Instant Checkmate Opt Out: How to Remove Your Listing

Written by the Removal Lab team.

Found an Instant Checkmate listing with your old addresses, your age and maybe an arrest from years ago? The Instant Checkmate opt out is free and starts on Instant Checkmate’s own opt out page, which its California registration says you can also reach from the Do Not Sell My Personal Information or Suppress My Data links on its homepage. You can do it yourself, or Removal Lab can handle the Instant Checkmate opt out for you.

Two honest notes first. Instant Checkmate’s opt out page and privacy policy blocked our checker, so we could not see the screens ourselves. Everything below comes from its homepage, which did load, plus what Instant Checkmate, LLC told the California data broker registry. Confirm each screen of the Instant Checkmate opt out as you go.

Instant Checkmate opt out at a glance

Each answer below comes from Instant Checkmate’s homepage, the FTC or the California data broker registry. Where no official page says something, we say so.

How to opt out of Instant Checkmate step by step

Step 1. Find your listing

Search Instant Checkmate for your full name. Its homepage says reports can include addresses, age and known aliases, so search any former names too. Write down the details that show it is really you. The FTC suggests searching by phone number and address as well, because people search sites often hold more than one record for the same person.

Step 2. Open the Instant Checkmate opt out page

Instant Checkmate told the California registry that a consumer may opt out of sale or make privacy requests by visiting its opt out page. It said the page can be opened directly or by clicking the Do Not Sell My Personal Information or Suppress My Data links on the Instant Checkmate homepage.

That page blocked our checker, so we cannot list its fields, its buttons or how it confirms who you are. Follow each screen as it appears and give only what it asks for. If you land on a page titled PeopleConnect Suppression Center, you are still on an official page. PeopleConnect links its own Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information to that centre.

Step 3. Use an email address you check

We could not see how the page confirms a request, but you will want a record of your Instant Checkmate opt out either way. Use an inbox you read, check the spam folder and save every message you get back.

Step 4. Use email or phone if the page fails

Its older registration says you can also email support@instantcheckmate.com or call (800) 222 8985 during business hours. The homepage gives the same number for member care, Monday to Friday from 7am to 4pm Pacific time, which is 10am to 7pm Eastern. The latest registry entry we could read lists help@instantcheckmate.com and 877 564 3003. Include the details from step 1 so support can find the right listing.

Step 5. Check again and repeat for every listing

We found no published timing for an Instant Checkmate opt out. Search your name again after a few days, which is our suggestion rather than a stated rule. If you found more than one listing, for example under a maiden name, treat each one as its own Instant Checkmate removal and check each one separately.

What Instant Checkmate shows

Instant Checkmate describes itself as a public records search service for looking up people in the United States. PeopleConnect describes it as its brand for trusted insight. Its homepage is unusually direct about criminal records, which is why many people look for an Instant Checkmate opt out in the first place.

Two more points from the homepage. Instant Checkmate says it does not alert the person you searched, so you will not be told if someone looks you up. It also says searches run over a 256 bit encrypted connection. Neither changes how the Instant Checkmate opt out works, but both explain why a listing can be read without you ever knowing.

Instant Checkmate and old arrest records

An Instant Checkmate opt out deals with your listing on Instant Checkmate. It does not touch the arrest or court records behind it. The FTC says opting out of a people search site does not delete your information from public records, which can still be found on government websites. The California Attorney General adds that publicly available information, such as public property records, sits outside the CCPA.

So if the worry is an old arrest, plan two jobs. First the Instant Checkmate opt out. Then the record at its source and on other sites that copy it. Our pages on mugshot removal and court record removal explain what can be done there.

Can an Instant Checkmate report be used against you?

Instant Checkmate told the California registry that neither it nor its subsidiaries is regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Its terms did not load for our check, so we cannot quote its own rules on how reports may be used.

The FTC’s summary of the FCRA explains the rules for real screening reports. A consumer reporting agency may share your file only with people who have a valid need. An employer needs your written consent. If information in your file is used against you, you must be told and given the agency’s name, address and phone number. You can also dispute anything incomplete or inaccurate.

If a landlord or employer turned you down, start with the agency named in that notice. Use the Instant Checkmate opt out for the people search listing.

Is Instant Checkmate the same as TruthFinder and Intelius?

Same family, separate opt outs. PeopleConnect lists Instant Checkmate, TruthFinder, Intelius, US Search and Classmates as its brands. Its privacy policy says these sister sites manage their own privacy policies. In the California registry, Instant Checkmate, LLC and TruthFinder, LLC each filed their own entry. Intelius, LLC filed one entry covering Intelius, US Search and US Search Pro.

