A website called True People Search, which is designed to allow users to look up people they may know, has the power to reveal a lot of personal information.
Some people argue the site goes too far. For example, if someone with bad intentions knows your name, that person can find where you live, where your relatives live and can even gain access to all your phone numbers -- all without charge.
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Sarah Hamel recently became familiar with True People Search.
“I saw someone post about it on Facebook then I (searched) myself,” said Hamel, of Green Cove Springs in north Florida. “ … It was some of my information but it was the wrong address. I recently moved.”
The website doesn’t list Hamel’s new address.
Cassandra Guerrero, a mother of two also from Green Cove Springs, just learned about the website. She said it’s upsetting because it reveals too much information.
“We’re supposed to protect the kids,” Guerrero said. “They can get the names for the kids. It sounds very scary. … It’s not for me. It’s more for my daughters -- my girls and my family.”
The site even reveals texting information.
“They can see you have kids,” Guerrero said. “It’s not good.”
But you can remove your personal information. Simply click on the Privacy button at the bottom of the screen. When you get to the next page, click where it says Record Removal Request. Then follow the instructions after submitting your name.
Your name and information will be removed from the site within minutes.
The information is coming from public records, which most of us have to pay for. It also comes from information you provide on social media websites when you sign up.