Take Control of Your Personal Data

Behind almost every scam, there’s a data broker quietly selling the information that makes it possible. Often, this information is publicly available on people search sites, where anyone can access it, accompanied by only a mild warning against using it for shady purposes.

In some cases, private data brokers (which may hold even more sensitive information) sell entire data sets on thousands of individuals at once. A few of these companies have even been caught intentionally selling data to scammers specifically for elder fraud.

That’s how easily criminals can get their hands on information like your:

• Date of birth
• Address
• Property floor plans
• Property value
• Income level
• Family members and associates
• Health conditions
• Hobbies and interests
• Political and religious beliefs

They can then use these details to craft convincing scams about “retirement investment opportunities,” pretend to be your bank warning of “fraudulent activity,” or even impersonate your loved ones with uncanny accuracy.

Scammers don’t pick their victims at random. They target older Americans because they know this group has what they want—stable savings, home equity, and a lifetime of trust in institutions.

This means that, in a world where scams are already running rampant, retirement age puts an additional target on your back. 

According to the FBI, older Americans lose billions to targeted scams every year.

The good news is, you don’t have to accept being an easy target. Cybercriminals can’t attack what they can’t find. And they certainly can’t craft convincing scams without the right information.

In other words, by removing that information, you remove both their ability to target you and the online methods they may use to communicate with you. And in many areas of the US, you have the right to make the data brokers and people search sites that sell your personal information remove it from their databases.

A quick Google search of your name, address, phone number, and email address (separately and in different combinations) should pull up plenty of people search sites. Most of these sites have a dedicated opt-out page where you can submit your request for data removal.

The catch is that there are hundreds of these companies, and new ones appear all the time. Opting out manually can take weeks and needs to be repeated regularly, since data often reappears.

There’s also no way to really check which private data brokers have your personal information. But you can look up which data brokers operate in your area and send them opt-out requests just in case.

It may seem like tedious work, but it’s worth the effort when your life savings may be on the line. If it seems like too much hassle to handle on your own, you may want to consider subscribing to a data removal company like Incogni that keeps your personal information off the web for you.

The longer your personal information stays online, the more chances criminals have to exploit it.

Most people leave it there. So removing it makes you an unreasonably difficult target among a sea of easy ones.

Given the importance of data removal for retirement security, AMAC readers can now enjoy a 55% discount on all Incogni annual plans – make sure to use the coupon code AMAC at checkout! You can automatically keep your personal information off the web all year round with one subscription.

You’ve spent years building your savings and your independence. Don’t let strangers profit from your information. Take your data back—and make sure your retirement stays yours alone.