay protected with a trusted, proven, and fully automated personal data removal service like Incogni.
Make a smart move by assigning Incogni as your data protector. As an HTG reader, you get a special 55% off on Incogni’s yearly subscription using the code htg55.
This is a sponsored post. The product choices and opinions expressed in this article are from the sponsor and do not reflect the editorial direction of How-To Geek or its staff.
