Why do I see strangers listed as associated or related individuals on my profile?

Sometimes you will find a data broker profile with your name that also lists people you have never met as your "Relatives" or "Associates." These errors are a systemic part of the data broker industry.

Data brokers are not likely to verify your individual family tree through official birth or marriage records. Instead, they use data points they collect—like property records, utility bills, and credit card purchases—and try to make a best guess as to who is connected to you. If two people share a common identifier like an address or telephone number (even if it's an old one), the algorithm assumes those people are related or associated.

Here are some ways this association could happen:

• Recycled Phone Numbers: Millions of phone numbers are recycled in the U.S. every year. If your current number belonged to someone else in the past, a data broker may still link your name to that person’s family and friends (or vice versa).
• Address History: If you live in an apartment or home where multiple people resided previously, data brokers may connect your profile to those former residents because you share a common physical address in the public record.
• Similar Names: If you have a common name, algorithms may accidentally merge your data with another person’s profile, pulling in their relatives and associates as yours.

Under US state privacy laws, you may have the Right to Opt-Out and the Right to Deletion, meaning you can demand that data brokers stop selling or sharing your personal information or that they delete your information altogether. Optery can act as your Authorized Agent to support you in exercising those rights. Learn more.

Updated on: 30/12/2025