How Can I Check If My Data Has Been Leaked?

Cost of Verification

Data leaks into the public domain are rather an exception, which organizations will try to block as soon as possible. Most often, "leaked" data is sold only with an indication of affiliation with organization x. Of course, there are services that allow you to check whether your email address or phone number has appeared in some places you don’t want them to be. And there are special web sites where you can easily find that out. But, as we remember, we are unable to influence their future fate.

If you have received a database containing leaked data, you should not open suspicious links, the origin of which you do not know. How can you be sure it's not phishing? All these services check you against a database. But you can't be sure it's a trustworthy site. Who told you that afterwards they won’t start emailing you with spam?

It is important to remember that such data leak services really exist. However, if someone has published an open-access database, it raises big questions. Why has this been done? Obviously not out of the goodness of their hearts, but most likely to damage some company's reputation.

In the worst case, your data could be fully accessible, affecting many people. Relatives could receive calls from scammers claiming that your or their data has been stolen. Therefore, I recommend that you should not trust such services and make sure that you change your passwords regularly and avoid connecting to public hotspots. It is important to mind digital hygiene.

In Conclusion

Data leaks are virtually uncontrollable from the user's side, and that's okay. You can reduce the scale of potential damage by using a separate phone number and email address for the Internet. You shouldn't become a source of threat to your data either. It's worth learning the basic principles of digital hygiene, as well as classic online fraud schemes. Take care of yourself and your data.