The internet makes it easy for everyone to know what you’re up to. Here’s how to combat that, in one minute.
Ever run a background check? 20 mil Truth Finder and Instant Checkmate accounts leaked
Have you ever done a background check on yourself or someone else? It’s a good way for employers to determine if a potential worker is trustworthy. Some people even do background checks on potential dates in online dating. Tap or click here to learn how to do a free background check.
But your data might be in jeopardy if you’ve used a popular background check service. A data breach exposed information from over 20 million users of a couple of the most popular services.
Keep reading for details on the breach and ways to protect your data.
Popular background check companies suffer data breach
TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate are websites that offer background check services to their subscribers. They gather information from various publicly accessible sources, including court records, criminal records, social media and others to provide detailed background reports on individuals.
The two companies merged with PeopleConnect Holdings in 2020. Recently, a hacking collective claimed to have stolen a TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate user database and shared it for free on criminal forums.
The database contains the details of over 20 million users who used the services from 2011 to 2019. Leaked data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers and hashed passwords.
Soon after the hacker shared the details, parent company PeopleConnect acknowledged the breach. “We have confirmed that the list was created several years ago and appears to include all customer accounts created between 2011 and 2019. The published list originated inside our company,” the company explains.
What to do after a massive data breach
Users of the background check services during the dates in question should be careful about any emails that might seem suspicious. The company stresses that TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate will never ask for your password, Social Security number or payment information over email or phone. If that happens, it is probably a scammer.
When there is a massive data breach like this, there are safety precautions you should take.
Steps to take following a data breach.
How to do a free background check online
Suppose a new guy moves into your neighborhood. Let’s call him Bobby Smith. Before his moving van is even unpacked, Bobby introduces himself. He’s friendly and good-humored, and he says you should come over for a barbecue sometime. So you decide to find out more about him — his career, his past, anything suspicious.
What are the odds? A San Diego woman found out she had three felonies during a routine background check that relies on people-search databases. The charges, dating back to 2014, included burglary, identity theft and possession of a controlled substance. Turns out, she’s innocent. The real culprit shares her exact name and birthday.
Breaking up or getting divorced? How to remove your ex from your digital life
You get married or move in together, and your lives are tied in countless ways: a mortgage, the power bill, and your relationship status on social media sites.
Then it ends, and you’re left with a lot of heartache and a lot of work. It’s bad enough thinking about everything strangers know about you. Tap or click for the steps to do a thorough background check on yourself, so you know what others can dig up.
Your privacy: 5 Amazon settings to change now
Let’s face it: We give big tech companies way more info than we should or ideally prefer to happen. What we do online, what we like, where we go, and what we buy is out for the taking.
You really can’t get around data-sharing, but there are steps you can take to minimize it. To start, take a look at everything Google knows. You’ll be shocked.
How to run a comprehensive background check on yourself
With the relative ease of finding information about anyone via the internet, search engines and social media, sleuthing around is now par for the course. But it goes deeper than that. Every institution that you plan on dealing with wants to glean your history, whether you want it or not.
3 ways to check out your neighbors
You can live next to people for years and never get to know them. Who are they? What are they doing, just beyond that picket fence? They may look normal enough, but are your children safe around them? Do they have a malevolent past?
Find out your neighbor's name the easy way
If you’ve lived in the same home for years, there’s a good chance you know your neighbors. They might even be your friends.
But if you’re new to the area, prefer to keep to yourself or have neighbors who do, a quick wave while you’re taking out the trash might be as far as your relationship goes.
How to run a free background check on yourself
It seems everyone wants to know what you’ve been up to these days. Your history is everyone’s business, like it or not. Future employers want to know your criminal record. They look at your credit score to see if you’re good with money — after all, they’re trusting you with theirs.