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There is no evidence that every sweepstakes entrant—or every person whose details appear on a people-search site—is on a secret scammer list. But U.S. Department of Justice cases show how ordinary marketing data and lead lists were sold to fraudsters who used them to target consumers, including older and vulnerable people. In one prosecution, employees used the term “opportunity seekers” for consumers targeted by certain solicitations; it was case-specific language, not an official label for people generally.
What “opportunity seekers” meant in the Epsilon case
The phrase comes from a January 2021 DOJ deferred prosecution agreement involving Epsilon Data Management. It says Epsilon employees referred to consumers targeted by certain solicitations as “opportunity seekers,” and to clients sending those solicitations as “opportunistic.” The agreement says the consumers frequently included elderly and vulnerable Americans. That wording describes terminology used in this case; it does not establish a universal category or prove that a particular person is on a list. Read the DOJ agreement.
How marketing information became a fraud tool
Marketing lists are assembled to help organizations identify people predicted to respond to particular offers. The DOJ said Epsilon used transactional data collected from marketing clients and algorithms to predict “responsive buyers,” drawing on a database covering 100 million U.S. households. That figure describes database coverage—not the number of people defrauded, nor the number of people known to have appeared on scam lists.
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According to the DOJ’s May 31, 2024 announcement, two Epsilon employees sold nearly 100 lists to one fraudster client. The DOJ attributed to that client’s scheme more than 218,000 victims and losses exceeding $23.7 million. Those outcomes concern that client and those sales; they do not show that all marketing lists or data brokers are involved in fraud. See the DOJ case announcement.
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A separate case involved millions of older Americans
In a separate prosecution, Troy Murray sold lists to lottery scammers containing names, phone numbers and physical addresses, and in some cases ages and email addresses. The DOJ said the conduct ran from 2016 through 2023 and the lists included information on more than seven million older Americans. Its May 28, 2026 sentencing announcement said Murray sent at least 22,000 lead lists to scammers, whose victims lost more than $9.5 million. The court sentenced him to 121 months in prison and three years of supervised release, and ordered forfeiture of $5,214,688.48. These are findings and figures tied to that case, not a prevalence estimate for scam targeting overall. Read the DOJ sentencing announcement.
What these cases do—and do not—show
- They show that consumer data can be misused. In these prosecutions, fraudsters obtained lists containing personal details and used them to target victims.
- They do not show that ordinary marketing segmentation is automatically criminal. The cases concern specific conduct and prosecutions, not every company that sells or uses marketing data.
- They do not establish whether you are listed. The records provide no way to determine whether an individual appears on a particular private list.
- They do not establish how common these lists are. The cited DOJ materials provide no population-wide statistic for the share of consumers on scammer lists.
Separately, a 2021 Epsilon agreement provided for $150 million in penalties and victim compensation, including $127.5 million designated for victim compensation. The DOJ case page describes that agreement.
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What a people-search scan can tell you
A scan by a people-search or data-removal service may show whether personal details appear on the broker or people-search sites that service checks. It cannot confirm whether your information is on one of the private “opportunity seeker” or criminal lead lists described in the cases above. Coverage varies by service, and a scan should not be treated as a search of every private or criminal database.
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If you want to reduce public exposure, you can use a site’s opt-out process or consider a service that submits removal requests. Such removals cannot retrieve data already held by criminals, and may not reach government records, court records or every private database. No effectiveness study for removal services is established by the cited case materials, so do not assume removal guarantees protection.
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Practical steps to reduce exposure and respond safely
- Share less where possible. Avoid supplying personal details for offers that do not need them, and review what a form asks for before submitting it.
- Check opt-outs at sites publishing your profile. Follow each site’s current instructions; a removal from one site does not mean the information is gone everywhere.
- Verify unexpected offers independently. Find a company’s official contact details yourself rather than using a phone number, link or reply address in an unsolicited message.
- Report suspected scams or identity theft. Use the government reporting services identified by the FTC at FTC.gov or the appropriate law-enforcement agency.
Because the Murray lists included phone numbers, a call-blocking device or phone feature may help screen some unwanted calls. That is a limited measure, not a tested recommendation: it will not address mail, email or texts, and the DOJ cases did not evaluate device performance.
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- Re Inking Unlimitedly: the information blocker stamp can cover information of the length about 100 meters. And each security stamper roller has an oil hole, so you don't have to worry about you having to throw away the roller stamps when the ink runs out. They can be refilled with oil for repeated use, saving time and energy
- Cover Fast: our identity protection rollers come in 2 different sizes, and you can choose different sizes according to different areas of information to cover large amounts of private information in a fast and clean way, avoiding identity theft and rejecting privacy disclosure harassment
- Easy to Use: just remove the lid on the ID stamp blocker roller and open it, and then gently slide it on the place where the information needs to be covered. It is suitable for most ordinary paper with black words, and can protect your personal privacy in time
- Save Time and Energy: compared with the shredder, the personal confidential stamp has a small size, easy to carry, can be applied anytime and anywhere. Compared to the marker, it covers a larger area and can be quickly covered with a single swipe. There is no need to worry about whether you can not protect your privacy in time
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