Condo Media - September 2011 - 20

HOMEOWNER’S CORNER

The Mess in the Mailbox
Managing Unwanted Mail
isgusted by all of those unsolicited credit card offers clogging up your mailbox? Tired of lugging catalogs and junk mail to the recycling bin? It’s no wonder putting an end to it is a priority for many people. While you can’t eliminate everything, you can noticeably reduce the avalanche of paper in your mailbox just by picking up the phone or hopping online.

name to credit card companies as a hot prospect. That’s why you’re getting those “you’ve been pre-approved” offers every day. Put an end to it by calling (888) 5-OPT-OUT. You can

and other national advertising mail — by contacting the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS). This opt-out lasts for five years and can be renewed. Go to

While you can’t eliminate everything, you can reduce the avalanche of paper in your mailbox just by picking up the phone or hopping online.
also opt out via the Internet at: www.optoutprescreen.com/opt_form.cgi. Opting out is good for five years. If you’d like your name removed permanently, you will be mailed a confirmation form within about five business days to sign and return. For more information see the FTC’s Facts for Consumers, Prescreened Offers of Credit and Insurance at www.ftc.gov/bcp/ edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre17.shtm. Remember, this won’t stop all credit offers — only those that result from screening your credit report. Your bank or credit card company may still send offers for new credit or share information about you with other companies. Although you don’t have total control over the information that’s shared by financial companies, you do have some. For more on how to limit data sharing by banks and other financial institutions, read the Privacy Rights Clearing house Fact Sheet 24, Protecting Financial Privacy in the New Millennium: The Burden Is on You, at www.privacyrights.org/fs/ fs24-finpriv.htm. www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/ regist.action. There is no charge for registering online. For those who want to register via USPS, send a $1 check or money order to the Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 643, Carmel N.Y. 10512. (See the sample letter available at: www.privacyrights.org/Letters/ letters.htm#Junk_Mail.) The MPS will put you into the “delete” file, which is sent to subscribing organizations several times a year.

So Long Credit Offers
If your credit is anywhere near good, credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — are selling your

Cut Out the Catalogs
When you buy something from a mailorder catalog, your transaction is likely to be reported to Abacus, a company that compiles a cooperative database of catalog and publishing companies’ customers. Your name is then sold to other mail-order companies that send you catalogs and offers. This explains why you are likely to receive several unsolicited catalogs after ordering anything by mail. To opt out of the Abacus database, write to Abacus, P.O. Box 1478, Broomfield, Colo. 80038 or e-mail abacusoptout@epsilon.com. Include your full name and current address (and previous address if you have moved recently). For more information, visit www.abacusoptout.com. CM

Jettison the Junk Mail
You can reduce other types of junk mail — magazine offers, sweepstakes

CONDO MEDIA • SEPTEMBER 2011

http://www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/regist.action http://www.optoutprescreen.com/opt_form.cgi http://www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/regist.action http://www.privacyrights.org/Letters/letters.htm#Junk_Mail http://www.privacyrights.org/Letters/letters.htm#Junk_Mail http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre17.shtm http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre17.shtm http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs24-finpriv.htm http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs24-finpriv.htm http://www.abacusoptout.com

Condo Media - September 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - September 2011