What Is a Data Broker, and Why Does It Have Your Address?
Data brokers quietly assemble profiles from public records, purchases and apps, then sell them. Here is how the industry works and what you can do about it.
When a caller knows your street name or your sister’s name, it is natural to trust them. That information is often copied straight from a people-search listing.
- The family emergency: a “relative” in trouble needs money now.
- The utility shut-off: pay today or the power goes off, using your real address.
- The fake bank alert: “We noticed fraud; confirm your details.”
- The government impersonator: a tax or benefits problem with a deadline.
- The delivery text: a parcel for your real address needs a small fee.
How to protect yourself
Hang up and call back on a number you look up yourself. Never pay with gift cards or wire transfers. And reduce what scammers can find by removing your listings and adding known scam numbers to your phone’s block list.