Eliminate Junk Email

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Eliminate Junk Mail

Get Rid of Junk Mail, Spam, and Telemarketers

Junk Mail Facts

Get the fast facts about Junk Mail, and learn why you should take it seriously

Legislation passed by Congress in 2000, and signed into law by the President, permits banks and other financial institutions to share and sell your financial data, including your Social Security number, to marketing companies. In the same year a Federal law, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act5, was passed that allows consumers and customers to have the right to opt out of - or say no to - having their information shared with certain third parties. But in many cases, the notice (required by law) that customers can "opt-out€? of allowing their bank or institution to share their Social Security number and other financial data with mailing list companies and marketing firms is often tucked away amongst the junk ads that often accompany bank statement mailings.6

Theft, including lost or stolen wallet or pocket book or theft of a victims mail, was the most commonly mentioned way of obtaining a Identity Theft Victims personal Information. Approximately 25 % of ID Theft victims reported that their information was obtained through such theft.
4% of all Identity Theft Victims cited stolen mail as the source of the information €“ 3% of those who suffered the €œMisuse of Existing Credit Cards or Card Numbers,€? 7% of those who suffered €œNew Accounts & Other Frauds".
Among the different types of unsolicited credit products that you receive in your mail box that pose a threat of getting your Identity stolen, convenience checks and activated cards pose great potential opportunities for thieves.

Convenience Checks pose a threatening opportunity to Identity Thieves because:

They come unsolicited.
They do not come at predictable cycles so that consumers can watch for checks in the mail and take action if the check does not arrive.
They do not require activation.
They give consumers no opportunity to opt-out of receiving the checks as with pre-approved credit card offers.
They include information necessary to not only cash a single check but, when combined with their personal information, to establish still other accounts in the victim's name.

100,000,000,000 pieces of mail account for 30% of all the mail delivered in the U.S. each year.3

The Do Not Call Registry has put a stop to telemarketing, a Do Not Mail Registry desperately needs to be created:

In the Zogby International poll, 93% of respondents were aware of the Do Not Call Registry and 89% of them supported a Do Not Mail Registry to make it easier to opt out of unsolicited ad mail.4
For more information on the Do Not Mail Campaign, please visit http://forestethics.org and sign the petition.

Eliminate Junk Mail

Eliminate Junk Mail - A Opt Out Guide

EliminateIDTheft has put together a Opt Out Guide to assist you in Eliminating Junk Mail, and most importantly, Eliminating the threat of Identity Theft from stolen mail.

Sign up for the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Mail Preference System - DMA is the largest mailing list in the country and a majority of the marketing companies use them. There are currently three ways to opt out from the DMA.
- Send your name and address to:
  Mail Preference Service
  PO Box 643
  Carmel, NY 10512
  The DMA charges one dollar for the the mail in service, so make sure to include a check or money order in the amount of one dollar.
  
  You can call the DMA at: 1-888-690-2252
  
  You can fill in a online form on their website: DMA Mail Preference System - Opt Out Form
  
  Opting Out using the online DMA form is free of charge
  
  The online form does require the submission of a credit card, though they do not make any charges on the card. For them, this is a way to confirm who you say you are, but more than likely it is a deterrent to keep you from opting out from the mailing list. Never the less, they are a legit company, and the process is legit, but if you fee more comfortable, you can use the other two methods of opting out.
  
  If you do not wish to be removed from all mailing lists, using the online form, you can choose which lists you want to be removed from and which ones you would like to stay part of.
Opt Out from Credit Card offers and other Bank or Broker institutions mailing lists.
- To opt out from Credit Card Offers, just call:
  1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688)
  
  The number connects you to a 24 hour recorded message. You will need to provide your full name, address, telephone number and social security number.
  
  When given the option, you can have your name removed permanently, or for five years.
  
  To request a opt out from credit card, mortgage, and insurance companies, you can try using their online form at www.optoutprescreen.com .
Most transactions with mail order catalogs are compiled by Abacus Direct Corporation.
- To opt out of the Abacus Direct database, use one of the following methods:
  Email abacusoptout@epsilon.com and include the following information:
  Full name (including middle initial)
  
  Current Address
  
  Previous address if you have been at your current address fewer than six months.
  
  Mail the previous information to:
  Epsilon Data Services
  P.O. Box 1478
  Broomfield, CO 80038
  You can call them at: 1-888-780-3869
Reduce the number of Occupant or Current Resident addressed items by opting out from Valassis formerly known as Advo.
- The most effective way to do this is to call their toll-free number 1-888-241-6760.
  
  You can also fill in their online form at: http://www.advo.com
  
  You can also fill in the above online form and instead of submitting it online, you have the option to mail the form in.
Donnelley Marketing (owned by InfoUSA), a very large Mailing List, Direct Mail, and Email Campaign marketing group that derives most of their consumer lists from government records, phone books, membership rosters and other so.
- Call them at:1-800-321-0869
To opt out of other types of unsolicited junk mail.
- Valpak coupon system (the blue envelope full of third sheet advertisements):
  Call the Houston office at: 1-713-849-4477 Fill in the online form: http://www.coxtarget.com
  Publisher's Clearinghouse:
  Call them at: 1-800-645-9242 Email them at: service@pchmail.com
  American Family Sweepstakes:
  Call them at: 1-800-237-2400
  Pennysaver or Potpurri:
  Call them at: 1-800-422-4116
  *Leave a detailed message with the full address, including ZIP code, as it appears on the mailer.
Additional Tips.
- It may feel good to send back junk mail in prepaid envelopes and even right delete or something else stating that you want to be removed from their mailing list. It is far more effective to use the opt out procedures. Plus there is a good chance that the sender either rented or bought a one time mailing list under the condition that if they receive ANY response, that the listing becomes theirs, and they will not remove you from their marketing campaigns because the request did not come from the correct opt out procedures.
  
  When you opt out from any mailing list or organization, you may be told that it will take a couple of mailing cycles for you to be removed. Just be patient, it usually takes what ever time you are told for you to stop receiving the junk mail.
  
  If you move, do not fill in the Postal Change of Address Permanent Form, rather, fill in the temporary 10 month form. This should give you plenty of time to contact everyone that needs to know your address, and addresses that are on the temporary form are not given to marketing companies.
  
  When you order new checks, instead of having them delivered to your home, pick them up from your bank.
  
  In most cases, Warranty Cards are a ploy a company uses to gather additional information about. Almost all products are under warranty whether you fill in the card or not. But if you don't fill them out, you may not get any recall notice that may be sent out for your item. So when you fill in the card, only fill in the bare essentials (they do not need to know how much money you make, or how many kids you have!) Then somewhere on the card, write that you no not want to be placed on any type of mailing list, and you do not want your information to sold or given to any other company. If there is any type of opt out box, make sure that you mark it.
  
  Contact your phone company and have your address removed from the listing, most phone companies do this free of charge.

Eliminate Spam

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Eliminate Telemarketers

You can have your telephone removed from telemarketing lists by placing it on the Federal Trade Commission's National Do Not Call Registry.

Contact the National Do Not Call Registry, www.donotcall.gov, (888) 382-1222.

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