No official page we opened says an Instant Checkmate opt out also clears TruthFinder or Intelius. Classmates does say it may share information between the PeopleConnect brands, which is one more reason to check each site. Our Intelius opt out guide covers the route Intelius and US Search share.

What the Instant Checkmate opt out does and does not remove

• Your listing on Instant Checkmate. This is what the opt out page and the registry route are for.
• The public records behind it. They stay with courts, police and other government sources.
• Reports about relatives. The FTC warns your information may still appear in the reports of relatives, neighbours or associates.
• Sister sites. Not covered by anything we could find. Check TruthFinder, Intelius and US Search separately.
• Google. Google keeps its own copy until it updates or you ask it to.

Your rights in California: DROP and the CCPA

California residents have two routes on top of the Instant Checkmate opt out.

• The CCPA. The California Attorney General says you can ask a business what it holds about you up to twice a year free of charge. You can also ask it to delete or correct your information or to stop selling or sharing it. Requests to know, delete and correct get an answer within 45 calendar days, with 45 more if the business tells you. Opt out requests must be handled within 15 business days at most. You can authorise someone to file for you.
• DROP. CalPrivacy’s free Delete Request and Opt out Platform sends one deletion request to over 600 registered data brokers. You confirm residency through the California Identity Gateway. Brokers must check DROP at least once every 45 days and your status can take up to 90 days to update.
• The limits. The Attorney General says publicly available information, including public property records, is not personal information under the CCPA. CalPrivacy says DROP does not reach public records such as vehicle or real estate ownership or voting records.

Is Instant Checkmate on the registry? Instant Checkmate, LLC appears in the previous year’s registry file. In that filing it reported 21,499 requests to delete, complying in whole or in part with 19,308 and denying 2,191, with a median of one day to respond. It was not in the current year’s download when we checked. That file looked incomplete to us, so look Instant Checkmate up on the CalPrivacy registry before you rely on DROP to reach it.

Other states have their own privacy laws. PeopleConnect’s own privacy policy, which covers its website rather than Instant Checkmate, lists rights for residents of many states with an appeal by email under the subject line Privacy Rights Appeal. The Instant Checkmate privacy policy did not load for our check, so we have not described its state by state rules.

How to clear the old Google result

Old Instant Checkmate pages can stay in Google for a while after the listing changes. Google says it can only remove things from Google Search results, so the Instant Checkmate opt out always comes first.

1. If the page has gone, refresh the old copy. Select Request refresh on Google’s Refresh outdated content help page, enter the old Instant Checkmate address on the Page tab and select Submit. Our guide to the Refresh outdated content tool shows each screen.
2. If the page is still live, use Results about you. Add your name, phone numbers, home addresses and email addresses, open the To review tab, expand the Instant Checkmate result and select Request to remove. See how to use Google Results about you.
3. If the page gathers lots of your details or comes with threats, use the personal information route. Google lists contact details, doxxing and a significant amount of aggregated personal info without a legitimate purpose. Read how to remove personal information from Google first.

Google tracks requests as In progress, Approved, Denied or Undone and warns there may be a delay between approval and the result going. Results from government sites, educational sites, online newspapers and business websites get no remove option.

If your listing comes back after an Instant Checkmate opt out

The FTC says opting out does not delete public records, that your information could appear for sale again if those records change and that it may still show in the reports of relatives, neighbours or associates. Its advice is to check the sites again from time to time. A new arrest record, a new address or a new alias can all produce a listing that looks new to the site.

• Check every three months. That timing is our suggestion, not an Instant Checkmate rule. Search your name, phone number and street.
• Check after any change. A move, a new phone line or a new public record can create a listing that looks new.
• Keep a record. Save the listing address, a screenshot, the date of each request and every email you get back.

Mistakes to avoid with an Instant Checkmate opt out

• Stopping at one listing. Search every name you have used.
• Expecting the court record to vanish. The opt out deals with Instant Checkmate, not with the court or the police.
• Assuming the sister sites are covered. Check TruthFinder, Intelius and US Search separately.
• Losing the paper trail. Keep screenshots, the date and every email from Instant Checkmate.
• Forgetting Google. An Instant Checkmate removal does not refresh Google’s copy.

A worked example

This is a made up example to show the steps. It is not a client case.

