Once it's online, personal information spreads quickly. There's no shortage of sites offering up phone numbers, most for free. Most searches require only a last name and a city.
Fortunately, the search sites usually allow you to remove your own listing. Focus on the biggest search sites to virtually eliminate your number's exposure on the Web.
Below are simple steps for removing your number from major online directories. If your number is public information, however, it may eventually reappear online. To counter this, consider making your number unpublished. Most phone companies will keep your number unpublished for a fee.
Google
To remove your listing from Google's PhoneBook search, you must first find it. To invoke a PhoneBook search, enter any of the following in Google's search box:
First name, last name, state or city
First name, last name, ZIP code
Last name, city, state
Last name, ZIP code
If you find your listing, visit Google's online PhoneBook Name Removal form. Then enter your information as it appears in the Google listing. Google won't allow your number to reappear in its listings.
WhitePages.com
WhitePages.com supplies information to MSN, Verizon's SuperPages, YellowPages.com, PhoneNumber.com and 411.com. Start by finding your listing on WhitePages.com. At the bottom of your listing is a small link that reads, "Is this you? Remove your listing." Click the link and then confirm the removal. That's all there is to it
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