Instant Checkmate Opt Out Guide
Seeing your personal information exposed on Instant Checkmate — from addresses to possible criminal records — can be unsettling. Fortunately, you can take back control by submitting a DIY opt-out request, which we’ll walk you through below. To save time and keep your information off Instant Checkmate for good, Vanish Me offers an automated removal service that handles the process across multiple data brokers.
What is Instant Checkmate?
Instant Checkmate is a data broker and background check service founded in 2010. The site aggregates billions of public records from government databases, property filings, and online sources to generate detailed personal reports.
With Instant Checkmate, users can search by name, phone number, or address. A typical report may include contact details, past and current addresses, relatives, property ownership records, social media profiles, criminal history, and more. The platform markets itself as a way to verify identities, reconnect with people, or research acquaintances.
Despite its wide use, Instant Checkmate has drawn criticism for exposing sensitive data and making it easy to access personal records without consent. Like other data brokers, it also uses subscription billing models that can frustrate consumers. Importantly, Instant Checkmate is not a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). This means its reports cannot legally be used for employment screening, tenant checks, credit decisions, or insurance purposes.
Because of the depth of information it provides, many individuals view Instant Checkmate as a privacy risk and choose to opt out to keep their data from being so easily accessible online.
How to Remove Your Information from Instant Checkmate (Step by Step)
Instant Checkmate is owned by parent company People Connect. People Connect has a centralized tool that opts you out of all of the data broker sites that they own, which includes:
Classmates® – a longstanding social network for reuniting with old school friends.
Intelius – known for reverse phone/address lookups and background checks.
TruthFinder – a deep-dive people search platform offering detailed personal reports.
Instant Checkmate – another robust background-check service.
US Search – a legacy people search site they also operate.
For instructions on removing your information from Instant Checkmate, please reference the instructions we created in our Intelius guide here.
How Long Does Instant Checkmates Take to Remove Your Info?
Instant Checkmate usually processes opt-out requests within 48 to 72 hours. Your profile may still appear in search results for a few days while their system updates, but it should disappear within a week. Like other data brokers owned by PeopleConnect, Instant Checkmate frequently refreshes its database, which means your information can reappear later. To save time and ensure lasting results, Vanish Me can automatically handle Instant Checkmate removals and keep your data private.
