It's really easy to have your information posted publicly without even knowing it. There's a whole industry in the US that buys up public records, cross-references them and sells them as 'background checks'. Buy a house? Your name and address is now a public record. Sign up for Cable TV/Internet with free phone service thrown in? Hope you checked to pay the extra 'unlisted number' fee because otherwise your name address and phone number are now in the phone book. Ever have to settle something in court? Your name and address, along with whatever you went to court over are now publicly available.
In the past you'd actually have to go to some county government office to view the records, but these companies will collect them in bulk and sell the information on the internet. Most of them will let you claim it and take down the information for free, but then go on to offer sell you services where they go and send take down notifications to a bunch of other sites. It's a huge racket.
In the past you'd actually have to go to some county government office to view the records, but these companies will collect them in bulk and sell the information on the internet. Most of them will let you claim it and take down the information for free, but then go on to offer sell you services where they go and send take down notifications to a bunch of other sites. It's a huge racket.