What Is a Ghost Address?

A ghost address is a real, physical mailing address that you use instead of your home address on public records, business filings, and online accounts. The goal is simple: keep your actual home location out of databases that data brokers scrape, so that when someone searches your name on Spokeo, WhitePages, or FastPeopleSearch, they find the ghost address instead of where you actually live.

Ghost addresses go by many names — virtual addresses, CMRA addresses (Commercial Mail Receiving Agency), mail forwarding addresses, or simply "privacy addresses." Whatever you call them, the concept is the same: a layer of separation between your identity and your physical location.

Ghost Address vs Virtual Address vs PO Box: What's the Difference?

These terms are often used interchangeably, but there are important legal and practical distinctions:

PO Boxes (US Postal Service)

Cost: $20-$60/year depending on size and location
Format: "PO Box 1234, City, State ZIP"
Limitations: Many government forms, banks, and online retailers reject PO Box formats. The IRS, DMV, and most financial institutions require a "street address."
Privacy: Moderate. PO Box records are not public, but the PO Box format itself signals you're hiding your address.

CMRA / Virtual Mailbox (UPS Store, iPostal1, Anytime Mailbox, Traveling Mailbox)

Cost: $15-$50/month
Format: Real street address + suite number (e.g., "123 Main St Suite 456")
Advantages: Looks like a normal street address. Accepted by banks, DMV, insurance. Mail scanning and forwarding available.
Limitations: USPS requires CMRA addresses to be identified as such (PS Form 1583). Some services share CMRAs with known databases, which brokers can flag.

Virtual Office Addresses (Regus, WeWork, Davinci)

Cost: $50-$300/month
Format: Real commercial address, often in a prestigious building
Best for: Business filings, LLC registration, professional appearances
Limitations: Expensive for personal use only

Trusted Person's Address

Cost: Free
Format: Real residential address
Advantages: Looks completely normal in public records
Limitations: Requires someone willing to receive your mail. Creates a link between you and that person in broker databases.

Why People Use Ghost Addresses

1. Domestic Violence and Stalking Protection

Survivors of domestic violence use ghost addresses to prevent abusers from finding their new location through voter registration, property records, or people-search sites. Many states have Address Confidentiality Programs (ACP) that provide a substitute address for government records — but these don't cover private data brokers.

2. Data Broker Removal

When you opt out of data brokers like Spokeo, TruePeopleSearch, or BeenVerified, the broker removes your current address. But within weeks, new data sources feed your real address back into their systems. A ghost address means the "new" data they receive is your ghost address, not your home.

3. Public Figure Privacy

Business owners, authors, content creators, and anyone with a public presence use ghost addresses to keep their home address out of WHOIS records, business registrations, and corporate filings that are scraped by data brokers.

4. General Privacy

Some people simply don't want their home address — and by extension, their daily routine, their neighborhood, and their family's location — available to anyone with internet access.

How Data Brokers Find Your Address (Even With a Ghost Address)

Here's the hard truth: a ghost address alone is not enough. Data brokers use dozens of data sources, and most people only update a few of them:

Sources Brokers Scrape

Voter registration records — Public in most states. Updated when you register or change address.
Property tax assessments — County assessor records link your name to your property address.
USPS change-of-address data — When you file a change-of-address, USPS sells this data to approved businesses (including data aggregators).
Utility connections — Opening a water, electric, or gas account creates a public record in some jurisdictions.
Vehicle registration — DMV records are partially public in most states.
Court filings — Lawsuits, divorces, and even small claims list your address.
Business filings — LLC, DBA, and corporate registrations with the Secretary of State.
Marketing databases — Loyalty cards, warranty registrations, magazine subscriptions, and online purchases all feed address data into broker networks.
Social media — Geotagged photos, check-ins, and even the background of your posts can reveal your location.
Other data brokers — Brokers buy from each other. Even if you remove from one, another may re-supply your address.

The Re-Acquisition Cycle

This is the critical problem: even after you successfully remove your data from every major broker, your information reappears within 30-90 days as brokers re-acquire data from public records and commercial sources. A ghost address helps because the "new" data may point to your ghost address — but only if you've updated all the sources above.

How to Set Up a Ghost Address: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Choose Your Ghost Address Type

For most people, a CMRA / virtual mailbox is the best balance of cost, functionality, and privacy. We recommend services that:

Provide a real street address (not obviously a mailbox store)
Offer mail scanning so you can view mail digitally
Forward packages when needed
Don't share customer data with marketing databases

Popular options: Anytime Mailbox, iPostal1, Traveling Mailbox, PostScan Mail.

