Spokeo Opt Out & Remove Your Info
Spokeo has 16 to 20 million visitors a month. While we’re sure many of them have harmless intentions, the site is also heaven for stalkers and cybercriminals. So, it’s definitely a good call to remove your personal information from Spokeo as soon as possible.
Thankfully, this isn’t so hard to do. You just have to submit a formal request for Spokeo to remove your data. This will involve locating your record, filling out a removal form, and verifying your request via email confirmation.
Once that’s done, Spokeo should remove your personal information within 72 hours. Unfortunately, things don’t exactly end there. Spokeo may add new listings at any time, meaning you’ll have to revisit this process every once in a while if you want to keep your data off the site.
You can skip this hassle by using an automated data removal service like Incogni. Just sign up and let us remove and keep your personal information off Spokeo and other data brokers automatically!
Opt-out process: 15 – 20 minutes
Removal Requirements: Email
Updated: August 24, 2022
Spokeo opt-out video guide
Removing your data from Spokeo 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.
How to opt out of Spokeo and remove your info?
In short:
- Look up your full name, email, phone number, or address at https://www.spokeo.com/
- Find your listing and click “SEE RESULTS”.
- Copy the URL from the browser address bar.
- Go to https://www.spokeo.com/optout, paste your profile URL, insert your email address and click “REMOVE THIS LISTING”.
- Check your mailbox and click on the verification link to confirm your opt-out request.
Keep reading for the full opt out procedure with screenshots.
Step-by-step Spokeo opt-out guide
Total Time: 15 minutes
1) Look up your full name, email, phone number, or address at https://www.spokeo.com/
Go to spokeo.com and enter your full name, email, phone number, or address in the search bar. Then click “search now.”
2) Find your listing and click “SEE RESULTS”
Find your listing in the search results and click “see results.”
3) Copy the URL from the browser address bar
Copy the URL of your listing from the address bar.
4) Go to https://www.spokeo.com/optout, paste your profile URL, insert your email address and click “REMOVE THIS LISTING”.
Go to the Spokeo opt-out page, paste the URL of your listing into the URL bar and enter your email. Then complete the CAPTCHA challenge and click “remove this listing.”
TIP: Use a masked email or one that is designated for subscriptions and junk mail to protect yourself.
5) Check your mailbox and click on the verification link to confirm your opt-out request
You will receive a confirmation email. Click the verification link to complete the data removal process.
6) Take your personal info off other data broker sites
With that, you’ve successfully removed your data from Spokeo. If this people search site had your data, though, odds are very high that many others have it also. There are hundreds of data brokers in the US alone.
These companies sell the data to agencies that target you with predatory marketing, insurance companies that use your search history to raise your insurance rates, and credit companies that may deny you loans.
Cybercriminals may also use your data to run even more effective scams or steal your identity. You may even be exposed to stalkers who now have access to your contact info, address, and details about your life such as family members and place of work.
The best way to protect yourself is to take this sensitive information off the market altogether. You can find out which data brokers sell your data by doing an online search using any popular search engine. Just look up your name or data brokers active in your area and start taking down any hits you find.
Here are a few opt out guides to get started:
- PeopleFinders Opt Out
- PeopleLooker Opt Out
- PeopleWhiz.com Opt Out
- PrivateRecords Opt Out
- SearchPeopleFREE Opt Out
- Spydialer Opt Out
- ThatsThem Opt Out
- USA People Search Opt Out
- VoterRecords.com Opt Out
To get this done much faster and with no time commitment on your part, you can also use an automated data removal service like Incogni.
Alternative Spokeo opt-out method
You can also opt-out by contacting Spokeo customer service via email at [email protected] or phone at (888) 558-9004 5AM-8PM.
In both cases, you should ask them to remove your data from their site or any other site owned or operated by Spokeo. You’ll also have to provide your full name, DOB, current and past addresses, email, and the URL of the record(s) you want to remove.
TIP: If you chose to opt out via a phone call, make sure you record the date, the name of the agent you speak to, and any other relevant information. You might need this later on.
If you chose to opt out via email, you can use the template below:
Subject: Opt-out Request – [Full name]
My name is [Full name]. I don’t want my data displayed or sold on your website. Please remove my personal information from Spokeo.com and any other site owned or operated by Spokeo.
My information:
– [Full name]
– [DOB]
– [Current and past addresses, including city, state, and zip]
– The record(s) I want removed: [URL of your record]
Thank you,
[Your name]
Take your data off Spokeo 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.
FAQ
What is Spokeo?
Spokeo is a people search site that holds and sells around 12 billion personal records. It offers people search, reverse phone lookup, address lookup, and background search services to both individuals and businesses. Spokeo boasts one of the most detailed information databases on the market.
While Spokeo isn’t a free service, anyone can access certain information for free, including:
– Full name and aliases
– Relatives
– Hometown
For a $22.95 a month one-off subscription or a $17.95 a month 3-month subscription, Spokeo users also have access to:
– Age
– Phone numbers
– Email addresses
– Location history
– Marital status
– Associates
– Social media accounts
– Dating site profiles
– Blog entries
– Education history
– Court records
Spokeo claims that your privacy is important to them while making your data available to anyone for a small price. This can lead to serious privacy and security problems for you. In the wrong hands, your personal data can be used to target you with scams, identity theft, and even online harassment or stalking.
The company was even fined in 2012 for its unsound practices, but this did nothing to slow them down.
With the limitations on what the government can do to protect you, it’s best to take your data off sites like Spokeo yourself.
How long does it take Spokeo to process my opt-out request?
Spokeo will process your opt-out request within 72 hours. We recommend you clear your cache and check back on the site after this time. If your data still hasn’t been removed, contact their customer service to follow up on the request.
How long is the Spokeo opt-out process?
The opt-out process should only take you around 5 – 15 minutes to complete.
How does Spokeo get my personal information?
Spokeo uses web crawlers to scrape data from government agencies, public records, and other businesses and websites.
These can include:
– Consumer indexes
– Phone directories
– Email databases
– Property records
– Social media platforms
– Court records
– Business directories
Will my data appear on Spoke again after I opt out?
Yes. New listings can show up on Spokeo at any time. You may have multiple records under your name, usually with different variations of your personal information. This means that if you’ve used different names before, changed your address, or got a new phone number, new records will likely appear.
For this reason, we recommend you revisit the site (as well as other data brokers) regularly to submit new data removal requests when necessary.
Incogni offers this service automatically. For as long as you’re subscribed, we conduct regular, repeated data removals to ensure your personal information stays off the market.
Does Spokeo have the right to use my data?
Yes, Spokeo, along with most data brokers do have the right to collect, trade, and sell your personal information. However, as they are bound by data privacy laws such as the CCPA, you have the right to request data removal, depending on your location.