Is MyLife Legit? The Company, the FTC Case and Your Options

Is MyLife legit? MyLife.com is a real, registered people-search business, and it also has a federal enforcement history. In 2020 the Department of Justice, acting for the Federal Trade Commission, sued MyLife.com, Inc. and its CEO over misleading “teaser background reports” and hard-to-cancel subscriptions. The case ended with a court order in December 2021 that required payments for consumers and banned negative option marketing. Here’s what that means if you’re thinking of paying, or if you’ve found your own profile.

The facts in this MyLife review are as of September 2026. We describe the enforcement case only as the FTC describes it, and we’re clear about what we couldn’t check.

Who runs MyLife?

California’s data broker registry, maintained by the California Privacy Protection Agency, is the most useful official record here. In the registry file we checked (last updated July 2026), mylife.com is listed as the website of a registered data broker named Insightbridge LLC, with an address in Sheridan, Wyoming, and membersupport@mylife.com as the contact email.

The FTC case, by contrast, named MyLife.com, Inc. and its CEO, Jeffrey Tinsley. We couldn’t load MyLife’s own pages to see how the two relate, so how Insightbridge LLC relates to MyLife.com, Inc. is unconfirmed. We’re reporting both names exactly as each official source gives them and not guessing at the connection. If it matters to you, for example because you’re disputing a charge, the name on your receipt and in MyLife’s current terms is the one to use.

We also searched Apple’s App Store in September 2026 and found no app sold by MyLife. Apps that come up for “mylife” are unrelated products, such as budgeting and health apps, so don’t assume an app with the name is connected.

The FTC and DOJ case against MyLife

This is the part most people are looking for, so here it is in the FTC’s own terms.

The complaint (July 2020)

On July 27, 2020, the FTC announced that the Department of Justice, on its behalf, had sued MyLife.com, Inc. and CEO Jeffrey Tinsley in federal court in California. According to the FTC, the complaint alleged that:

• MyLife’s “teaser background reports” suggested that people might have arrest, criminal or sex offender records, often when they did not, to persuade consumers to buy auto-renewing premium subscriptions.
• Some consumers came to believe they or others had criminal records when they didn’t, or had only minor traffic citations.
• MyLife operated as a consumer reporting agency and violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including by failing to maintain reasonable procedures on how its reports would be used and on accuracy.
• Its billing practices violated the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, for example by not clearly disclosing charges or automatic renewal, and it misrepresented refund and cancellation policies in violation of the Telemarketing Sales Rule.

At that stage these were allegations. The FTC’s release noted that the case would be decided by the court.

The order (December 2021)

On December 16, 2021, the FTC announced the outcome. As the FTC describes it:

• MyLife and Tinsley agreed to separate judgments totaling $33.9 million. Tinsley was to pay $5 million, and MyLife a partially suspended judgment of $16 million because of its inability to pay the full amount, for a total of $21 million to be used for consumer refunds.
• Both were permanently banned from offering any product with a negative option feature, and from the kinds of deceptive conduct in the complaint, including implying that someone with a traffic violation has a criminal record.
• MyLife was required to implement a monitoring program to ensure it complies with the FCRA.

The court approved the stipulated order on December 15, 2021. The FTC’s releases, “FTC Alleges California Purveyor of Background Reports Misled Consumers” (July 2020) and “FTC, DOJ Obtain Ban on Negative Option Marketing and $21 Million for Consumers Deceived by Background Report Provider MyLife” (December 2021), are the primary sources if you want the full text.

Is MyLife free?

We can’t confirm what MyLife charges today, because its pages blocked us. What we can say:

• Searching and viewing a basic profile has typically been possible without paying. Our MyLife opt-out guide describes profiles showing a name, age, cities and possible relatives, with more details behind a paid membership.
• Negative option offers are banned for MyLife. A negative option is a plan that keeps charging you unless you act to stop it, such as an automatically renewing subscription. The 2021 order, as the FTC describes it, bans MyLife and its CEO from offering any product with that feature.
• Removing your own profile shouldn’t cost anything. You don’t need a membership to request removal.

So “is MyLife free?” has a short answer: looking is usually free, detail is usually paid, and removal should be free. Whatever you’re offered at checkout, read exactly what you’re buying and how long it lasts before you enter a card.

What MyLife reports are not

A people-search profile isn’t an official record, and it isn’t a credit report. The “reputation score” MyLife has shown on profiles isn’t a credit score and isn’t issued by any official body. Our guide to reputation scores explains the difference between the various scores people see online.

