Tax-debt relief promises
Government-looking letters and sales calls may promise to erase tax debt, demand a full fee up front, or guarantee a result they cannot control.
Read the official alert ↗Online safety
Know what is visible. Spot the pressure. Keep control.
Scammers depend on confusion and speed. This free guide explains what online services can learn, what scams are circulating, and what you can do before sharing information or sending money.
Open the mass opt-out directory ↓Current scam watch
Recent official alerts
Checked August 16, 2026. These summaries link to the Federal Trade Commission’s original guidance.
Scam ads in social feeds
A paid ad is not proof that a seller is legitimate. Check the company independently before buying through a social-media promotion.
Read the official alert ↗Investment-training schemes
Promises of guaranteed returns, easy wealth, secret methods, or pressure to join immediately are danger signs—not proof of expertise.
Read the official alert ↗Fake refund and recovery help
People who already lost money are being targeted again by callers who promise recovery in exchange for a fee or financial information.
Read the official alert ↗Before you use a service
What may be visible online
“Private” does not always mean invisible. It may only mean hidden from other users while remaining available to the service handling the information.
What you type or upload
Names, email addresses, form answers, posts, photos, documents and optional contact details go to the service you submit them to. Public posts can be copied or saved by other people.
Your device and connection
Web services ordinarily receive an IP address, browser and device type, language, time zone and technical request details. An IP address can suggest an approximate area, but not usually an exact home location by itself.
What you do on the service
Pages viewed, searches, clicks, time of access and interactions may be logged. Cookies and similar identifiers can connect activity across visits or devices.
Permissions you approve
Apps and websites may request precise location, camera, microphone, contacts, photos or files. A request is not a requirement—deny access that the service does not need.
What a photo can reveal
The image itself may show faces, addresses, school names or routines. Some files also contain date, device or location metadata, though many services remove part of that metadata when publishing.
What exists elsewhere
Public records, social profiles and people-search sites may expose addresses, phone numbers, relatives or property information. Free opt-out requests can reduce some listings, but cannot erase the underlying public record.
Privacy action directory
Major mass opt-out lists
Verified August 16, 2026. These are the practical centralized U.S. and Missouri systems that send one choice to multiple participating organizations.
No single list removes you from every database.
A mass opt-out can reduce lawful marketing or data use, but it cannot erase public records, stop criminals, or force a company outside the program to comply. People-search sites and individual data brokers still require separate requests.
Phone, credit and mail
Central suppression lists
These lists send one preference to many participating callers, credit bureaus or mailers.
Missouri No-Call List
Registers personal residential and cell numbers with the Missouri Attorney General’s state list.
Limit: Does not cover every call, business numbers or callers that ignore the law. The state sends updates to covered telemarketers every three months.
Register with Missouri ↗National Do Not Call Registry
Registers a home or mobile number to stop most lawful sales calls from companies that follow federal rules.
Limit: It does not block calls, stop illegal scammers, or cover every political, charitable, survey or existing-business call.
Register nationally ↗OptOutPrescreen
Stops Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion from placing you on lists for prescreened credit and insurance offers.
Limit: The online choice lasts five years. Permanent removal requires printing, signing and mailing the election form.
Stop prescreened offers ↗DMAchoice
Reduces prospect advertising mail from participating organizations that do not already have a business relationship with you.
Limit: It does not eliminate all promotional mail. Current customers and nonparticipating senders must be contacted directly.
Reduce prospect mail ↗ANA Email Preference Service (eMPS)
Adds a personal email address to a national suppression file used by participating U.S. commercial email senders.
Limit: It does not stop all email, overseas senders, workplace business email or organizations that do not use eMPS.
Reduce commercial email ↗Catalog Choice
Lets you search a nonprofit directory and submit cancellation requests for catalogs and other named mailers.
Limit: This is a shared request tool, not one universal switch. Add each unwanted sender you receive.
Cancel catalogs ↗Advertising and data sharing
Broad online advertising choices
These tools communicate choices to participating advertising companies or websites. They do not make advertising disappear.
