Does TruthFinder Show SSN? 

March 9, 2023

Does TruthFinder show SSN (Social Security Number) in online searches? Learn everything you need to know about protecting sensitive personal information with our Truthfinder privacy guide below. 

Are you worried about your Social Security Number (SSN) falling into the wrong hands? Unauthorized access and use of SSNs is a common thread in most cases of identity theft in the digital age. And victims are often unaware that they’ve been targeted until it is too late.

 

If you’ve been wondering about whether your SSN and other confidential data shows up in a people search or background check of public records conducted via the TruthFinder app, here’s where you can find out if your concerns are valid. Read on to learn what detailed information TruthFinder provides in a background check and the risks associated with having your SSN available on public records on the internet.

 

Does TruthFinder Show Social Security Numbers in Search Reports?

Does TruthFinder show SSN in background checks? Thankfully, no.

 

TruthFinder does not reveal the social security numbers of subjects in their background check reports. Providing this type of personally identifiable information poses serious security issues and may increase the subject’s risk of falling victim to identity theft.

 

Scammers and identity thieves can cause considerable damage if they get a hold of someone’s social security number after running a background check or taking advantage of data breaches. This is why, in addition to withholding SSNs, many background check firms provide tools for protecting sensitive data from those engaged in identity theft.

 

TruthFinder offers a Dark Web scan service called “Dark Web Monitoring”. After inputting their SSN, users will receive an alert informing them if that information is available on the Dark Web. They could then take the appropriate measures to protect their identity and safeguard themselves from identity theft.

 

A Quick Look at TruthFinder

 

TruthFinder is a background check and reverse lookup service that provides information on subjects. Users typically type in the name of a person in the site’s search box, after which they get a range of available information on the person from public records and even private databases and arrest records.

 

TruthFinder membership also provides access to more detailed features, such as a reverse phone lookup. This can be useful for finding the right person based only on a phone number search of unknown numbers.

 

Apart from TruthFinder, only a few other companies that conduct background checks offer reverse phone lookup services. One of these is Instant Checkmate, which offers many similar features and equally accurate results. Neither site offers a free trial period, but they both have an excellent customer service team and affordable rates for monthly membership.

 

Like other similar services, TruthFinder is typically used for running a background check on specific individuals, such as a new hire, registered sex offenders, or two people with the same name. It is also sometimes used to double check a person’s credit history.

 

Some people also use TruthFinder for tenant screening, but this isn’t allowed under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Sites such as TruthFinder aren’t considered a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, so the info it provides can’t be used for screening tenants, employees, or insurance plan applicants.

 

But the TruthFinder background check service can also be used to obtain accurate information via background checks of public records and criminal records. This makes the service an invaluable tool for private investigators, law enforcement personnel, and other authorities tasked with investigating illegal activities and criminal behavior.

TruthFinder background check service is based in San Diego, California, and was launched in 2014. Like the best background check services, it strives to present accurate information by collecting up-to-date data from a wide range of reliable sources, including public records and court and criminal records.

 

TruthFinder enjoys a generally favorable reputation among its users. A quick test of the service’s background checks and numerous TruthFinder reviews reveal that it provides accurate and up-to-date information on subjects without the irrelevant or confusing data common with other background check services.

 

Dangers of SSN Exposure Online

 

Why is it so important to ensure that your SSN isn’t available on a background check on the internet? Even if the answer to the question “will TruthFinder show SSN?” is no, other people search sites, data brokers, and personal information sources might.

 

Unauthorized access to a person’s SSN is associated with many common cybercrimes, including identity theft. With access to your SSN, cybercriminals can open new accounts or receive medical benefits in your name, and even claim your Social Security benefits.

 

Here’s a list of some of the things that could happen if cybercriminals get access to your SSN via a background check:

 

• Credit cards or loans obtained in your name
• Bank accounts opened in your name
• Driver’s licenses obtained in your name
• Medical care or benefits diverted to other parties
• Phone accounts opened in your name
• Crimes committed appear on your criminal records
• Fraudulent claims of Social Security checks and benefits
• Fraudulent access to utilities
• Fraudulent tax returns in your name

 

All these threats are very real possibilities when your SSN falls into the wrong hands. This is why it is so important to find out which of your personal information is available via an online background check and how to remove them.

