InstantCheckmate opt out: how to remove your info in minutes

Once you’re online, so is your personal information – no matter how hard you try to keep a low profile and limit what you share. What’s worse, your personal information is probably in more hands than you realize, thanks to people search sites like InstantCheckmate.

InstantCheckmate collects your data from public records and compiles it into profiles that can be looked up by nearly anyone. This means your name, phone number, or even more sensitive data like residential address, potential criminal record, or information about your relatives, can easily end up with strangers. At best, you’ll have to deal with marketers and spam calls; at worst, you might face phishing and even stalking attempts.

Luckily, you can minimize the threat and protect yourself by opting out of InstantCheckmate. Together with the Cybernews research team, I studied both manual and automatic opt-out processes to compile a detailed, step-by-step guide. In this article, I’ll explain what exactly InstantCheckmate is, which information it collects, how to remove your data from it, and what you should do next.

What Is InstantCheckmate?

InstantCheckmate is a data broker that collects your personal information from various publicly available sources, such as government databases or social media. This information is then compiled into profiles that, in turn, are organized into a searchable database. Users just need to enter their name, phone, email, or address in order to see a full report with more detailed information.

This information may include:

• Full name and aliases
• Current and past addresses
• Phone numbers
• Existing email addresses
• Known relatives
• Employment and education history
• Criminal and arrest records
• Marriage and divorce details
• Social media accounts
• Photographs

Marketers often use people search sites like InstantCheckmate to target potential clients, usually leading to spam calls and out-of-the-blue promotional emails. But while that’s annoying, it’s not even half as worrying as your data potentially being accessed by frauds or stalkers.

If you worry about your privacy, have safety concerns, or simply want to prevent data misuse, it’s worth opting out of InstantCheckmate and limiting what strangers online can learn about you.

How do I opt out of InstantCheckmate?

If you have decided to opt out of InstantCheckmate, you have two routes: manual or automated. For manual opt-out, you’ll need to submit a removal request directly through InstantCheckmate's website, while automated removal will require using a digital tool like Incogni.

Which option is best for you depends on how much time you have on your hands, how in control of the process you want to be, and whether you need ongoing monitoring. Below, we’ll take a closer look at both methods.

How to remove your data automatically

If you don’t have the time to navigate the InstantCheckmate website and go through a complex confirmation process, an automated tool like DeleteMe or Incogni can do the heavy lifting for you.

What makes tools like Incogni stand out is that they automate and streamline the process by sending deletion requests to dozens of people search sites, including InstantCheckmate, and regularly checking if your info reemerges. It’s a great option if you have many online profiles, limited time, need to run regular checks, or simply prioritize time efficiency.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on removing your personal information from InstantCheckmate with Incogni:

1. Create an account on the Incogni website. For this, you’ll need to provide your personal information, such as name, phone, and location, so Incogni can look up your data on people search platforms.
2. Grant Incogni authorization to act on your behalf by signing an online form. This will allow the tool to contact various data brokers and request your information removal.
3. Now, wait for Incogni to complete the process. After you grant it the corresponding rights, it will start contacting the brokers and filing the requests. You’ll be able to monitor their status in the Incogni dashboard.

After your information is removed, Incogni will keep running follow-up checks. If your data reappears on the platform, it will let you know and send a new request.

How to remove your data manually

While you can save time and effort by using an automated tool, you may also want to remove your information from InstantCheckmate yourself. It’s a good solution if you don’t want to provide your data to one platform in order to remove it from another one, prefer to have full control over the process, or simply want to save money on third-party tools.

Here’s a detailed guide on how to do it:

1. Go to the Data Privacy Center on the InstantCheckmate website. You’ll be able to find it by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on ‘Do not sell or share my personal information’.
2. There, you’ll see two types of information the platform collects about you – User Data Tools and Public Data Tools. You’ll need the second one as it covers all the information about you gathered from public sources.
3. Click the ‘View public data tools’ button and then ‘Manage my suppression rules’. This will let you request the removal of your information as soon as you confirm your identity.
4. Now, a box will pop up, requiring you to provide your email. As soon as you do that and agree to the website’s terms of use, you’ll be sent a confirmation email.
5. Go to your inbox, find an email from PeopleConnect, and click on the link provided in it. Note that you’ll only have 15 minutes to do so. If you can’t find the email, check your spam folder.
6. After clicking on the link, you’ll be redirected to a page asking you to provide your date of birth and full legal name.
7. Now, you will see a list of the fitting records stored on the website. Select the one that matches you and press ‘continue’.
8. Select your verification method – either phone or email. After confirming your choice, you’ll get a verification code for it. Enter the code on the website to finally start removing your data.
9. Change your profile’s visibility from ‘displayed’ to ‘suppressed’, then click the ‘save’ button. This will make other users unable to find your information stored by InstantCheckmate.

Keep in mind that this is a temporary solution only. While for now, your data won’t be displayed on the platform, sooner or later, InstantCheckmate will find new information about you. After that, your profile is likely to reemerge, which means you’ll need to repeat the entire process.

Alternative ways to remove personal information from InstantCheckmate

While opting out directly is the most straightforward option, there are a few more things you can do to protect your information and keep it out of InstantCheckmate or other data brokering platforms.

First, you can try and limit the information that ends up on InstantCheckmate by installing browser extensions like Privacy Badger that stop third parties from collecting your information. Additionally, you can set up Google Alerts to get notified when your information re-emerges in public sources.

To remove your data, you may consider contacting InstantCheckmate support directly. However, this approach is significantly more limited and time-consuming – you can only reach out via phone and during office hours. It’s also harder to monitor your request’s status and ensure your data is deleted.

If you prefer a more streamlined method, an automated solution like Incogni will be a more well-rounded and effective choice.

What happens when you opt out of InstantCheckmate?

Once the opt-out process is complete, your profile will no longer appear in InstantCheckmate search results. This means other users won’t be able to access your information for now, but not for good.

It’s important to understand that opting out doesn’t delete your information from the public records it is gathered from. That’s why, eventually, InstantCheckmate might update your profile and make it visible to others. Your data will also remain visible on other people search sites unless you request removal there as well or use an automated removal tool.

To ensure your data is safe, you’ll need to occasionally check if your information has been re-added and repeat the opt-out process.

Conclusion

If you want to protect your privacy, opting out of InstantCheckmate may be an important first step. You can do this either manually or by using automated tools like Incogni – after reviewing these approaches, I can confirm both are perfectly effective. Consider your preferences and how much time you have on your hands, and go for an option that suits you best.

Be cautious about the data you share online, keep track of your information on people search sites, and remember that information tends to resurface even after removal.

Stay vigilant and make use of all the available resources to protect your identity – and ensure your safety.

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