Opt-Out Ledger

How to Opt Out via PeopleConnect: TruthFinder, Intelius, Instant Checkmate, and US Search

Last checked: October 25, 2026

TruthFinder, Intelius, Instant Checkmate, and US Search look like four separate problems.

They are not. They are run by the same owner, PeopleConnect. They share one suppression tool.

Suppression means your background report is hidden from these sites' search and report products. It is not the same as deleting every trace of data the company holds.

Instead of filing four separate opt-outs, you can use the PeopleConnect Suppression Center once. That single request suppresses your background report across all four sites.

Plan for about ten minutes with no breaks. You will get a verification link that expires in about 15 minutes. You must click it fast.

There is a second trap. The identity check uses contact details already in your record. Those details may be years out of date.

This guide walks through both traps before you hit them.

Quick answer

What these sites show about you

TruthFinder, Intelius, Instant Checkmate, and US Search sell background reports. A report can include:

The four brands draw on PeopleConnect's shared data. The same record tends to surface on all of them. That is why one suppression request can cover all four.

Read this before you start: suppression is not account cancellation. If you have a paid account on one of these sites, suppression does not cancel that account or stop its billing. You must cancel the account separately. See the section below.

Step-by-step: suppress your record in the PeopleConnect Suppression Center

Before you start, open your email inbox. Keep it open. You will need it right away.

  1. Open the Suppression Center. Go to suppression.peopleconnect.us. Set aside ten uninterrupted minutes. The next steps are time-sensitive.
  2. Enter your email address. Use an inbox you can open right now, on this device.
  3. Open the verification email as soon as it arrives. You will get an email with a link.
  4. Click the verification link fast. The link expires in about 15 minutes. If it has already expired, request a fresh link. Be ready to click immediately this time.
  5. Enter your date of birth.
  6. Enter your full legal name. Use your legal name even if the sites list you under a variation. This is used to locate your record.
  7. Pick the correct record. You may be shown one or more matching records. Check the age, cities, and relatives or associates on each. Select the one that is actually you. If you pick the wrong record, you will suppress someone else's report and leave yours live.
  8. Choose a contact you can still access. In the next step, PeopleConnect sends a verification code to an email address or phone number already on your record. Read this warning first: if every email and phone on your record is old, you may not be able to get the code. That is a dead end in the tool, not a mistake on your part. See "What trips people up" below for what to do.
  9. Enter the verification code. PeopleConnect will send the code to the contact you chose. Enter it promptly.
  10. Submit the code. You should see a final confirmation screen or get confirmation by email.
  11. Save your confirmation. Complete any final confirmation screen. Keep the emails you received. They give you a dated record of the request for your follow-up check.

What trips people up

The 15-minute link. This is the most common failure. People enter their email, get distracted, and click the verification link an hour later — by which time it is dead, with no clear explanation. Treat the whole process as one sitting: email open, link clicked within minutes.

The identity-code trap. The code step depends on contacts already in your record. If every email and phone number PeopleConnect lists for you is old — a closed email account, a landline from two homes ago — you cannot receive the code, and the tool gives you no way through. This is a dead end in the tool, not a mistake on your part. If it happens, contact the company directly, explain that the contacts on your record are no longer accessible, and ask for a manual suppression path. Keep notes of when you contacted them and what they replied.

Suppression is not account cancellation. If you ever paid for a TruthFinder, Intelius, Instant Checkmate, or US Search membership, suppressing your own record does not cancel that subscription or stop its billing. Cancel the account separately through that brand's normal account process.

Not everything with the same owner is covered. ZabaSearch and Classmates.com are under the same ownership but are not covered by this Suppression Center. Suppressing your record here does nothing to a ZabaSearch listing or a Classmates profile; each needs its own process.

The USPhoneBook wrinkle. USPhoneBook's opt-out link also redirects to this Suppression Center, but the tool's own text does not list USPhoneBook among the covered sites. Do not assume your USPhoneBook listing is gone just because you completed this process — check USPhoneBook separately afterwards, and treat it as unverified until you see the listing itself disappear.

How long and how to verify

PeopleConnect states that suppression takes about 48 hours for background reports.

Wait at least two to three days. Then verify on the sites themselves, not just in the tool:

Your report should no longer be offered or previewed on any of the four.

If one brand still shows your report after several days, note which one. Contact PeopleConnect with the date of your completed suppression request.

When your listing comes back

Suppression is not guaranteed to be permanent.

These sites refresh their data. A record can resurface if your information is supplied again. It can also be rebuilt under a name or address variation.

If that happens, repeat the same process. Click the fast link quickly again.

Check these sites every few months:

That helps keep your reports suppressed over time.

Rather have it done for you?

Opting out site by site is free, but there are hundreds of data brokers and people-search sites, and listings can reappear. Paid removal services handle the requests and the re-checks for you. Two well-known options are Incogni and Optery. We link to their homepages here so you can compare plans and coverage yourself; no service can promise permanent removal from every site, so check what each one actually covers before you pay. If you subscribe through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Sources

Opt-Out Ledger is independent and is not affiliated with PeopleConnect, TruthFinder, Intelius, Instant Checkmate, or US Search. This guide is general information, not legal advice.