Step 2: Complete USPS Form 1583

All CMRA services require you to file PS Form 1583 with the US Postal Service, authorizing the CMRA to receive mail on your behalf. This requires notarization or in-person ID verification.

Step 3: Update Your Address on Key Records

This is the most important (and most tedious) step. You need to update your address with:

Voter registration — Contact your county elections office. Some states allow online changes.
DMV / vehicle registration — Update your driver's license and vehicle registration.
Bank and financial accounts — All banks, credit cards, investment accounts.
Insurance — Health, auto, homeowner's/renter's insurance.
IRS — File Form 8822 (Change of Address) or update when you file your next return.
USPS — Do NOT file a standard change-of-address (this creates a public record). Instead, update each account individually.
Online accounts — Amazon, eBay, any site that has your shipping address.
Subscriptions — Magazines, subscription boxes, anything mailed to your home.

Critical: Do NOT file a USPS change-of-address form from your old address to your ghost address. This is one of the primary data sources brokers use.

Step 4: Remove Your Real Address from Data Brokers

After setting up your ghost address, remove your existing listings from people-search sites. The major ones to prioritize:

Or use GhostMyData to remove your data from 1,500+ brokers automatically.

Step 5: Monitor for Re-Listings

This is where most ghost address strategies fail. You do the work once, then stop checking. But brokers continuously re-acquire data. You need ongoing monitoring to catch when your real address resurfaces.

Why Ghost Addresses Alone Aren't Enough

A ghost address is a defensive measure, not a complete solution. Here's why:

1. You Can't Update Everything

There are hundreds of data sources that feed into broker networks. Updating your top 20 accounts still leaves dozens of old records pointing to your real address. Property tax records, for example, will always show the address of the property you own — you can't change that.

2. Cross-Referencing Defeats Ghost Addresses

Brokers use identity resolution algorithms that link records across databases. If your ghost address appears on your bank account but your real address appears on your voter registration, the broker connects both to your identity and publishes both addresses.

3. Historical Data Persists

Even after you update everything, data brokers retain historical address data. "Previous addresses" sections on people-search sites may still show your real home address for years.

4. Data Broker Re-Acquisition

The average data broker re-acquires consumer data every 30-90 days from public records and commercial data providers. Without continuous monitoring and removal, your real address will reappear.

The Complete Privacy Strategy

The most effective approach combines ghost addresses with automated broker removal:

Ghost address: Prevents new data from pointing to your home
Initial broker removal: Cleans existing listings from 1,500+ sites
Continuous monitoring: Catches re-listings as they appear
Automatic re-removal: Removes new listings without manual effort

This is exactly what GhostMyData does. Our automated system scans data brokers continuously, identifies your listings, and submits removal requests — including when your information reappears after initial removal.

State Address Confidentiality Programs

If you're a domestic violence survivor, stalking victim, or at-risk individual, many states offer formal Address Confidentiality Programs:

State

Program

Eligibility

California	Safe at Home	DV, stalking, trafficking survivors
New York	ACP	DV, stalking, trafficking survivors
Texas	ACP	DV, stalking, sexual assault survivors
Florida	ACP	DV, stalking, aggravated stalking survivors
All 50 states	Various	Check your state's Secretary of State website

These programs provide a substitute address for government records and forward mail to your actual location. However, they do not cover private data brokers — you still need to remove your data from commercial people-search sites separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to use a ghost address?

Yes. Using a CMRA, virtual mailbox, or PO Box as your mailing address is completely legal. However, you must use your actual residential address for certain government purposes (like your driver's license in some states) and may not use a ghost address to evade legal obligations like jury duty or process serving.

Will a ghost address protect me from being found on Google?

Partially. If you update all your records to a ghost address AND remove your existing broker listings, Google search results will eventually reflect the ghost address instead of your real one. But this takes months, and cached results may persist longer.

Can I use a ghost address for my LLC or business?

Yes, and this is one of the most common uses. Business filings with the Secretary of State are public records that data brokers scrape. Using a virtual office address for your registered agent and principal address keeps your home off these records.

How much does a ghost address cost per year?

PO Box: $20-$60/year
Virtual mailbox (CMRA): $180-$600/year ($15-$50/month)
Virtual office: $600-$3,600/year ($50-$300/month)
Automated broker removal (GhostMyData): $119.88/year for Pro plan

What's the biggest mistake people make with ghost addresses?

Filing a USPS change-of-address form. This creates a public record that data brokers purchase directly from USPS-approved data providers. Instead, update each account individually with your new ghost address.

Ghost Addresses & Virtual Addresses: The Complete Privacy Guide (2026)