Incogni's personal data-scrubbing service helped stop an elderly relative of mine from getting scammed.
How a data-scrubber stopped my elderly relative from being scammed [Review]
When fraudsters targeted an elderly relative of mine last year, they scammed her out of thousands of dollars. We tried to stop them, without much success. But then we scrubbed her personal data from the internet using a service called Incogni.
Surprisingly, using this affordable data removal service made all the difference.
Scamming is not random, and that’s why it’s important to protect your online privacy
When people get scammed, it often seems like it’s a random process, a matter of bad luck. But it’s anything but. Scammers glean personal details from data brokers, and the info helps them tailor their scams to make them more convincing.
The more of your personal info that’s available online, the greater the likelihood that scammers will target you. And, unfortunately, the greater the likelihood that their scams will succeed. They cleverly use your leaked personal information against you.
How Incogni works
Incogni’s dashboard shows that my relative’s personal data was scrubbed from more than 538 data brokers and sites.
Incogni is one of several personal data removal services (others include DeleteMe, Optery and Privacy Bee). Developed by SurfShark, Incogni stands out for its comprehensive coverage (it targets hundreds of data brokers and websites) and its ease of use. (Disclosure: Incogni advertises on Cult of Mac and in our newsletters.)
Incogni automates the process of removing these details from data brokers and people-search sites. It sends out hundreds of demands for removal of personal information. And then it continually follows up until the data is scrubbed for good.
Just a week after signing up my relative, Incogni had scrubbed her information from dozens of people-search sites. About two months later, her personal info had been removed from an astonishing 538 sites and data brokers.
Scams stopped after using Incogni
When I search for her name now, nothing appears on Google (at least not that I can find). Even when I add identifiable details like her city or former employer, nothing comes up.
More importantly, the scam calls and messages stopped. She is no longer being targeted by scammers.
I’m very impressed. Nothing we tried before worked, including attempting to lock down her phone, blocking unknown numbers, and removing messaging apps.
But Incogni did work, and it continues to do so. The service keeps monitoring the net for her personal data, which often pops back up when you least expect it. And when it does, Incogni takes action.
Pricing
Incogni starts at $7.99 a month for a standard plan. Family plans (covering up to five members) start at $15.99 a month.
Cult of Mac readers can use code CULTOFMAC to get 55% off.
Incogni provided Cult of Mac with an activation code for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.