Global Privacy Control (GPC)
Turns on a browser-level signal asking sites not to sell or share your personal information or use it for cross-context targeted advertising.
Limit: Coverage and legal effect depend on the site and your jurisdiction. Use a supported browser or extension on each device.
Turn on GPC ↗DAA WebChoices
Lets you opt out of interest-based advertising data use by some or all participating companies in the browser you are using.
Limit: The choice is browser-specific and stored in the browser. Clearing browser data may remove it; you will still see ads.
Set browser choices ↗DAA AppChoices
Lets you choose individual participants or all listed companies to limit cross-app data use for interest-based advertising.
Limit: Repeat on each phone or tablet. It applies to participating companies and does not stop generic advertising.
Set mobile-app choices ↗DAA Token ID Tool
Sends an opt-out choice for an email address or phone number used as an advertising identifier to listed participating companies.
Limit: It does not unsubscribe email, block calls or texts, or remove the identifier from unrelated uses.
Set identifier choices ↗Network Advertising Initiative choices
Provides GPC, browser, mobile and streaming-device directions plus direct privacy choices for NAI member companies.
Limit: The NAI no longer presents one universal removal list; use its current controls and member links for the device involved.
Open NAI controls ↗Eligibility or life event
Special-purpose mass requests
Use these only when the eligibility or household situation applies.
California DROP
Sends one government-run deletion and do-not-sell request to more than 600 registered data brokers.
Limit: Missouri residents are not eligible. California residency verification is required; brokers began processing requests August 1, 2026.
Open California DROP ↗Deceased Do Not Contact List
Places a deceased person’s name and contact details on an ANA file offered to marketers and nonprofit organizations for suppression.
Limit: Only subscribing organizations receive the monthly file. Expect reduction—not guaranteed removal from every list.
Register a deceased person ↗Do Not Contact for Caretakers
Permanently adds a person in your care to the ANA’s DMAchoice mail and eMPS email suppression lists.
Limit: Existing customer or donor mail still requires a direct request to that company or organization.
Open caretaker request ↗On Show Me Missouri
What this site asks from you
- Reading the public site does not require an account.
- Signing in uses an emailed sign-in link or Google. The Reporter does not store your password.
- Your account email identifies your contributions for accountability but is not displayed publicly.
- A post, map pin, event or public-contact field can be visible to anyone. Submit only information you want published.
No paid product required
Free steps that make a real difference
Good habits do more than fear. Work through this list one account or device at a time.
- 1Pause when a message creates fear, urgency, secrecy or pressure. Contact the organization through a number or website you find independently.
- 2Use a different long password for every account. A built-in browser or phone password manager can create and remember them at no charge.
- 3Turn on multi-factor authentication, especially for email, banking, social media and owner or staff accounts.
- 4Review app permissions and privacy settings. Turn off location, camera, microphone, contacts or advertising access when it is not needed.
- 5Keep phones, computers, browsers and apps updated. Let security updates install automatically when possible.
- 6Never send gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers or payment-app money because an unexpected caller says it is the only way to fix a problem.
- 7Before posting, remove details that reveal routines, travel plans, account numbers, identity documents, children’s locations or answers to security questions.
If something already happened
Act quickly. Shame helps the scammer—not you.
Contact the bank, card company or payment service immediately and ask whether the transaction can be stopped or reversed. Save the messages, receipts, phone numbers and account details used by the scammer.
Official Missouri cyber tip
Phishing, ransomware or an account takeover?
Show-Me Shield includes a Cyber Tip route for phishing, ransomware, account takeovers, business-email compromise and technical indicators. It is not emergency dispatch: call 911 for immediate danger or a crime in progress.
Account holders are responsible for safeguarding their login credentials and using a unique password. This independent site may provide security guidance but cannot prevent risks caused by reused, shared, or compromised credentials.
Official public-safety searches
Use the state source without turning a name into a conclusion.
Open Missouri court, crash, arrest and registry systems through a plain-language guide that explains what each result can—and cannot—establish.