Junk mail is a nuisance for many
who receive postcards, flyers and credit card offers. But it also creates
opportunities for identity thieves to steal personal information. Your BBB
advises that there are ways to reduce the amount of unwanted mail and the
possibility of ID theft.
A Javelin Strategy and Research
survey on ID theft estimates that 8.1 million Americans were ID theft victims
in 2007, with nearly half a million cases traced to stolen mail.
Reducing the risk from mail
theft takes a two-step approach: shredding sensitive materials and limiting the
amount of mail received.
To reduce the amount of junk
mail you receive:
Credit card offers
ID thieves can use pre-approved
credit card offers to open fraudulent credit accounts. The three major credit
reporting bureaus allow you to opt-out of receiving pre-approved credit card
offers for at least five years by calling 1.888.5.OPTOUT or visiting
www.optoutprescreen.com. You’ll be asked for personal information, including your
name, address, birth date and Social Security Number but this information is
kept confidential.
Direct mail offers
Direct Marketing Association
(DMA) has 5,200 member companies that pitch their products. To stop receiving
mailings from DMA members, go to: www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing. DMA
regularly updates its list, but it may take six months before mailings from DMA
members stop.
Catalogues
Even if you never shopped with a
company before, your mailbox may be overrun with their catalogues. You likely
made a purchase with a company that gave your contact information to Abacus, an
alliance of catalogue and publishing companies. To stop mass mailings, e-mail
optout@abacus-us.com or write Abacus, Inc., PO Box 1478, Broomfield,
CO 80038.
“Resident” mailings
To remove your address from
“resident” and “occupant” mailings, contact Valassis (formerly ADVO, Inc.) at
1.888.241.6760, online at www.advo.com/consumersupport.html or via a written
request to ADVO, Inc. Customer Assistance, P.O. Box 249, Windsor, CT 06095.
Coupon packs
To stop receiving coupon packs,
visit http://www.coxtarget.com/contact.html and click the “Mailing Address
Removal Request Form.”
Solicitations to children
If a child under age 13 is
receiving advertisements or credit card offers, it could be a sign that their
ID has been stolen. Parents should contact the three major credit reporting
bureaus, listed below, and inform them of the situation.
Equifax: 1.800.525.6285
Experian: 1.888.397.3742
TransUnion: 1.800.680.7289
For additional information and
advice you can trust on ID theft prevention, start with bbb.org, or call 800.729.9226.