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Stop Unsolicited Mail, Telemarketing and Email

by Suzanne Kantra on October 19, 2012

Tired of having your mailbox crammed with unsolicited mail, including pre-approved credit card applications? Fed up with getting telemarketing calls just as you’re sitting down to dinner? Fuming that your email inbox is chock-full of unsolicited advertising? We’ve all been there. The good news is that you can cut down on the number of unsolicited mailings, calls, and emails you receive by learning where to go to “just say no.”

Direct Marketers

Telemarketing
The federal government has created the National Do Not Call Registry — a free, easy way to reduce the telemarketing calls you get at home. To register your phone number or to get information about the registry, visit www.donotcall.gov, or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you want to register. You will get fewer telemarketing calls within 31 days of registering your number. Telephone numbers on the registry will only be removed when they are disconnected and reassigned, or when you choose to remove a number from the registry.

If you get a robocall, a call with a pre-recorded message instead of a live person, hang up. Don't press 1 or 0 to speak to a live operator and don't press any other number to get your number off the list. Responding will probably lead to more robocalls.

Mail
The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service lets you opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial mail from many national companies for five years. When you register with this service (for a $1 fee), your name will be put on a “delete” file and made available to direct-mail marketers. However, your registration will not stop mailings from organizations that do not use the DMA’s Mail Preference Service. To register with DMA’s Mail Preference Service.

Also, use the PaperKarma app (free for for iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices) to contact marketers directly.

Email
The DMA also has an Email Preference Service  through its subsidiary Interactive Marketing Solutions to help you reduce unsolicited commercial emails from DMA members. Your online request will be effective for five years.

Credit Bureaus

The credit bureaus offer a toll-free number that enables you to “opt-out” of having pre-approved credit offers sent to you for five years. Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (567-8688) or visit www.optoutprescreen.com for more information. When you call, you’ll be asked for personal information, including your home telephone number, your name, and your Social Security number. The information you provide is confidential and will be used only to process your request to opt out of receiving pre-screened offers of credit.

In addition, you can notify the three major credit bureaus that you do not want personal information about you shared for promotional purposes—an important step toward eliminating unsolicited mail. Make sure your request includes your home telephone number, name, Social Security number, and date of birth. Send your letter to each of the three major credit bureaus:

Experian
901 West Bond
Lincoln, NE 68521
Attn: Consumer Services Department

TransUnion
Name Removal Option
P.O. Box 505
Woodlyn, PA 19094

Equifax, Inc.
Options
P.O. Box 740123
Atlanta, GA 30374-0123

Department of Motor Vehicles

The Drivers Privacy Protection Act allows states to distribute personal information only to law enforcement officials, courts, government agencies, private investigators, insurance underwriters, and similar businesses—but not for direct marketing and other uses.


Topics

Health and Home, Computers and Software, Computer Safety & Support, Home Safety & Security, Tips & How-Tos


Discussion loading

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From Anne Maxfield on October 19, 2012 :: 10:10 am


All our phones are on the do-not-call list but our country house gets at least 4 robo calls a week. I just re-registered with the do-not-call list to see if that might help. When I get the time, I report the numbers to the FTC, but I doubt that does much.
Paper Karma has helped a lot with junk mail!

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From bob on October 19, 2012 :: 11:26 am


When you’re dealing with telemarketers you are dealing with low life scum of the earth that have already been prison most of there lives and they liked it there.  They really love it when gov gives them a list. Now, they have more numbers to call…. There loving it!
What is gov going to do, throw them in prison, most of them only hope.
You can do what I did one day after I had enough, maybe I better not say, but the result is that I ripped my phone out of the wall. Never paid those crooked phone companies another dime – I think they own the telemarketing industry. I never had any more trouble with those creeps. If anyone wants me they can email me.
##@%%^ the telemarketers and #$#@$& - %$^^&*(( Verizon………………… period, period, period, period, period, period, period, period, period, period, period, est….

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From D.H.Leak on October 19, 2012 :: 11:42 am


PLEASE…PLEASE…PLEASE
DO NOT GIVE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TO ANY ONE OVER THE PHONE, PERIOD. ESPECIALLY IF YOU DID NOT INITIATE THE CALL, OR IF IN ANY WAY YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO THEY ARE, AND YOU TRUST THEM WITH YOUR IDENTITY.
ESPECIALLY TO ANYONE AFFILIATED WITH A SO CALLED OFFER TO GIVE YOU ANYTHING FREE. INCLUDING THE OUTFIT LISTED HERE TO GIVE YOU YOUR “SCORE”. THEY ARE ORDERED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO GIVE YOU THREE “FREE” CREDIT REPORTS EACH YEAR, WHEN REQUESTED.

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From Nat on October 19, 2012 :: 8:36 pm


I recently discovered an android app called “Call Control”.  I have been pestered by repeated calls on my cellphone from a business or businesses selling credit card debt consolidation etc.  They usually introduce themselves as “Credit Card Services” or “Account Services”.  A Google search reveals that many many others have been bothered by repeated similar calls and have repeatedly reported them to the FCC. The FCC has done absolutely nothing about this despite many complaints.  It appears that the FCC DoNotCall list is a huge waste of tax dollars and probably should be defunded.

Then I installed “Call Control”.  It blocks calls by sending the call straight to voicemail without the phone even ringing.  It uses a community blacklist that apparently included all the numbers that had pestered me.  The program keeps a log of the blocked calls.  You can also produce your own blacklist of whitelist.

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From Walter Boomsma on October 22, 2012 :: 4:49 am


As far as “do not call,” I’ve found the list is quite effective. The problem is non-profits, surveys, and politicians are exempt. We are currently averaging 4-6 calls per day.

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From facebook1436625094 on April 21, 2014 :: 12:11 pm


YES, non profits and political groups ARE exempt HOWEVER if you use the magic words
PLEASE PUT ME ON YOUR DO NOT CALL LIST they will.

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From Maryann Farrugia on October 05, 2015 :: 1:07 am


these robo calls are very annoying in anyway that it could be! I remember my number is included in the do not call registry list and still these telemarketers are trying to ruin my everyday life. Even though you have the so called “blockers” they can still find a way to annoy you.

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