Fighting Telemarketers and Spammers!
Telemarketers
Are you sick and tired of receiving endless amounts of sales calls? Feel that your mailbox is filled with excess amounts of credit card offers? Well, here are a few tips on fighting back.
DMA Direct Marketing Association Opt Out
http://www.the-dma.org/cgi/offtelephonedave
You can sign up online for a $5 fee or you can send it in for free to:
Telephone Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 9014
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Sign up for this IMMEDIATELY:
Or call toll free: 1-888-382-1222
This is the Federal Trade Commission’s national telemarketing “Do Not Call List“. Beginning October 1, 2003, the FTC will begin to enforce the National Do Not Call List. This will greatly reduce most of your telemarketing calls. If a telemarketer does call you, remember this sentence as it will save you from a lot of unwanted calls.
PUT ME ON YOUR DO-NOT-CALL LIST
Junkmail
I hate junk mail! I’m sure most of us do. Not only does this waste trees and kills the environment, it poses a great threat to identity theft. Each and every credit card invitation has my information and, in the wrong hands, allows that person to open a line of credit in my name. Try a few of these steps to deter these companies.
DMA Direct Marketing Association Opt Out
http://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglistdave
You can sign up online for a $5 fee or you can send it in for free to:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Credit Bureaus Main Opt Out Line: (888)567-8688
This is a very short automated call. You can either opt out of credit offers for 2 years or a lifetime. Opting out a lifetimes requires you to fill out a short form but it is well worth it.
Experian Consumer Services: (402)458-5247
This is also a very short automated call. This opts you out of catalogs, samples, coupons, local and national ads, phone offers, and mail offers.
What to do with Junkmail
- Write on the envelope “RTS” and stick it in the mailbox. RTS means “Return to Sender“. Why? Because why would a company keep spending money on paper and postage if they keep getting their mail back. They will eventually remove you from their list.
- If the company lists their name and address, write to them asking them they remove your name from their mailing list.
- If the company lists their number, give them a call IMMEDIATELY and have them remove your name from their mailing list.
List Brokers
The following is a list of companies which sell mailing lists to various corporations and organizations. Write to all of them and request that you be removed from their mailing lists.
Database America
Compilation Department
470 Chestnut Ridge Road
Woodcliff, NJ 07677
Metromail Corporation
List Maintenance
901 West Bond
Lincoln, NE 68521
Dunn & Bradstreet
Customer Service
899 Eaton Ave.
Bethlehem, PA 18025
R.L. Polk & Co. – Name Deletion File
List Compilation Development
26955 Northwestern Hwy
Southfield, MI 48034-4716