In its California registration, Insightbridge LLC answered “No” to the question of whether it or any subsidiary is regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. However MyLife describes itself today, don’t use a people-search profile to decide on someone’s job, tenancy, credit or insurance. Use an FCRA-compliant screening company for those.

Accuracy is the other limit. People-search data is matched by name, age and location, so records can be merged or out of date. The FTC case itself centered on reports implying records that often didn’t exist. Treat anything you read on a profile as a lead to check, not a fact.

If your MyLife profile shows something false

This is the situation that makes people most anxious, especially if a profile hints at “court records” or “criminal records” you don’t have.

1. Screenshot it with the date. Capture the profile, the score and any wording about records.
2. Don’t pay to “see” or “fix” it. Paying won’t make it more accurate, and removal shouldn’t require payment.
3. Request removal. The MyLife opt-out guide linked above covers the privacy request, email confirmation and follow-up.
4. Check the real records. If you’re worried something official exists, check court records directly rather than trusting a teaser.
5. Get advice if it’s serious. If a false profile is harming your job or reputation, talk to a lawyer about your options rather than making public accusations.

If you believe you were misled by a people-search site, you can report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Removing yourself and keeping it that way

The FTC’s consumer guide to people search sites says most of these sites let you opt out, and you can do it yourself, one site at a time, for free. It also warns that opting out doesn’t delete public records, that your details can still appear in relatives’ reports, and that your information can reappear if your public records change.

• California residents can use the state’s Delete Request and Opt-out Platform to send one deletion request to registered data brokers. See our guide to the California Delete Act.
• Everyone can work through our data broker opt-out list, starting with the free sites anyone can view.
• If the MyLife page ranks on Google, ask Google to refresh the result once the profile is gone.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client.

Graham, a contractor, notices a MyLife profile in the top results for his name, with a prompt suggesting there may be court records. He’s never been to court.

• He screenshots the profile and reads the FTC’s 2021 announcement, so he understands the history without taking the teaser at face value.
• He checks his county court’s online index and confirms there’s nothing under his name and birth year.
• He submits a removal request and confirms the email, then follows up in writing when the profile is still live three weeks later.
• Once it’s gone, he refreshes the Google result and adds a complete business profile and LinkedIn page, so accurate pages lead his search results.

Common mistakes

• Calling the company a “scam” in public. Stick to facts. If a profile is false and harmful, get legal advice.
• Paying to raise a score. Removal is the goal, and it shouldn’t require payment.
• Believing a teaser. Check official records before you worry.
• Using a profile for screening. It isn’t an FCRA report.
• Forgetting other sites. MyLife is rarely the only place your details appear.

How we can help, and what we don’t do

Because mylife.com blocked our checks, this MyLife review doesn’t score its reports. We don’t sell people searches or background checks. Our free Reputation Scanner is launching soon: a self-search tool that will find harmful results about you, rank the top 10 negative results by seriousness, and draft removal requests you review and send yourself, with no account and no billing. For a wider plan, read our guide to removing yourself from people-search sites. If a people-search page is one of the first things people see about you, our personal reputation management team can review your results through a free audit and tell you what’s realistic. We can’t promise any site will comply.

Frequently asked questions

Is MyLife legit or a scam?

MyLife.com is a real, registered data broker. It also has a federal enforcement history: in 2020 the DOJ sued MyLife.com, Inc. and its CEO on the FTC’s behalf, and a December 2021 court order required $21 million for consumers and banned negative option marketing. The complaint’s charges were allegations, resolved by a stipulated order. Read its current terms before paying for anything.

Is MyLife safe to use?

It’s a real, registered business, but go carefully: don’t take a teaser about “records” at face value, read exactly what you’re buying and whether it renews, and check official court records before you worry about anything a profile suggests.

Is MyLife free?

Viewing a basic profile has typically been free, with more detail behind a paid membership. We couldn’t confirm current prices in September 2026 because the site blocked our checks. Requesting removal of your own profile doesn’t require payment.

Did MyLife have to pay refunds?

The FTC announced in December 2021 that MyLife and its CEO would pay a total of $21 million, to be used to provide refunds to consumers. For the status of any refund program, check the FTC’s refunds pages on ftc.gov.

How do I remove my MyLife profile?

Find each profile, copy its URL, submit a removal request through the privacy link on mylife.com, and confirm by email. Follow up in writing if it’s still live after a few weeks, then refresh the old Google result.