How to Prevent Junk Paper Mail

Contacting the Direct Marketing Association and registering your name with their Mail Preference Service is the best way to start. This organization uses their Mail Preference Service to contact marketers and request that they remove consumer's names and addresses from their mailing lists. You can register online at www.dmachoice.org.

Avoid getting on mailing lists by being very careful about submitting your name and address to anyone. Any time you fill out an application or other form that asks for your mailing address, you can write: "please do not rent, sell, or trade my name or address." Writing this should indicate to the sales representative to make a note of your preference in their records.

Receiving unwanted catalogs or other publications can make up much of the junk mail you receive. When you get one of these publications, simply call the 1-800 number provided by the company and ask to be removed from the mailing list. Be prepared to give them information from the mailing label, as you are often simply a number in their systems.

If you have credit cards, or have recently made a purchase requiring you to fill out a credit application, such as a car loan, your name and address will likely be shared with other credit card companies or lending institutions. If you do not wish to receive these prescreened credit mailings, you can call 1-888-5OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) or log on to www.optoutprescreen.com. This will allow you to permanently remove your name from all prescreened credit offers.