 

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common threats:

 

Credit Cards or Loans Obtained in Your Name

 

Having access to your SSN allows cybercriminals to apply for credit cards or loans using your name. They could then perform fraudulent transactions‒again, in your name‒and damage your credit standing.

 

This is a more common threat than you might think. More than 363,000 recorded cases of credit card fraud involving new accounts were recorded in 2020.

 

Bank Accounts Opened in Your Name

 

You might be surprised to realize how little information is required to open a bank account nowadays. With only your SSN, address, and birthdate, cybercriminals could easily open a new account in your name.

 

Once the fraudulent bank account is set up, it can be used for money laundering purposes. Worse for you, it can be used to apply for overdraft protection, after which it can be used to accumulate debts, all under your name.

 

Driver’s Licenses Obtained in Your Name

 

It can be just as easy to get a fraudulent driver’s license in your name simply by providing your name, address, and SSN. This basically amounts to identity theft and is often very difficult to trace.

 

In many cases, the only indication that you’ve been victimized by identity theft is the issuance of arrest warrants and tickets for traffic violations. If you receive these notices from states you haven’t visited recently, contact the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in your state immediately.

 

Medical Care or Benefits Diverted to Others

 

Identity thieves can also use your name and SSN to claim medical benefits. They could then forward any bills to your insurer. On average, people victimized by identity theft scams pay up to $13,500 to clear their names.

 

Phone Accounts Opened in Your Name

 

Opening a phone account can also be easily done with just your name, address, and SSN. Cybercriminals that open fraudulent phone accounts in your name can rack up bills and long distance charges with your phone number, for which you will be held responsible by the phone company.

 

Crimes Committed Appear on Your Criminal Records

 

Criminals can use your name and SSN to identify themselves to law enforcement personnel if they are arrested. Doing so may provide them the opportunity to evade incarceration and tie you up in criminal proceedings. This could have severe long-term consequences to your professional and personal life.

 

Fraudulent Claims of Social Security Checks and Benefits

 

SSNs are associated with benefits programs, including Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). By using your SSN, scammers could take advantage of your benefits and leave you without financial assistance in your time of need.

 

Fraudulent Access to Utilities

 

Many utility companies ask for SSNs when an individual applies for a new account. If a scammer has your Social Security number, they could apply for an account or request upgrades to their services. You would then be left to foot the bill unless you can get the issue resolved.

 

Fraudulent Tax Returns in Your Name

 

Finally, fraudsters can file a tax return and claim a refund in your name. Often, the only indication that you’ve been victimized is your inability to file a tax return, even if you had done so before.

 

How Prevalent is Unauthorized SSN Access?

 

The theft of SSNs is a lot more common than most people might think. Estimates place the percentage of U.S. citizens that have had their Social Security numbers stolen by hackers at 60% to 80%. There are likely many more unreported cases of SSN theft or unauthorized access to information obtained via background checks.

 

What Personal Information Does TruthFinder Provide?

 

TruthFinder’s background checks don’t provide sensitive personal information that can jeopardize the search subject’s financial security, such as SSNs. But it will reveal a surprising amount of information, some of which can place the subject at risk when accessed by a third party.

 

Like most background-checking services, TruthFinder provides the home address, photo, and phone numbers of a subject in response to a basic search. But more intensive searches such as a Dark Web scan will call up more in-depth search results. The site’s Dark Web Monitoring feature provides information such as:

 

• Birthdates
• Traffic records
• Past location history and former addresses
• Previous phone numbers
• Consumer credit report
• Criminal history
• Educational background
• Political affiliation
• Social media accounts
• Census information
• Professional licenses and permits
• Financial assets

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TruthFinder’s background report also provides info on possible candidates’ friends and possible relatives and even personal relationships.

 

Where Does TruthFinder Find Personal Information?

 

How does TruthFinder gather accurate results? Is the service provided by the site even legal? In short, is TruthFinder legit?

 

It might seem that sites such as TruthFinder are guilty of right-to-privacy violations. But they actually operate within the bounds of the law. This is because all the information they divulge is readily available and a matter of public record, as verified by many TruthFinder reviews.

 

TruthFinder collects information from the following sources:

 

• Public information records
• Online registries
• Social media feeds and profiles
• Publications
• Other online databases

 

All these are publicly accessible sources that can be found on the internet. After performing a thorough online scan, TruthFinder consolidates all the data into a single results page. So the site essentially utilizes information sources available to anyone but makes searching quicker and easier for TruthFinder members.

