FastPeopleSearch is a free, US-based people-search site. It allows anyone with access to the internet to find US residents by searching for their name, address, or phone number. Retrieved records include everything from the person’s email address to details about their home and relatives.
If you’d rather this information wasn’t made so easily available, read on and we’ll tell you how to opt out of FastPeopleSearch.
Why should I remove my info from FastPeopleSearch?
The idea that people-search sites benefit the people contained within them is a myth. It’s far more likely that your contact information will be used by criminals than by the executor of a will leaving you a large inheritance from a recently dead, distant relative.
Scammers need little more than a name and address to trick people, while more detailed information can be used for identity theft. In 2022, the Federal Trade Commission said that it received reports of 1.1 million identity thefts. These crimes are no doubt exacerbated by the ease with which personal information can be obtained online through sites such as FastPeopleSearch.
People-search sites also facilitate harassment and stalking. Victims can be targeted directly, and even through the relatives listed by FastPeopleSearch. Those who’ve changed address to escape abuse can be re-targeted.
If criminals – or the perennially nosy – aren’t satisfied with the information listed for free by FastPeopleSearch, they can pay $3.95 for a full background report. This can include all of the following:
- Email addresses
- Family members and associates
- Assets and properties
- Social media records
- Business records
- Professional licenses
- Deceased indicator
- Arrest records
- Criminal records
- Misdemeanors and felonies
- Registered sex offender check
- Warrants and police records
- Nationwide court records
- Evictions and foreclosures
- Bankruptcies, liens, and judgments
- Speeding tickets
- Addresses and phone numbers
Because FastPeopleSearch is not a consumer reporting agency, the information it provides shouldn’t be used by third parties to make decisions about credit, employment, insurance, housing, or any purpose covered under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
However, in practice, this is difficult to police. It’s easy to imagine situations where landlords screen prospective tenants using FastPeopleSearch, or a company owner uses it to look into the background of a prospective employee.
Ultimately, FastPeopleSearch is shamelessly profiting from your data. You, in turn, get nothing.
How to opt out of FastPeopleSearch
It’s easy to remove your personal information from FastPeopleSearch. Just follow these instructions:
- Go to fastpeoplesearch.com/removal
- Enter your email address, tick the "I agree that I am the subject…” etc. box, solve the Captcha, and click the "BEGIN REMOVAL PROCESS” button.
- Enter your name and address and click "FREE SEARCH”.
- Click "VIEW FREE DETAILS”.
- Click the red "REMOVE MY RECORD” button at the top of the page.
FastPeopleSearch should remove your listing within 24 hours. Search for yourself to confirm that the information has been deleted. If not, contact support by choosing "other” from the drop-down menu on the "Contact Us” page. Or you can write to:
FastPeopleSearch Customer Service
PO Box 55071
Boston, MA 02205-5071
If you get no response, you can make a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Once your data has been deleted, it’s worth periodically checking FastPeopleSearch to ensure that it hasn’t been re-added. If it has, repeat the above process.
How to remove your records from other people-finder sites
FastPeopleSearch is just one of many people-search sites likely to have your records. We’ve already written guides on how to remove yourself from some of the most pervasive companies:
Others you might want to remove your personal information from include:
- Truthfinder
- Spokeo
- Instant Checkmate
- USSearch
- PeopleFinders
- Pipl
- ZabaSearch
Removing your personal information from the internet – as you might be starting to appreciate – is a laborious process. If you’re committed to minimizing your digital footprint, but don’t have the time to trawl through lists of data brokers, you might consider getting a data removal company to do the work for you. There are several options available.
The best service to opt out of people-finder sites
Let’s explore how the best data removal service works in more detail.
Incogni contacts individual data brokers with data removal requests and then chases them up. Our number one choice is a great value service that’s easy for anyone to use. Incogni is a user-friendly service created by the people behind the popular Surfshark VPN. It’s one of the few data removal services that’s available to people in Europe and Canada. Most are US-only. To get started, users must sign up, outline the personal data they want deleted, and grant Incogni permission to act on their behalf. Incogni then calculates which of the 180+ data brokers and people-search sites in its contact list are most likely to have a particular user’s data, and sends them data removal requests. Subscribers can monitor the company’s progress via an online dashboard. A “detailed view” page lists the companies contacted and outlines the class of information they deal in. This can range from marketing and recruitment data to health information. Once Incogni successfully removes your data, it continues to monitor the companies’ databases to ensure that no re-addition occurs. Incogni offers annual plans at a cost of $6.49 per month, and a rolling monthly subscription for $12.99 per month. These come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, which means you can change your mind without losing out financially. Bear in mind, however, that companies may have up to 45 days to remove your data, depending on where you live. 1. Incogni
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How to opt out of FastPeopleSearch – FAQs