CyberGuy Urges 5-Step Father's Day Privacy Check as Elder Fraud Losses Hit $7.7 Billion

Q: Can California's new law really erase your father’s digital footprint from the internet starting this August?

No. California’s new law will not erase your father’s entire digital footprint from the internet this August, though it could make it easier to remove some of his data from data brokers. Under California’s Delete Act, residents can use the state’s Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform, or DROP, to send one deletion request to all registered data brokers. The platform has been available since January 2026, but brokers are not required to begin processing those requests until August 1, 2026. So the law’s practical effect starts then, not before. Even after August, the law is limited in scope. It targets registered data brokers such as companies that collect and sell personal information without a direct relationship to the consumer. That means it may help remove data from people-search and marketing databases, which is important because scammers often use those profiles to target older adults. But it does not wipe information from the broader internet. It generally will not remove public records, news articles, social media posts, or information your father posted himself. Data can also reappear when brokers refresh records, which is why privacy experts still recommend ongoing monitoring or paid removal services. That makes Kurt Knutsson’s advice still relevant: search for exposed data, submit opt-outs, strengthen account security questions, and create a family code word to guard against AI voice-cloning scams. California’s law is a useful new tool, but not a full digital eraser.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 16

A 5-step Father's Day checklist urges families to spend 30 minutes searching fathers' names on people-search sites, removing exposed records, changing bank security answers, creating a family code word and considering ongoing data-removal services.
Spokeo, Whitepages and BeenVerified can reveal addresses, phone numbers, relatives and past residences in minutes, giving scammers material for family impersonation calls, bank verification attacks and tailored financial fraud.
FBI data cited in the report showed more than 201,000 complaints from victims over 60 in 2025, with losses topping $7.7 billion — up 59% from a year earlier — and average reported losses above $38,000.
The advice argues manual opt-outs are only temporary because data brokers continuously repopulate profiles from public records, marketing databases and social media, potentially exposing entire family networks rather than just one parent.