A teacher in Sacramento finds an Instant Checkmate listing that shows a dismissed arrest from her twenties and a flat she left long ago. She opens the Instant Checkmate opt out page from the homepage link, follows each screen and confirms by email. When the page stalls on a second listing under her maiden name, she calls member care during its opening hours.

A week later she checks both names. One listing has gone and she repeats the Instant Checkmate opt out for the other. She also finds the same arrest on a mugshot site, which needs its own request. Because she lives in California she files a DROP request too.

When to ask for help

One Instant Checkmate opt out is a job most people can finish in an evening. Help makes sense when your details sit on many sites, when a record keeps coming back or when someone is using your address to frighten you. Our data broker removal service maps the people search sites that show you and files each opt out. Our personal reputation removal service looks at every result for your name. If your address has been posted with threats, read our doxxing removal page first. Our guide on how to remove your name from Google explains what Google will take out of a name search.

More people search guides: TruthFinder opt out, US Search opt out, ZabaSearch opt out, Intelius opt out, BeenVerified opt out and Spokeo opt out.

Removal Lab offers a free, confidential case review. A specialist replies within one business day. On qualifying cases there is no upfront payment and you pay only when the content is removed. We do not work for Instant Checkmate, PeopleConnect or Google, we cannot delete anything ourselves and we never promise a removal.

How Removal Lab works

1. Send the link. WhatsApp, email or the two field form. Two minutes, no long questionnaire.
2. Free policy check. A specialist reads it against the platform rules and tells you honestly whether it qualifies.
3. We build and file the case. The right policy, the right channel, the evidence attached. We handle the appeal too.
4. Pay only when it is gone. No upfront payment on qualifying cases. If the platform says no, you owe nothing.

What we will never do

• Promise a removal. The platform decides, not us.
• Post fake reviews or pay anyone to delete a review.
• Pressure, threaten or try to identify a reviewer.
• Charge an upfront fee on a case that does not qualify.

Frequently asked questions

How do I opt out of Instant Checkmate?

Instant Checkmate’s California registration says you can use its opt out page, the Do Not Sell My Personal Information or Suppress My Data links on its homepage, email support@instantcheckmate.com or call 800 222 8985. The opt out page blocked our checker, so follow each screen as it appears.

Is the Instant Checkmate opt out free?

The FTC says you can opt out of people search sites yourself for free. None of the official Instant Checkmate records we read mention a fee.

How long does an Instant Checkmate opt out take?

We found no published time on a page we could open. In its California registry filing, Instant Checkmate reported a median of one day to respond to deletion requests.

Does the Instant Checkmate opt out remove criminal records?

No. It deals with your listing on Instant Checkmate, while the arrest and court records stay with the courts and police. The FTC says opting out does not delete your information from public records.

Will someone know if they search me on Instant Checkmate?

Instant Checkmate says it does not alert the person who was searched.

Does the Instant Checkmate opt out cover TruthFinder or Intelius?

No official page we read says so. Instant Checkmate, TruthFinder and Intelius each filed their own California registration, so send a request to each site.

Who owns Instant Checkmate?

Instant Checkmate, LLC of San Diego, California. PeopleConnect lists it as one of its brands alongside TruthFinder, Intelius, US Search and Classmates.

Is Instant Checkmate covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act?

Instant Checkmate told the California registry that neither it nor its subsidiaries is regulated by the FCRA. If a screening report was used against you, the FTC says you must be told which agency supplied it and can dispute errors with that agency.

How do I remove myself from Instant Checkmate if the form does not work?

Email support@instantcheckmate.com or call member care on 800 222 8985, Monday to Friday from 7am to 4pm Pacific time. Its latest registry entry also lists help@instantcheckmate.com and 877 564 3003.

How do I get an old Instant Checkmate result off Google?

Once the listing is gone, use Google’s Refresh outdated content tool on the old address. If the page is still live, use Results about you to request removal of your contact details.

Sources: Instant Checkmate homepage, CalPrivacy registry file, earlier years (Instant Checkmate registration), PeopleConnect website, PeopleConnect privacy policy, Classmates privacy policy, CalPrivacy data broker registry, CalPrivacy registry file, previous year, CalPrivacy registry file, current year, FTC on people search sites, FTC summary of your rights under the FCRA, California Attorney General on the CCPA, CalPrivacy: DROP, CalPrivacy: personal information and data brokers, Google: Results about you, Google: Refresh outdated content and Google: remove personal information from Search. Removal Lab does not work for Instant Checkmate or PeopleConnect. Every decision is made by the platform.