One of the most common questions we get at South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs is, “How can I stop getting these annoying phone calls and mailings?” The free tips below can help you get some peace if you’re bothered by mailings and phone calls that seem to have no end.
1.) Junk Mail. Contact the Direct Marketing Association by visiting www.dmachoice.org to unclutter your mail box. After filling out the form, those unwanted ads will stop showing up in your mailbox for five years. Remember: this will not stop mailings from those that do not use DMA’s Mail Preference Service.*
2.) Email. The Direct Marketing Association also has an Email Preference Service (eMPS) to help you cut down on unwanted email ads. Opt out of getting email from DMA members by visiting www.dmachoice.org. Registration lasts six years.
3.) Phone calls. If the phone rings off the hook, consider signing up with the National Do Not Call Registry. You can register at www.donotcall.gov, or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you want added to the Registry. It can take up to 31 days for the calls to lessen. Remember: businesses you already have a relationship with can still contact you.* Contact them directly to ask to be taken off their call lists.
4.) Preapproved offers of credit. Credit card companies will send applications for credit to people with certain credit score ranges. These applications can make it very easy for an identity thief to get credit in your name. You can stop receiving them altogether by calling 1-888-567-8688 or visiting www.optoutprescreen.com. Choose to stop getting them for 5 years or permanently; to opt out forever you must mail in the Permanent Opt-Out Election form.You may still get calls and mailings from scammers, as they don’t follow the rules set by the groups covered in this post. Keep that in mind when you get calls or mailings from strangers. If you’re ever in doubt, hang up and follow up.This article is from South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs. Click here to read the blog in its entirety.
