Your home address, phone number and relatives' names may be sitting on people-search websites you've never visited.
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you → sit → websites
Anyone who finds those listings could learn more about you than you're comfortable sharing.
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you → find → you
A data broker opt-out can help reduce that exposure, especially during retirement, when protecting your finances, family and home becomes a priority.
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protecting → help → finances
And a tragic case in Minnesota shows why publicly available personal information deserves a closer look.
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information → show → 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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information → happen → Minnesota
Join our upcoming CyberGuy LIVE class: 5 Ways to Travel Smarter and Save Money
In this free live online class, Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson will share five practical ways to protect your trip and your wallet this holiday travel season.
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Knutsson → join → trip
You'll learn how to secure your phone and personal information, find better travel deals, avoid common scams, save money on bookings and use technology to make your travels easier and less stressful.
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travels → learn → technology
No technical experience is needed.
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experience → need → ?
Minnesota attacks expose a troubling privacy risk
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attacks → expose → risk
In June 2025, Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were murdered in a targeted attack.
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Hortman → murder → attack
State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were seriously injured in a separate shooting.
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Hoffman → injure → shooting
Investigators discovered notebooks containing the names of public officials and a handwritten list of 11 people-search websites in the suspect's vehicle.
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Investigators → discover → vehicle
The list included TruePeopleSearch, Spokeo, Pipl, PeopleFinders, BeenVerified, Whitepages, TruthFinder, Intelius, Ownerly, USSearch and PeopleLooker.
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list → include → Pipl
The notes described which services were free and what information someone could find through them.
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someone → describe → them
However, the discovery alone did not establish whether the websites supplied the victims' addresses.
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websites → establish → addresses
On June 11, Vance Boelter pleaded guilty to federal charges involving the murders, shootings and stalking of the victims.
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Boelter → plead → victims
He was sentenced on July 23 to two consecutive life terms plus 40 years in federal prison.
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He → sentence → prison
Separate state charges remain pending.
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charges → remain → ?
The case raised an unsettling question: How easily could someone find your home address and information about your family?
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someone → raise → family
What data brokers know about you
Data brokers collect information from public records, online activity, commercial databases and other sources.
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brokers → know → records
They then combine those details into profiles that businesses and individuals may be able to purchase or access.
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businesses → combine → that
Some companies specialize in marketing information.
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companies → specialize → information
Others operate people-search websites that make personal details available through free searches or paid reports.
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details → operate → searches
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.
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broker → depend → information
Credit reporting agencies also operate under different legal requirements than many people-search services.
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agencies → operate → services
Still, these records can reveal details you never intended to share with strangers.
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you → reveal → 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.
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scammers → assemble → brokers
Want to see how much of your personal information may already be exposed?
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much → want → information
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web:
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information → get → web
Why exposed personal information is risky for retirees
Scammers can use publicly available details to make their stories more convincing.
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stories → expose → details
As a result, a suspicious call or message may sound surprisingly personal.
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call → sound → result
Someone who knows your age, address and family relationships may use those details to impersonate a financial institution, government agency or relative.
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who → know → institution
That familiarity can make a fraudulent request sound credible.
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request → make → ?
- Home and personal safety: People-search listings may expose where you live, where you previously lived and who lives nearby.
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who → expose → ?
This can be particularly concerning for people dealing with stalking, harassment or threats.
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This → deal → stalking
A scammer who knows your name, age or location could use those details to make a fake Medicare call or insurance offer seem legitimate.
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call → know → details
Criminals may use relatives' names and personal details to create convincing emergency stories.
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Criminals → use → stories
They might claim someone you love needs money immediately.
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you → claim → money
- Spam calls and unwanted messages: Data brokers and marketing lists can contribute to unwanted contact.
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brokers → contribute → contact
However, removing your information will not eliminate every robocall, spam text or phishing email.
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removing → remove → robocall
…and 47 more, not listed.
The Aporia
