Personal Information on the Dark Web

When your personal information appears on the dark web, it typically includes combinations of: name, address, date of birth, phone numbers, and email. This data enables identity theft.

What "Personal Information" Includes

Dark web listings may contain:

Full legal name and aliases
Date of birth
Social Security Number (see our SSN guide)
Current and past addresses
Phone numbers
Email addresses
Driver's license numbers
Passport information

Risk Assessment

High Risk Combinations

The more data exposed together, the higher the risk:

Name + SSN + DOB = Critical risk
Name + Address + DOB = High risk
Name + Email + Phone = Moderate risk
Email only = Lower risk

Immediate Actions

1. Freeze Your Credit

If SSN or financial data exposed:

Freeze at all three bureaus
It's free and reversible
Prevents new account fraud

2. Place Fraud Alerts

One call covers all bureaus:

Initial alert: 1 year
Extended alert: 7 years (with report)

3. Monitor Your Accounts

Check regularly:

Bank statements
Credit card activity
Credit reports
Medical insurance EOBs

4. Secure Your Accounts

Change passwords on important accounts
Enable 2FA everywhere
Update security questions

Long-Term Protection Strategy

Reduce Your Digital Footprint

Less data online means:

Less to steal
Fewer breach exposures
Harder to impersonate you

Remove from Data Brokers

Data brokers make identity theft easier:

They aggregate your information
Criminals use them for research
Remove yourself from all of them

Ongoing Monitoring

Credit monitoring services
Dark web surveillance
Breach alert notifications

What Criminals Do with PII

Identity Theft

Open accounts in your name
File fraudulent tax returns
Apply for government benefits

Social Engineering

Impersonate you to companies
Answer security questions
Gain access to your accounts

Targeted Scams

Personalized phishing
Convincing fraud attempts
Relationship scams

GhostMyData Comprehensive Protection

We provide layered protection:

Data broker removal - Reduce exposed information
Dark web monitoring - Detect exposures early
Breach alerts - Know when you're affected
Continuous scanning - Ongoing protection

Protect your personal information with a free scan.

What to Do If Your Personal Information Is on the Dark Web