Physical addresses leaked: what it means and what to do
Risk level: medium. Can you change it: no. Found in 304 breaches in this directory.
What this data is
Your residential, postal, billing or delivery address, stored by retailers, utilities, banks, government services and almost any company that sends you something.
The risk on its own
An address is often already in property or electoral records, so a leak is not always new. It still confirms where you live and lets strangers send mail or turn up. For people escaping violence or harassment, a leaked address is a serious safety threat.
The risk combined with other data
With your name and date of birth, an address is a core identity check for credit, utility and phone accounts. It lets fraudsters redirect your mail, apply for credit and pass verification calls. Paired with your routine or travel plans, it also tells a burglar when your home is empty.
How criminals use it
A fraudster applies for a credit card using your name, date of birth and address, then intercepts the card.
Scam letters arrive at your home posing as debt collectors or government agencies.
A mail redirection is set up in your name so bank letters go to the criminal.
Someone who harassed you online finds your home address in the leak.
What to do now
Put a credit freeze or fraud alert on your credit file if your date of birth also leaked.
Watch for missing mail, unexpected cards or bills, and contact your postal service if mail stops arriving.
Remove your address from people search sites and data brokers using opt out requests.
If you are at risk from a specific person, ask your electoral authority about silent enrolment and tell police.
Use a PO box or parcel locker for deliveries if you want to limit where your home address is stored.
Frequently asked questions
Should I be worried someone knows my address?
For most people the main risks are scam mail and identity fraud. If someone has threatened you, treat it as a safety issue and contact police.
Can I stop my address being public?
You can remove it from many data broker and people search sites and ask for silent enrolment where available, but some public records cannot be removed.
Do I need a credit freeze?
If your address leaked with your full name and date of birth, a freeze is a sensible, low cost protection against new accounts.
Breaches that exposed this data
Verifications.io: 2019-02-25, 763M accounts, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Employers, Genders, Geographic locations, IP addresses
River City Media Spam List: 2017-01-01, 393M accounts, Email addresses, IP addresses, Names, Physical addresses
National Public Data: 2024-04-09, 134M accounts, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Genders, Government issued IDs, Names, Phone numbers
Exactis: 2018-06-01, 132M accounts, Credit status information, Dates of birth, Education levels, Email addresses, Ethnicities, Family structure
DemandScience by Pure Incubation: 2024-02-28, 122M accounts, Email addresses, Employers, Job titles, Names, Phone numbers, Physical 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.