How to find and delete old accounts and subscriptions
TL;DR
Start by reviewing all profiles and memberships tied to your email address. Old accounts can expose your personal data, drain your bank account, or leave you vulnerable to identity theft and data breaches.
Use a tool that helps you find and cancel subscriptions and delete accounts you no longer use to clean up your digital life and stay protected.
What are the risks of having old online accounts?
If you haven't used a service, app, or website in a while, you likely don't need it. But those companies still need money and your data.
Here’s what can happen if you leave accounts hanging around:
Unwanted charges from subscriptions or free trials that quietly turned into paid memberships
Your personal info getting scraped and repackaged, like your work history on LinkedIn or old friend lists from long-abandoned profiles
Location tracking based on old reviews, check-ins, or shopping habits
Annoying (but often effective) promos to tempt you to sign up for services you no longer want or buying things you don’t need
Your data getting sold, shared, or used in cross-promotional campaigns based on your interests
Getting targeted for promotions or offers from affiliated companies, even if you no longer have an active relationship with the original service provider
Recreating accounts later is often easier and safer than keeping unused ones around.
How do old accounts contribute to identity theft?
Old accounts can be a gold mine for scammers and hackers.
When you give personal info to a vendor like Netflix, Apple, or even a local store, you often enter a chain of data resale. That vendor might sell that information, who might sell it again. If any have weak security, your data could be breached.
What attackers collect from old accounts:
Your name and user names
Contact information
Birthdays and other date-based info
Social Security numbers or government-issued IDs
Passwords and security questions (e.g., mother's maiden name, first pet)
Employment history
Income and banking information
Purchase history and spending habits
Health information or medical conditions
Photos or location data to know where you go and when
Social and family connections
Political, religious, or lifestyle preferences
Why it’s a problem:
Reused credentials let attackers access your other accounts
Knowing about you makes fake emails or texts more convincing
Financial data can lead to drained accounts or loans taken in your name
Health data can be used to receive care or prescriptions under your name
Photos, posts, or leaked messages can be used to embarrass or impersonate you
Even if you remember your original accounts, you may not know where your data ended up.
How do I find all my subscriptions and accounts?
You can find subscriptions you forgot about, free trials you never canceled, and old accounts you didn’t know still existed by using services that track accounts tied to your email address.
Once you see what’s out there, review the list and delete any you don’t need.
Before signing up for a service, do some homework:
Does the service have a reputation for strong data protection?
Can it help delete accounts it finds?
Is it part of a for-profit company with conflicting interests?
Services like Yorba scan the internet and dark web, often finding hundreds of accounts tied to a single email address. According to the latest State of Clutter report, an average Yorba member has over 240 online accounts.
Is it illegal for a website to not let me delete my account?
Not really. Many places don’t force websites to let you delete your account, so a lot of sites don’t. Some app stores require it, but broader laws are still catching up.
According to Google Play’s app account deletion requirements, users must have an “in-app path to delete their app accounts and associated data; and a web link resource where users can request app account deletion and associated deletion data.”
Apple only started requiring apps to include account deletion info recently, in 2022.
Some data laws are starting to pop up, like the CAN-SPAM act in the United States or GDPR in Europe, but the industry generally lacks clear rules.
How can I find account deletion instructions?
To find account deletion instructions, check the settings or help section of the platform. If you can’t find clear guidance, use a centralized deletion directory like Delete Desk to search by company name.
How can I protect my privacy if I can't delete my account?
If you can’t delete an account, you’re not out of options. There are a few things you can do to limit how much of your data gets used, shared, or leaked.
Replace personal info with fake data
Tighten privacy settings to limit how much data can be seen, sold, or shared
Disconnect linked accounts (Google, Facebook, etc.)
Unsubscribe from marketing emails
Contact the company to request deletion or raise privacy concerns
How do I file a complaint about data privacy violations?
If the company is ignoring your requests, report them.
You can file a complaint with a data protection authority like:
Information Commissioners Office (Europe)
Federal Trade Commission (U.S.)
State agencies like California Privacy Protection Agency
These agencies may not fix your individual issue, but your complaint adds pressure. Enough reports can trigger investigations, lead to fines, and force companies to change their data practices. You’ll be helping build pressure.
Can I get compensated if my data was abused?
If your data was misused, you may be eligible for compensation. Just don’t expect it to be quick.
Under the General Data Protection Regulation, European users can seek damages for both financial and emotional harm if companies break data protection laws.
In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission collects complaints of misconduct by tech platforms but doesn’t handle individual cases. Some states, like California, offer stronger protections. It often takes a class-action lawsuit or a lot of pressure on regulators to make something happen.
All the more reason to be proactive about protecting your data.
How do companies benefit from keeping user data?
For most companies, it’s about money. They can sell data to third parties or use it to look good on paper.
When you give your info, you often give permission to sell it. That clause usually doesn’t limit the amount of time they have to sell your data. The longer they keep it, the more value they squeeze out.
They also use your data to look better, statistically. You can be counted in user totals to please stakeholders or attract investors. You become a statistic to, yes, help them earn more money.
Why do some companies not let me delete my account?
Some companies don’t have the tech to handle account deletion. Smaller websites might be storing your data in an old spreadsheet with no system or resources to track, update, or remove it.
That’s why you might find it really hard to get deletion instructions for smaller sites.
Not all websites are greedy data hoarders. Not every site is shady. Some are just outdated.
How to find and delete accounts with Yorba
Yorba can help uncover and manage forgotten accounts. Yorba scans the internet and dark web for profiles linked to your email, displays them in a private dashboard, and provides a path to request deletion. The platform is ad-free, with optional paid upgrades for more automation and risk scoring.
Log in to Yorba.app
Connect any email address you use for accounts
Visit “Accounts” to view profiles Yorba found connected to that email address
Select the account you want to delete
Click “+” to delete that account
Check weekly for new findings to keep your digital footprint secure.
