How to remove yourself from TruePeopleSearch
TruePeopleSearch is a free people-search site that shows addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, relatives and associates. It has its own removal tool, and the opt-out is free. Here are the steps, what each source says about timing, and what to do when it doesn't work.
- Cost
- Free
- Opt-out page
truepeoplesearch.com/removal- Account needed
- No. The site says it doesn't have user accounts [1].
- What you need
- An email address you can open right away, and a CAPTCHA to pass [3][4]
- Stated removal time
- Within 72 hours, according to the confirmation message DuckDuckGo quotes [3]. Reports of the real time vary (see below).
- Can it come back?
- Yes. The site says its data "is updated regularly" [1], and guides report that new records can create a new listing [4][5].
Step by step
- Find your listing first. Search your name with your city and state on truepeoplesearch.com, open the matching result ("View Details"), and copy the page's URL. DuckDuckGo suggests searching by name, because a listing may not have your current phone, email or address [3]. Check for more than one listing. Each one is a separate removal [3][4].
- Open the removal tool at
truepeoplesearch.com/removal. TruePeopleSearch's help page sends you to this tool and asks you to "follow the instructions to the letter" [1][2]. - Confirm you're the subject and enter your email. The form asks you to confirm the record is about you, give an email address, and pass a CAPTCHA [3][4]. Incogni's August 2026 guide also describes entering your full name at this stage [4].
- Choose the record. Depending on the version of the form you get, you'll either click Remove This Record at the bottom of your listing [3], or fill in a fuller opt-out form, reached from the email link, with details matching the listing [4]. Use the details exactly as they appear on the listing.
- Click the link in the verification email. DuckDuckGo reports the subject line "Please complete your removal request" [3]. Incogni says the link expires after 24 hours [4], so click it the same day. The request isn't processed until you do [5].
- Check again after 72 hours. Search your name, and also your phone number and email, to catch duplicate listings [5]. According to DuckDuckGo, you won't get an email when the removal is finished [3]. Incogni's guide mentions a later confirmation email [4], so don't count on either.
How long does it take?
The confirmation message DuckDuckGo quotes says your record "should be removed everywhere from this site within 72 hours" [3]. Sources report shorter real-world times, but these are their own observations, not promises from TruePeopleSearch:
- DuckDuckGo: the listing URL is typically gone "within one hour" [3].
- Incogni: "usually faster than 72 hours" [4].
Plan on up to 72 hours, then check. Google can keep showing the old listing after it's gone from the site (see below).
If the opt-out fails
Clicking submit does nothing
Incogni says this is usually a browser problem. Try another browser, or clear cookies and cache, and start the form again [4].
No verification email
Check spam and junk folders. If it still hasn't arrived, start the removal again to get a new email. You can use the same address or a different one [4][5].
Listing still up after 72 hours
Search again to make sure you're not looking at a different listing, then submit the removal again [4][5]. If the automated tool keeps failing, TruePeopleSearch's own help page says you "can always contact us and we can take care of it," and warns that this takes longer [1]. The support address on its site is support@truepeoplesearch.com [1][2]. Put your request in writing, include the listing URL, and keep a copy [4]. If you live in a state with a deletion right, such as California under the CCPA, you can say so in the request [4].
More than one listing
Remove each listing separately [3][4]. Incogni says you can reuse the same email for all of them [4]. DuckDuckGo says you "should be able to submit up to five" requests from one email address [3].
If your listing comes back
This is common. TruePeopleSearch says its database comes from "literally thousands of public records sources" and that its data "is updated regularly" [1]. Incogni reports that TruePeopleSearch's privacy notice recommends refreshing your opt-out from time to time [4]. A new public record, such as a move, a property record or a court filing, can create a new listing that your old opt-out doesn't cover [4][5].
- Search your name, phone and email again every so often. NewReputation suggests every 3 to 6 months [5].
- When a new listing appears, repeat the steps above for that listing.
- DuckDuckGo says removing your TruePeopleSearch record also removes it from related sites "including SmartBackgroundChecks" [3]. We haven't confirmed that ourselves, so check those sites too.
It's gone from the site but still shows in Google
TruePeopleSearch's help page says Google takes time to refresh, and points to Google's outdated-content removal tool [1]. You can also use Google's "Results about you" to find and request removal of search results that show your phone, home address or email [6]. Removing a result from Google doesn't remove it from the website itself [6].
- Google outdated content tool:
search.google.com/search-console/remove-outdated-content
Doing this for many sites
TruePeopleSearch is one of many people-search sites, and each has its own opt-out. Paid data-removal services send opt-out requests to many brokers for you and repeat them over time. The free steps above work without one. We plan to publish an independent comparison of those services later.
Sources
- TruePeopleSearch, Help/FAQ ("How do I remove myself from this site?", "I removed my record but can still see it in Google!"). The live page showed a bot-check on Oct 22, 2026, so we read the Internet Archive copy from June 5, 2026: web.archive.org/web/20260605225141/https://www.truepeoplesearch.com/help
- TruePeopleSearch, Personal Data: View and Removal Info ("To delete your public records information... please use our removal tool"), archived Mar 29, 2026: web.archive.org/web/20260329192826/https://www.truepeoplesearch.com/privacy?removal=true
- DuckDuckGo Help Pages, TruePeopleSearch Removal 2025, read Oct 22, 2026: duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/truepeoplesearch-removal (DuckDuckGo sells a removal service)
- Incogni, How to opt out of TruePeopleSearch, updated Aug 4, 2026, read Oct 22, 2026: blog.incogni.com/true-people-search-removal/ (Incogni sells a removal service)
- NewReputation, How to Opt Out of TruePeopleSearch.com, read via search snippet Oct 22, 2026: blog.newreputation.com/truepeoplesearch-opt-out/
- Google Search Help, Find and remove personal info in Google Search results, read Oct 22, 2026: support.google.com/websearch/answer/12719076