 

What can You do if Your SSN is on the Internet?

 

Having your SSN and other personal information readily available on the internet is a serious cause for concern. Considering everything that could happen if the information acquired is accessible to unauthorized parties, it is vital to know how to protect your privacy.

 

How can you do that? Your best option would be to remove all traces of information that you don’t want to fall into the wrong hands. But this is easier said than done.

 

To cover your digital tracks on the internet completely, you would have to remove every bit of your personal information from every reporting entity that has that information.

 

Remember, services such as TruthFinder get data from public and court records, city and state registers, and many other publicly accessible sources. Therefore, you would have to contact each of these entities individually and ask to have your information removed.

 

Be aware that not all of the organizations you contact will be willing to cooperate or give in to your request. Background check sites and data brokers consider personal data as valuable commodities, so many won’t make it easy for you to have that information removed.

 

If you want to prevent your personal information from being accessible to anyone, you have a few options:

 

• Request Google and other search engines to remove your information
• File a privacy complaint with the relevant platform or governing agency
• “Opt out” of having your information shared with data brokers
• Hire a dedicated service to have your information removed

 

Removing Personal Information From TruthFinder

 

You will probably find plenty of your personal information on TruthFinder after performing a self-background check. If any of the data points back to you and you want it removed, you can do so via the following steps:

 

1. Browse to the “opt-out” section of the TruthFinder website.
2. Enter your name, city, and state in response to the prompt.
3. On the results page, you will be directed to identify your record by confirming your age and known relatives.
4. Select your record and click on the option marked “Remove this Record.”
5. Confirm your email address by entering it at the prompt.
6. Check your inbox for the confirmation email sent by TruthFinder and follow the instructions.

 

If all goes well, your record should be removed within 48 hours.

 

Getting Professional Help Removing Your SSN From TruthFinder

 

As you can see, removing your personal information from TruthFinder is a long, drawn-out, and complicated process. And that’s for only one background checking service. To remove your data from other sites, you will have to go through similar procedures for each.

 

An alternative is to hire a professional firm to remove your personal information for you. Many companies offer such services, saving you the time and trouble of having to track down each individual source and going through the time-consuming removal process.

 

Information removal services work in a similar way as background-checking services. They scour the internet looking for relevant information from online databases, city and state registries, social media channels, and data brokers.

 

But instead of collating this data and presenting it in a results page, they go through the tedious and time-consuming processes of having the information removed from the providers in question.

 

The beauty of these services is that they make it extremely easy to remove information you don’t want to make available to the public, such as your phone number and criminal record. Instead of having to track down each source and requesting your information to be taken down, you only need to perform a simple procedure that takes a few clicks.

 

Furthermore, these services remove your information from all the providers that have them. Even if you are unaware of a particular provider that has your SSN or other data, information removal services will track them down and go through the removal procedure.

 

Procedure for Getting  SSNs Removed With a Professional Service

 

Information removal services make it extremely easy to remove your SSN and other personal data from sites such as TruthFinder. Furthermore, they can remove the information from multiple sources simultaneously.

 

This is the procedure for removing personal information using DoNotPay. Other services will likely use a similar procedure.

 

• Search for the “Remove My Information” option on the DoNotPay website.
• Choose the source from which you want your information removed. Options include Google, YouTube, or data brokers.
• To remove information from Google or YouTube, provide the URL and other details about the content you want to remove.
• To remove information from data brokers, choose the site which you want the data removed from. Alternatively, you can select the “all-in” option, which removes your information from all accessible data brokers.

 

DoNotPay will automatically submit opt-out and removal requests for each source as needed. You should then receive a confirmation email from every source that the request was sent.

Contact EraseMugshots Today

If you’ve performed a background check on yourself and discovered the presence of sensitive personal information like Social Security numbers or other details, we can help you protect your digital privacy.

 

If you need help erasing your sensitive and personal information online, it’s time to take action. Contact us now and learn more about how to remove your information online with our proven content removal services.  We also provide a cutting-edge reputation monitoring service to help you stay abreast of emerging threats in the digital environment. Call 866-601-6803 and find out how to secure your data online.

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