How to remove yourself from Intelius, TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate

Data removal. Updated 2026-09-13. About 4 minutes to read.

Use the PeopleConnect Suppression Center once, make sure every matching record and every brand shows as Suppressed, and check again every 90 days.

Intelius is a US background report site owned by PeopleConnect, Inc. The same company runs TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate and US Search, and PublicRecords.com is powered by Intelius. That is good news: one request through the PeopleConnect Suppression Center hides your record across all of them.

The process is free and takes about ten minutes. You verify an email address, enter your legal name and date of birth, find your record and set it to Suppressed. This guide walks through each screen, explains why the date of birth matters, and covers what suppression does not remove.

One company, several brands

PeopleConnect lists Intelius, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate and US Search among its brands, along with the school reunion site Classmates. The Intelius opt-out page, the TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate opt-out pages and the Do Not Sell link on PeopleConnect's site all lead to the same Suppression Center. PublicRecords.com, which shows the line powered by Intelius, draws on the same data.

A PeopleConnect report can include your address history, phone numbers, age, relatives and associates, and public records such as court cases, property and, on some brands, arrest records. The records come from government sources and commercial data suppliers.

PeopleConnect sites say they are not consumer reporting agencies, so their reports must not be used for hiring, tenancy, credit or insurance decisions. In 2023 TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate settled Federal Trade Commission charges for US$5.8 million, which included claims about report accuracy.

Before you start

Set up an email address you can open right away. An alias used only for opt-outs is a good idea.
Write down the full legal name and date of birth that public records are likely to hold for you.
List any other names you have used, such as a maiden name, so you can add them.
Set aside ten minutes without interruption. The verification link and record search work best in one sitting.

The date of birth you enter is locked to your suppression account and cannot be changed later. Enter it carefully. A wrong date means the system may not find your records, and you would need to contact PeopleConnect to fix it.

Suppress your record in the PeopleConnect Suppression Center

Go to suppression.peopleconnect.us/login, or use the opt-out link on intelius.com, which redirects there.
Enter your email address and continue.
Open the email from PeopleConnect and click Verify Email.
Enter your date of birth.
Enter your full legal name and tick the confirmation box. Add any other names you have used.
Review the records found. Open each one that matches your age, cities and relatives.
Change each matching record's status to Suppressed and save.
Check that the record shows as Suppressed for every brand listed, including Intelius, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate and US Search.
Keep the confirmation email as a record of the date.

Suppressed is not deleted

Suppression hides your record from search results on PeopleConnect's sites. PeopleConnect may keep the underlying data, partly so it can recognise you and keep you hidden. Suppression usually takes effect within 72 hours, but allow up to 10 business days for every brand to update.

If you live in a US state with a consumer privacy law, such as California, Colorado, Virginia, Connecticut or Texas, you can go further and ask for deletion. Removal guides report that PeopleConnect accepts those requests at privacy@peopleconnect.us. Californians can also send a single deletion request to every registered data broker through DROP at privacy.ca.gov/drop, which registered brokers have had to process since 1 August 2026.

What this opt-out does not reach

Public records themselves: court, property and licence records stay with the agencies that hold them.
Other broker families: Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified and its sister sites, Radaris and the free people-search sites all need separate requests.
New records you cannot see yet: a move or a new phone number can create a record that is not matched to your suppression. Log back in to the Suppression Center every 90 days and suppress anything new.
Search engine caches: old results can take a few weeks to disappear from Google.

Readers outside the United States

PeopleConnect's background reports are built from US records, so most people who have never lived in the US will not have one. Classmates is a different product and an account there is managed in your Classmates settings. For companies in your own country, use local law. Australians can request access to and correction of personal information under the Privacy Act 1988 and complain to the OAIC. UK residents can ask for erasure under the UK GDPR and complain to the ICO if a company does not respond within a month. Canadians can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner under PIPEDA.

Frequently asked questions

Does opting out of Intelius also remove me from TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate?

Yes, when you use the PeopleConnect Suppression Center and set your record to Suppressed for each brand. Check the brand list on the record before you log out, and search each site after a few days to confirm.

Why does PeopleConnect ask for my date of birth?

It uses your date of birth and name to find records that belong to you and to make it harder for someone to suppress another person's record. Records often hold a full or partial birth date, so the match is more accurate.

How long does Intelius removal take?

Suppression usually shows within 72 hours. Allow up to 10 business days for all PeopleConnect brands to update.

Can I opt out of Intelius by phone or email?

The Suppression Center is the standard route. Residents of states with privacy laws can also email a deletion request to PeopleConnect's privacy address, but the online suppression is faster.

Why did my Intelius record come back?

New public records can create a new record that is not linked to your earlier suppression. Log in to the Suppression Center again, search, and suppress the new record.