With cyber criminals on the hunt for people’s personal details, and identity thieves always looking for personal information that they can use to steal from others, it is super important to know how to keep your information as secure and private as possible. You don’t want your information getting into the wrong hands, but because you do so much online every day, and so many businesses might already have your information on file for various reasons, you have to be aware of the risks and then take steps to reduce them.

What are some ways that you can avoid losing your personal information? What can you do to keep your private information to yourself? We’ve compiled a few tips to help you get started.

Remove Your Information from People Search Websites

One of the quickest and easiest ways that anyone can look up information about you, from your address and phone number to your relatives’ names and your background information, is by looking on a people search website. A classic example is Been Verified. Head over there and type your name into their search box to see if any listings appear that showcase your information. If you are shocked to find that you are on that site, just follow the Been Verified removal instructions to tell them that you want your information taken down.

There are a lot of these people search websites. You can go to Google, type in your name, and see which ones show up as having your personal information. You might, for instance, find that you’re also on Nuwber, so you’d need to go through the Nuwber opt out page to tell them that you don’t want to be on their site.

Yes, it can take time to go through these sites one by one to let them know that you want to be removed. From Whitepages removal to Instant Checkmate opt out, it should be easy to do, and it’s certainly worth it to avoid your data getting into the wrong hands.

Only Do Business with Trustworthy Organizations

There are a lot of online shops that you can purchase from, but before you buy from anyone, make sure that they are a verified and reliable seller. Scammers can create fake websites that they can use to lure people into giving away their personal details.

For example, you might think that you are purchasing something when, in reality, you are actually just giving away your contact details and credit card information to someone who will steal those details, and they won’t send you what you bought either. So, only do business with organizations that have proven themselves to be trustworthy.

Beware of Phishing Scams

One of the many ways that scammers get a hold of people’s personal information is through phishing scams. You might receive a bogus email or phone call from someone who is pretending to be a business that you’ve worked with, such as a store you purchased from or a bank you have an account with.

While a phishing scam email might seem real at first, if you end up clicking on the link within it and providing the information that they ask for, those details will be stolen by criminals. So, before you do anything, take steps to verify that the email is legitimate, or just contact the company directly to ask them if the email is trustworthy.