How to remove yourself from Sterling
What they publish
Nothing public — employment background reports. The FAQ says data is collected "from third parties ... such as government agencies, law enforcement bodies, publicly available records, public registries, court or tribunal records, insolvency registers, educational institutions, current and/or previous employers, regulatory and licensing bodies and medical assessment providers; and from public sources, such as social media". The candidates page states "First Advantage does not maintain a 'consumer file' on individuals. Still, we may have information in the form of a consumer report or data in our databases on individuals, including criminal and civil court records"
Removing yourself, step by step
0 of 6 done- Understand what is possible: Sterling/First Advantage is an FCRA consumer reporting agency; reports cannot be opted out of or deleted. The rights are a free copy, a dispute, and a security freeze
- Free copy: "You are entitled to one free copy of your First Advantage report within 12 months" (or within 60 days of an adverse action, if a fraud victim, unemployed, or on public assistance). Submit the Report Copy Request form at https://fadv.com/candidates/, or call 800.845.6004, or email consumer.documents@fadv.com
- Dispute: "If you believe there is an error, submit a dispute, call 800-845-6004, or email consumer.documents@fadv.com" — form at https://fadv.com/privacy-center/us-residents/dispute-report/ (select the concern: criminal record, SSN, MVR, education or employment verification) or by mail to First Advantage Consumer Center, P.O. Box 105292, Atlanta, GA 30348-5292
- Wait for the reinvestigation result: "generally completed within 30 days of receipt" (matches FCRA §611, 15 U.S.C. §1681i)
- Optional freeze: "If you would like to freeze your data you can complete this form, call 800-845-6004, or email us at consumer.documents@fadv.com"
- Non-FCRA state-privacy requests: USDataPrivacy@FADV.com, 1-800-845-6004, or the same P.O. Box; marketing opt-out for US residents: webprivacy@fadv.com
Tap a step to tick it off. Progress is saved in this browser only.
How they confirm it
the copy-request and dispute forms require first name, last name, date of birth, email, phone and "Organization That Requested Your Background Check", with a CAPTCHA; "we may need to request additional information from you to verify your identity" (state-privacy page)
If they ignore you
CFPB complaint (consumerfinance.gov/complaint) and FCRA §611 reinvestigation rights, with a private right of action under §§616–617; Georgia Attorney General (First Advantage is headquartered at 1 Concourse Parkway NE, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30328); not in the CPPA data-broker registry (the "Sterling Data Company LLC / sterling.ai" entry in the CSV is an unrelated company)
Re-listing risk for this site: High — each employer order triggers a new report assembled from courts and furnishers; a corrected item does not prevent future reports, and the company itself says it "does not maintain a 'consumer file'" that could be emptied
Common questions
How do I remove myself from Sterling?
Use Sterling's opt-out page (fadv.com/candidates). Or email their privacy address, consumer.documents@fadv.com. The guide above lists 6 steps, and this page writes the removal request for you to send from your own email.
How long does Sterling take to remove my information?
"Reinvestigations are generally completed within 30 days of receipt" and "A reinvestigation will be completed within 30 days from the date we receive your request" — https://fadv.com/candidates/. That is what our research recorded; the site may take longer.
Will my information come back on Sterling?
High — each employer order triggers a new report assembled from courts and furnishers; a corrected item does not prevent future reports, and the company itself says it "does not maintain a 'consumer file'" that could be emptied. Check again in about 60 days.