|
How to "OPT-OUT" of Phone, Computer and Mail Solicitations
SA
Chris Clapper, the USSS Liaison to the Federal Trade Commission for
Identity Theft has
prepared and provided the following explanation and instructions
regarding how to OPT-OUT
of pre-screened credit card offers, telemarketing
lists, e-mails lists,
direct mail marketing lists, etc.
Due to the recent influx of questions regarding the credit bureaus and
the release of personal
information, I have updated the OPT-OUT
instructions.
All of the phone numbers, web sites, and addresses are safe
and endorsed by the
Federal Trade Commission. By
opting out you
are limiting the sharing
or selling of your personal information, which
limits your exposure,
and reduces the odds of becoming a victim of an Identity
Crime. Feel free to
share this information with co-workers, friends, family, and
the general public.
In our normal course of business we expose our personal information to
many
different entities.
We may do this by applying for a loan or credit card,
subscribing to a
magazine, ordering products over the phone or Internet,
filling out product
registration cards, setting up home utilities such as,
gas, electric, cable,
phone, etc. Most of these
companies have a
legitimate need for your
information. However, the law allows them to sell
your information to
other businesses. This is
generally the source of many
of the unsolicited
telemarketing calls, promotional mail, and spam e-mails you
receive.
Most businesses offer their customers choices about how their
personal information is
used by giving you the ability to "opt-out."
The following information has been provided by the Federal Trade
Commission, and are
legitimate sources that will require you to provide certain
personal information.
PRE-SCREENED
CREDIT CARD OFFERS:
The
credit bureaus sell your information to financial institutions wishing
to entice you with
pre-approved credit card offers. You
can "opt-out" from
receiving these offers
by calling 1-888-567-8688. The
three major credit
bureaus share this
number, so you don't have to call each bureau
separately. This is an
automated number that allows you to opt-out permanently or for
two years.
A confirmation letter should be sent to your home address.
PROMOTIONAL
AND MARKETING LISTS:
The
credit bureaus also sell your information to businesses for promotional
purposes.
This is the list where many coupons, catalogs, and "special
offers" come from.
To opt-out from this list, you need to write the
three major credit
bureaus at the below listed addresses. Provide your
name, address, telephone
number and tell them to, "not
share your personal
information for
promotional or marketing purposes."
Equifax,
Inc.
Options
P.O. Box 740123
Atlanta, GA 30374-0123
Experian
Consumer Opt Out
701 Experian Way
Allen, TX
75013
TransUnion
Marketing List Opt Out
P.O. Box 97328
Jackson, MS 39288-7328
DIRECT
MARKETING ASSOCIATION (DMA):
The
DMA Mail and Telephone Preference Services allow you to opt-out of
receiving direct mail marketing and telemarketing calls from many
national
companies for five years. You can also opt-out through the E-mail
Preference Service to help reduce the number of unsolicited commercial
e-mails for one
year. By contacting
the below addresses in writing or via e-mail, you
will be put on a
"delete" list.
Direct
Mail Marketing:
Direct Marketing Association
Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512
Or
go online at:
www.the-dma.org/consumers/offmailinglist.html
Telemarketing:
Direct
Marketing Association
Telephone Preference Service
P.O. Box 1559
Carmel, NY 10512
Or
go online at:
www.the-dma.org/consumers/offtelephonelist.html
E-mail:
Go
online at:
www.dmaconsumers.org/offemaillist.html
In
addition, many of the financial institutions that you currently have
credit cards, loans,
mortgages, etc will sell your information
directly to other
businesses wishing to solicit your business.
There is no
central number or
address to stop this, so if your goal is "TOTAL OPT-OUT",
you will need to contact
each of your financial institutions and your utility
companies to request
that they not share or sell your information. By law,
they must allow you to
be deleted from these lists.
A Final Safety Note: You
should never give your personal information to
anyone unless you know
who you are dealing with. Your credit card
company will never call
YOU to verify account information.
If you are ever
suspicious, you should
ask to call back, and use the 800 number on the back
of your credit card.
It
is a good idea to order a copy of your credit report at least once per
year.
You may already be a victim of an Identity Crime, and not know it
if
you have not viewed your
credit report lately. Make sure all of the information
is correct and accurate.
A strange address on the header is often
a sign that an Identity
Thief may have tried to open an account in your
name.
Make sure that all accounts that you have previously closed or
canceled are
properly reflected in
the report. Many of us sign
up for store accounts to
receive a discount on
our first purchase. If you are not actively using
that account - close it
out. Remember, this is a
report of your information.
The
report costs about $9, and takes about 1-2 weeks to be mailed to you.
The
contact information for
the 3 credit bureaus is provided below.
EQUIFAX:
To
order your report call: 1-800-685-1111
Or
go online at: www.equifax.com
To
report fraud call: 1-800-525-6285
and write to:
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
EXPERIAN:
To
order your report call: 1-888-397-3742
Or
go online at: www.experian.com
To
report fraud call: 1-888-397-3742
and write to:
P.O. Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013
TRANSUNION:
To
order your report call: 800/888-4213
or
go online at: www.transunion.com
To
report fraud call: 1-800-680-7289
and write to:
Fraud Victim Assistance Dept.
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92634-6790
|
