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Consumer
Advisories
How
to Avoid Unwanted "Junk Mail" and Telephone Solicitations
Would
you like to reduce the number of unwanted telephone and mail
solici-tations you receive? Many consumers appreciate the
convenience of shopping from home when they receive legitimate
solicitations for goods and services, but others would like
to reduce what they consider "junk mail" or "junk
calls." Our names and numbers are often sold on solicitation
lists. Here are a few tips to avoid unwanted calls and mail:
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Tell
phone solicitors, "Please do not call me again."
When you make this request, the Telephone Consumer Protection
Act requires the caller to enter your name on a "do-not-call"
list and not to make further telephone solicitations to
you.
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Ask
credit reporting agencies not to give your name to solicitors.
Credit reporting agencies sell lists to credit card marketers
and others. Upon request, credit reporting agencies will
remove your name from the lists they provide. Call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT
(1-888-567-8688.) An oral request will remove your name
for two years, or you can follow the prompts for a written
form to request permanent removal.
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Ask
the Direct Marketing Association to remove your name from
lists it manages. Reputable businesses honor such requests.
To reduce telephone solicitations, send your name, address
and phone number to: DMA Telephone Preference Service, P.O.
Box 1559, Carmel, New York 10512.
To reduce
mail solicitations, write to: DMA Mail Preference Service,
P.O. Box 643, Carmel, New York 10512. Be sure to include all
variations of your name as they appear in mailings. It probably
will take a few months before you notice a significant decrease
in solicitations, but it should help.
You may
have to contact these services more than once to keep your
name off solicitation lists -- and, of course, "scam-artists"
may ignore these lists and contact you. But the preference
services still may help you reduce unwanted calls and mail.
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Avoid
giving out financial or unnecessary personal information
on things like prize offers, sweepstakes entries, warranty
cards, or other information cards. This information may
well be sold many times over, driving up the number of mail
and telephone solicitations you receive.
For information,
or to file a complaint about a fraudulent solicitation, contact
the Consumer Protection Division, Hoover Bldg., Des Moines,
IA 50319. Call 515-281-5926.
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