How to Remove Yourself from BeenVerified
For people who are trying to remain anonymous or protect their identity online, data broker sites, also called people search sites, are a major thorn in their side. There are hundreds of them, and they collect information about us and store it all together in their databases to create profiles about hundreds of millions of adults in the U.S. BeenVerified is one of the largest and most well-known of these data broker sites, and has been around since 2007.
Like other data broker sites, BeenVerified will sell your information to anyone looking for it. This includes your name, phone number, address, age, relativesâ names, email addresses, vehicle information, education and professional background, arrest records, social media links, judgments & liens, bankruptcies, and more. This information is pulled from public records and social media profiles, so nothing about what BeenVerified does is illegal. In some cases, you may have personally provided information that they are using.
Many clients trust Reputation Rhino, a top-rated online reputation management company to help remove private and personal information, like email addresses, phone numbers, and home addresses, from hundreds of data broker sites.
The information housed on BeenVerified is also provided to the other data broker sites that they manage, so removing your personal information from BeenVerified will help to lower your profile online. Luckily, removing your profile from BeenVerified is a relatively simple process that you can complete yourself. If youâve decided to work with an online reputation management firm or another full-service marketing firm, like Reputation Rhino, you can request that they do this on your behalf as a part of your overall strategy.
What is BeenVerified?
BeenVerified is a large data broker site, of which there are many online.
They operate by gathering personal information about people and creating comprehensive profiles about them.
They then sell these profiles to anyone who wants to pay for them.
BeenVerified holds information about over 200 million U.S. adults, and 18 million people visit their site each year.
Common uses of these profiles include potential employers doing background checks on prospective employees, landlords looking into tenants, and online daters seeking to confirm that their dates are who they say they are.
But there are nefarious uses for this information as well; telemarketers and salespeople can find out all about your income and lifestyle, and hackers can use your information to find answers to your security questions on secure sites.
Stalkers and cybercriminals can access your information easily on sites like BeenVerified.
Ultimately, removing your information from data broker sites is highly recommended if youâre trying to protect yourself from hackers, stalkers, identity theft, scams, and spam. Doing so is completely free and does not require a subscription or account with the site.
How to Remove Info from BeenVerified?
BeenVerified provides an Opt-Out form that can be filled out and submitted by anyone who wishes to be removed from the site.
It requires you to verify your email address and wait 72 hours after submission to see results. You can find the complete steps to take here:
- Your first step is to visit the BeenVerified opt-out page, where youâll search for yourself using your first and last name and state.
- You can also navigate to this page by clicking on the âDo Not Sell My Personal Informationâ link in the âHelpâ section at the bottom of the main page.
- Check all of the listings and confirm which one is yours before clicking on the âProceed to Opt Outâ button on the right.
Enter your email address, complete the Captcha, and click on âSend Verification Email.â [It is highly recommended that you create a âthrowawayâ email address for this purpose, and monitor it for your confirmation emails from opt-outs.]
- Within just a few minutes, youâll receive your Opt-Out email. Click on âVerify Opt-Outâ at the bottom of the email.
- Within 72 hours of submitting your request, youâll receive one more email, confirming that your Opt-Out was successful.
If you find that there are several records for your name that apply to you, youâll have to send an email to privacy@beenverified.com to have them manually removed. You can only use the Opt-Out form for one profile.
For those seeking to Opt-Out by telephone, you can do so by calling customer service at 1-844-823-2869 between the hours of 6:00 am - 11:30 pm EST. You must be ready to give the customer service agent your personal information and the URL of your online record in order to proceed by phone. Make sure to write down when you called and who you spoke with, and call back within 24-48 hours to confirm your request was completed.
You can also accomplish the same end result through email, using the email address support@beenverified.com. Include your full name, date of birth, current and previous addresses, and the URL of your profile in order to submit an email request for removal.
How BeenVerified Collects the Information
This may come as a surprise to some people, but the majority of BeenVerifiedâs information comes from the government and state agencies. Public records are culled and cross-referenced to create extremely complete profiles about adults in the U.S.
In addition to public records, any information that you have personally provided to your social media accounts is also fair game and can be added to the BeenVerified databases.
Reasons to Remove Information from BeenVerified
There are many reasons to remove your information from BeenVerified and other people search/data broker sites. Here are just a few:
- Basic privacy reasons of not wanting your home address and phone number available to anyone looking for it - especially if youâre going through a crisis of any kind
- Limiting your exposure to identity theft
- Decreasing the likelihood of spam and robocalls
- Making it harder to harass, stalk, or dox you
Final Verdict
Once you become aware of the sheer magnitude of personal information available about you on data broker sites, you will inevitably want to begin the process of removing it. BeenVerified removal is just one Opt-Out process that you will want to complete as you take the necessary steps to protect your privacy.
Yes! I Want Help Creating a Strong Personal Brand!
Reputation Rhino's Team of Award-Winning Experts will help you stay relevant, manage your information, and ensure you have a positive online image.
Your information will always be safe with us. Clicking this button will open a box to input contact information details.
FAQs
How do I delete my BeenVerified profile?
Deleting your BeenVerified profile requires you to fill out an online Opt-Out form, although you can also call them or email them in order to complete this process. You will need to confirm your Opt-Out through an email sent to you, and then wait 24-48 hours for the record to be deleted.
Keep in mind that BeenVerified could create a new profile for you in the future, and youâll want to continue monitoring the site for future profiles as well.
What does BeenVerified do with your email address?
Along with all of your other information, BeenVerified will sell your email address to anyone who might be looking for it. This could be an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, a reporter who wants to write a story about you, or a former co-worker.
What information does BeenVerified provide?
BeenVerified provides information that falls into several categories: Contact Info, Criminal & Court Records, Vehicle Records, Caller ID, Property Records, and Personal Details.
This includes your best personal and professional emails, phone numbers, and addresses; arrests, criminal records, traffic violations and bankruptcies; accident & salvage records, values, specs and recalls; reverse phone lookup with names, locations, spam scores, and comments; deeds, property details, professional values, owner information and assessments; and photos, ages, relatives, associates, assets, jobs and educational history.
Is BeenVerified a legit website?
BeenVerified is a real website, and everything that theyâre doing is completely legal. They search the web for information about people, create profiles on them, and then sell that data, which can be found through other sources if someone knows where to look and is looking hard enough.
Is it safe to give BeenVerified my email?
Once you give BeenVerified your email address, they have the ability to include it in a profile about you. It is always best to create a throwaway email address when dealing with them. Just make sure you monitor the account for emails for them in case you need to verify any part of the Opt-Out process.