Geographic locations leaked: what it means and what to do
Risk level: medium. Can you change it: no. Found in 152 breaches in this directory.
What this data is
A general location recorded on your account, such as a country, state, city, postcode or region, either typed in by you or estimated from your IP address.
The risk on its own
A city or region cannot find your front door, so the direct risk is limited. It does narrow a search a great deal once a name is involved, and a postcode in a small town can shrink it to a few streets. Locations estimated from IP addresses are also often wrong, which can cause its own confusion.
The risk combined with other data
With your name and photo, a town or postcode can be enough to find your address through people search sites, public registers or social media. It lets scammers localise their approach by naming your council, utility or local events. For anyone avoiding an abusive person, even a city is information they did not want shared.
How criminals use it
Someone combines your name and suburb with a people search site to find your home address.
A scam text names your local council or water company and demands an overdue payment.
A romance scammer claims to live nearby so a meeting seems likely, then keeps finding reasons to delay it.
A harasser who only knew your city narrows the search using the leaked postcode.
What to do now
Opt out of people search sites that list your name with your town and address.
Remove your suburb, town or postcode from public social and dating profiles.
Pay councils and utilities only through their official websites or the details printed on your bill.
If you are avoiding a specific person, look at suppressed listings on public registers, such as enrolling as a silent elector in Australia or opting out of the open register in the UK.
Change the password on the breached account.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone find my house from my city?
Not from the city alone. Combined with your full name, people search sites and public records can narrow it quickly, which is why opting out helps.
The location in the breach is wrong. Why?
Many sites estimate location from your IP address, which often points to your internet provider's equipment rather than your home.
Should I remove my location from dating apps?
Most dating apps need some location to work. Show distance rather than your suburb, and leave your workplace and neighbourhood out of your profile.
Breaches that exposed this data
Verifications.io: 2019-02-25, 763M accounts, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Employers, Genders, Geographic locations, IP addresses
Breach data sourced from Have I Been Pwned, used under CC BY 4.0. Additional breach metadata provided by XposedOrNot. DataExposed is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.