A reverse cell phone directory may seem very simple: you
just type in a cell phone (or landline) number and it
will tell you who that number is registered to. As you
can probably imagine, it gets results by combing through
a massive database of phone numbers with their
corresponding names/addresses. The more advanced reverse
cell lookup websites also offer people search services
too. When you type in the phone number, you get a lot
more information – like spouse name, family members,
criminal background, and even favorite food!
The way that these phone number/people search services
work is by amassing huge databases of information and
then cross-checking the databases. This requires two
things: a very powerful search algorithm to compute the
data and A LOT of information. The first part is easy to
obtain. But where do the people search websites get all
your information?
You would be shocked to find out how much of your
personal information can be legally bought and sold by
nearly anyone so long as it is for a “business purpose.”
The following are just some of the many databases of
personal information which is routinely collected:
- Your credit history (includes borrowing,
applications, credit lines, bankruptcies, and much
more)
- Home and auto insurance claims
- Health insurance claims
- Checking account information
- Backgrounds, including criminal and public
records like marriage
- Returns of purchases
- History of renting
- US Postal change of address
- Mailing lists, including email lists
As you probably realize, these lists will have a lot
of your detailed, personal information. Just your credit
history alone will have your social security number,
birth date, address, and probably cell number too!
What the people search engines do is buy data lists from
all of these sources. Once all the information is
compiled and can be combed with their search engine,
they are able to give a very accurate idea of who you
are. With just a cell phone number, a reverse phone
lookup may show all your addresses for the past 10
years, your marital history, and the time you forgot to
pay child support. Now, reverse cell phone directories
also use social media profiles. Once they get your basic
information like name, address and employment history,
they can find out a lot more with your Facebook profile
– even if you didn’t put your full name on your profile!
It is a bit scary knowing that these people search
websites have all your private information. However,
they are legally bound to keep the most important parts
of it private. Even though a reverse cell directory may
know your social security number because it was on a
credit bureau list they bought for their database, it
doesn’t mean they can release it. You can avoid getting
your personal information in databases by never giving
out any info in the situations listed above. However,
this is basically impossible since you are probably
going to need credit, make an insurance claim, or sign
up for mailing list at some point. So, just accept the
fact that nothing is really private anymore online and
it can all be easily found with a people search.
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