Background Alert Opt Out & Data Removal Guide
Background Alert is a data broker site that offers its customers people search and non-FCRA compliant background check services. This data broker boasts sharing personal information like criminal records, arrest records, and phone numbers.
Even a free search will immediately reveal your age, address history, and a list of links to your “related persons.” It gets worse: having your information removed from Background Alert is a risky process in its own right.
Background Alert requires a photo, scan, photocopy, or facsimile of your ID to “confirm your identity” and, also, somehow, “for your protection.” We strongly advise you not to send images of any form of ID to this company.
Don’t let the hoops you need to jump through to remove your personal data from this website discourage you from pressing on. Having this kind of personal info so readily available raises your risk of experiencing everything from marketing spam to identity theft.
Our step-by-step opt-out instructions will help you get around Background Alert’s requirement to upload an image of your ID. Check out our other guides to get your data out of the hands of some of the largest data brokers in the industry.
Opt-out process: 5-15 minutes
Removal Requirements: Email
Updated: October 14, 2022
Removing your data doesn’t have to be complicated
It’s easy for data brokers to get a hold of your most sensitive information. We believe taking your data off the market should be just as easy! For just $6.49 per month, Incogni automatically sends out dozens to even hundreds of opt-out requests at once*.
Don’t waste any more time opting out one by one. Let us deal with data brokers, so you don’t have to! The first 100 blog readers to use OPTOUT-MARCH23 get an additional 10% discount.
*See the full list of data brokers Incogni covers here.
Watch the video guide
Step-by-step Background Alert opt-out guide
Step-by-step Background Alert opt-out guide
Total Time: 5 minutes
1) Search for your listing on the Background Alert opt-out page
Go to www.backgroundalert.com/optout. Enter your full name, select your state from the dropdown menu, and click on “search.”
2) Select your record from the search results
Scroll through the records until you find the listing that matches your full name, age, and address history. Click on “that’s me” once you’ve found it.
3) Enter your email address
Type in your email address and click “next.”
TIP: Use a throwaway email account or masked email address to protect your privacy when dealing with data brokers.
4) “Confirm your identity”, but don’t upload your ID
You’ll have to upload or send something to complete the process, but we strongly recommend against sending your ID documents to a company like this. According to Background Alert’s responses to the many complaints on the Better Business Bureau website, your request should be approved without an ID attached.
Instead, upload any other image file or use the image below. Then click “next.”
5) Confirm your opt-out request
Background Alert will send you a verification email to the address you provided above. Open the email and click on “confirm opt-out.”
6) Click on Confirm Opt-out
That’s it—job done! Background Alert promises to remove your personal data within 7 days of verifying your ID, but they don’t say when they’ll verify your ID. The good news is that our records were removed immediately with no ID uploaded—suggesting that the process is automated and images aren’t checked.
7) Continue your data removal journey
Don’t stop here, though. Background Alert is just one of an estimated 4,000 data brokers operating worldwide. Hundreds of them could be profiting from your personal data right now, putting you at greater risk in the process.
Curious about which ones? Type your name into a search engine and you’ll probably see a fair few people search sites show up. These are obviously a concern, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg.
There are other data brokers that don’t make your personal data available to search engines, preferring to buy, sell, and trade it behind the scenes. Look into data brokers known to operate in your area to create a list of likely suspects.
Follow our other opt-out guides to help you on this journey or start from these 10 guides:
- NJ parcels Opt Out
- Radaris Opt Out
- Innovis Opt Out
- Public Records Now Opt Out
- Background Alert Opt Out
- Addresses.com Opt Out
- AnyWho Opt Out
- WhitePages Premium Opt Out
- GoLookUp Opt Out
- Delete Ancestry account data
You know what to do next—opt-out of each and every broker on your lists. If you don’t have the time or patience to do this but still value your privacy, try Incogni. Our automated data removal service will handle everything on your behalf.
Take your data off PSS and hundreds of other data brokers with Incogni
Your data is worth more than oil in the digital age and data brokers are making bank at your expense. Remove and keep your personal information off hundreds of data brokers* with Incogni! Subscribe to Incogni for just $6.49 per month and get:
- A fully automated service
- Removal from the biggest data brokers in the industry
- Regular progress reports
The first 100 blog readers to use OPTOUT-MARCH23 get an additional 10% discount.
*See the full list of data brokers Incogni covers here.