How to Remove Yourself From ThatsThem

To opt out of ThatsThem, find your records on the site, then submit them through ThatsThem’s own opt-out page, which is linked from the site footer. The form typically asks for the details that appear on your record so the site can match and suppress it. It’s free, it covers only the records the site can match to your request, and because ThatsThem runs reverse lookups by phone, email and address, you should check each of those after the opt-out is processed.

ThatsThem is worth dealing with early. Its records can be viewed free, and it’s built around reverse searches, so someone who only has your email address or phone number can use it to find your name and home address. This guide covers the search, the opt-out, the follow-up checks and what to do next. For a wider plan, see our guide to removing yourself from people-search sites.

What ThatsThem shows

ThatsThem is a free people-search and reverse-lookup site. Its records combine public and commercial data, and many can be viewed without paying or signing up.

A ThatsThem record may show:

• Your name and age or age range
• Current and past home addresses
• Landline and mobile numbers
• Email addresses linked to your name
• Other household or demographic details, depending on the record

The reverse lookups are what make it different. Instead of starting with your name, someone can type in a phone number, an email address or a street address and see who is linked to it. For anyone dealing with an online harasser, an unknown caller or an angry ex, that’s the risk: one piece of contact data leads to all the rest.

Before you start

• Use a dedicated email address for privacy requests, not your main one. You’ll be dealing with many sites.
• Gather your identifiers. Every name you’ve used, current and old addresses, current and old phone numbers, and the email addresses you’ve used over the years.
• Type the ThatsThem address yourself. Don’t click ads. Some services with similar names charge for removals you can do free.
• Keep a log of each record, what it showed, when you submitted it and when you checked it.

Step 1: Find every ThatsThem record about you

Because the site works in several directions, search it in several directions.

1. Search your name with a city or state. Open results where the age and addresses match you.
2. Search each phone number. Include old numbers and landlines. Note which records come up.
3. Search each email address. Personal, old and work addresses can all be linked to your name.
4. Search your home address. And any address you’ve lived at in recent years.
5. Search name variations. Maiden names, nicknames, middle names and initials.
6. Write down exactly what each record shows. The name, address, phone and email as they appear. You’ll use these details in the opt-out.

Make sure each record really is you. On shared addresses and family phone lines, records can mix people up.

Step 2: Submit the ThatsThem opt-out

1. Open the official opt-out page. Find the opt-out, removal or privacy link in the footer of the ThatsThem site. Check you’re still on ThatsThem’s domain.
2. Enter the details as they appear on your record. The form generally asks for identifying details such as name, address, phone or email so it can find the right record. Match what the record shows rather than what’s current, if they differ.
3. Keep to what’s needed. Give the details that identify the record. You don’t need to add information the site doesn’t already show.
4. Complete any captcha and submit.
5. Confirm if asked. If the site sends a confirmation link or message, act on it promptly and check spam folders.
6. Repeat for other records. If you found separate records for an old address or a different name, submit each one.

The layout and fields change from time to time. Follow the current page, and keep to the pattern: find, submit, confirm, check.

If the opt-out doesn’t work

• Try again with the exact details on the record. Opt-out matching can fail if the details you enter don’t match the listing.
• Change browser or pause blockers. VPNs and aggressive content blockers can break forms and captchas.
• Contact the site’s privacy channel. The privacy policy linked in the footer normally explains how to make a privacy request. Send the details shown on the record and a clear request to remove it.
• Use your state privacy rights where they apply. A growing number of US states have comprehensive privacy laws that let residents request deletion of personal information held by covered businesses. The rights and exceptions vary, so check what your state allows. If you’re in California, our guide to the California Delete Act explains the state’s single deletion request for registered data brokers.

What the opt-out covers and what it doesn’t

Item	Covered?
The ThatsThem record the site matched to your request	Yes, once processed.
Separate records under another name or old address	Not necessarily. Check and submit each one.
Your data on other people-search and reverse-lookup sites	No. Each site has its own opt-out.
Google results that point to the old record	Not straight away. Use a refresh request once the page changes.
Copies someone already saved	No.

Why records reappear

Sites like ThatsThem refresh their data from outside sources. A new phone contract, a new email address used for shopping or a move can all feed fresh records into the system, and a new record isn’t automatically covered by your old opt-out.

So build in a check:

• Re-run your name, phone, email and address searches every three to four months.
• Check again soon after any move or new phone number.
• Submit anything new straight away.

It also helps to be sparing with the contact details you hand out. Using a separate email for shopping and sign-ups, and thinking twice before giving your mobile number at checkout, slows the flow of new data. Our guide on how to remove your phone number from the internet goes further on that.

Clean up Google results

ThatsThem records can appear in Google for searches on your name, phone number or email. After the record no longer shows your details, use Google’s “Refresh outdated content” tool so Google updates or drops the old result.

Google’s “Results about you” tool lets you request removal from Google Search of results that show your phone number, home address or email, and can alert you when new results appear. It’s a useful partner to the opt-out, because it covers results from sites you haven’t found yet.

Related sites to check next

Free people-search sites overlap heavily. Once ThatsThem is done, check the other free sites that show addresses and phone numbers without a paywall, including VeriPages, Nuwber, ClustrMaps and FastPeopleSearch. Then move on to paid report sites.

Our data broker opt-out list gives you one checklist for the major sites, which makes the follow-up checks much easier to keep up with.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client.

Leon runs a small online store and gets an unsettling message from a customer who mentions his street by name. He’d only ever given that customer his business email. He suspects a reverse lookup.

• He searches his business email on ThatsThem. It returns a record with his name, home address and mobile number.
• He searches his other identifiers. His personal email and mobile number bring up the same record, and his old apartment address brings up a second, older one.
• He submits both records through ThatsThem’s own opt-out page, entering the details exactly as each record shows them.
• A week later he re-runs every search. Both records are gone. He requests a Google refresh for the old result and signs up for Results about you alerts.
• He moves his business contact details to a separate email and a business phone line so future reverse lookups lead nowhere personal.

Common mistakes

• Only searching your name. On a reverse-lookup site, phone, email and address searches matter just as much.
• Entering current details instead of what the record shows. The match can fail.
• Giving extra personal data. Provide only what identifies the record.
• Paying a look-alike service. The official opt-out is free.
• Not checking again. New records can appear months later.

When to get help

You can complete a ThatsThem opt out yourself, and most people should. Help makes sense when you’re on many sites at once, when there’s a safety concern and you need a thorough sweep quickly, or when reverse-lookup records are part of a harassment situation. In that case, also look at our guide on what to do if you’ve been doxxed.

If you’re considering paying for help, our guide on whether data removal services are worth it explains what they can and can’t do. Our personal reputation management service handles opt-outs, re-checks and the wider cleanup of your search results, with honest expectations from the start.

Frequently asked questions

Is the ThatsThem opt-out free?

Yes. The official opt-out on ThatsThem’s own site shouldn’t cost anything. If a site asks for payment to remove your ThatsThem record, check you’re on the real domain.

How do I know my ThatsThem opt out worked?

Re-run every search that found you before: your name, each phone number, each email address and each home address. If none of them return your record, the opt-out has been processed.

How long does ThatsThem take to remove a record?

It varies. Many requests are processed within days, but it can take longer. If your record is still visible after a couple of weeks, resubmit with the exact details shown or contact the site through its privacy link.

Why is my information back on ThatsThem?

New data, such as a new phone number or a move, can create a fresh record that your earlier opt-out doesn’t cover. Search again and submit the new record.