This article is sponsored by Incogni. Product choices and opinions expressed are those of the sponsor and do not reflect the opinions of the How-to Geek editorial team.

It’s never a good thing to learn that your phone number has been exposed online. Between spam calls, robocalls, and the ever-present threat of harassment or identity theft, having your phone number easily accessible by anyone at any time can pose a major risk to the safety of you and your family .

This risk only increases if your number is taken by data brokers who can then sell this information to scammers, fraudsters, etc. Fortunately, there are many things you can do when this happens to protect your personal information and avoid unwanted calls, identity theft, and phishing, including using a reliable tool like Unknown.

Request removal of people search websites

People search websites are online services that allow anyone to find information about someone. Some of this information may come from public records or social media, but depending on the website, the source of this information could be just about anything.

If your phone number is listed on a people search website, it means that anyone can contact you for any reason. If you want to reduce this risk, it is a good idea to unsubscribe from these people search websites.

The unsubscribe process from these websites differs from website to website, so it is difficult to give precise step-by-step instructions. You’ll want to go to one of the people search websites your information is listed on (common websites include Whitepages and Spokeo, although there are many others) and find its specific opt-out section. This can sometimes also be listed in the privacy or security sections.

After that, you will need to follow the instructions on the website itself. This can be a tedious process, as these websites often prefer that you not unsubscribe. This means that you may have to take a few steps in order to actually delete your information.

Once you’ve actually completed this step, you’ll also want to make sure your information is actually gone. Sometimes it can take some time for these unsubscribe requests to be processed, and once your phone number is deleted, you may also find that it is automatically added back to the people search website later. This means that you will want to check back regularly and may even need to repeat the unsubscribe process periodically.

Use a third-party service

Incogni: online data deletion service

Incogni is a subscription-based service that maintains its customers’ online privacy and security by working with the world’s best data brokers to have their information removed from the web.

If this all seems a bit technical or time-consuming, don’t worry. There are many third-party services that can handle this and other parts of the process for you. For example, Unknown is a privacy service that aims to help users remove their personal information from people search and data broker websites.

This means that instead of manually going through website after website trying to identify where that spam caller is getting your number from or having to constantly check and recheck the same people search website to make sure your phone number stays out of it, these third-party services will do most of the work for you.

Incogni is great for this because it has a huge database of data brokers that could potentially hold your information, and regularly expands this list with new data brokers and people search sites over time.

From there, Incogni will send delete requests whenever a record matching yours is found in order to have it deleted. This process is automated, meaning your information is scanned and requested to be deleted at regular intervals, so you don’t have to worry about your information being added back at a later date.

The great thing is that you can follow this process as it happens using the Incognis dashboard. This allows you to see what Incogni is doing by showing you the data broker or people search websites Incogni finds, the requests that are sent, and when your personal information such as your phone number has been successfully deleted .

The effectiveness of these third-party services varies from service to service, largely depending on the information they contain. For example, Incogni uses three phone numbers, three emails, and three addresses to identify and remove not only your current phone number from any potential database, but also any other current or former information that could be used to create your digital footprint.

If you’re concerned that your most vulnerable elderly family members are being exploited, then a third-party service like Incogni is a great option because it doesn’t require any digital literacy for you to get the most out of it. Incogni even offers a Family & Friends plan that can be used to protect multiple people.

Additionally, many of these third-party services offer promotions that allow you to save money on their services. For example, Unknown is currently offering 58% off its services if you use the promo code HOWTOGEEK at the checkout.

Register with the National Register of Do Not Call Numbers

THE National Do Not Call Registry is a service provided by the U.S. government that allows you to opt out of receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls. To use this service, simply visit the website and register with your landline or mobile number.

This service is completely free and a great way to prevent telemarketers from contacting you, as it is mandated by the FTC. However, this is not a perfect solution. Political campaigns, charities and surveyors are all exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry and will still be able to call you, and more importantly, so will scammers or robocallers.

This is because most scammers don’t care about regulations and will continue to call you anyway, and may do so using caller ID spoofing, making it difficult to track them anyway. This means that there is no real way for the FTC to track them down or properly identify them, which means they can continue to call you as much as they want.

Protect yourself and your loved ones from phishing and scam attempts

As you can see, having your phone number listed online can pose a serious risk to you and your family. Fortunately, there are still things you can do to try to protect yourself and yours from abuse. Removing your phone number from an online website is a great way to increase your security and peace of mind, but proactive measures are often more effective.