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One of the most effective ways to avoid identity theft is to limit the amount of people who have your personal information. Companies that use "junk mail" are perhaps the biggest offenders. Fortuantely, it is fairly easy to stop junk mail - here are some tips.
- Whenever you get mail that you do not want (catalogues, flyers, etc) simply call the company and request that your name be removed from their mailing list. Companies should do this with no discussion.
But I like to look at the catalogues
All companies have the same (or more) information available on their websites. Instead of getting tons of junk mail, just visit them online. This also saves an extrodinary amount of paper over the course of a year.
How can you find out who is selling your name?
The only tricky part of stopping junk mail is that the company that is sending you junk may not be the company that is selling your name (in fact probably isn't). However, there is a very easy and effective way to find out who is selling your name to mailing lists. Whenever you are giving information to a company, include the company name as part of your name. For example, if you are signing up for an Amazon.com account you would put "Bob Amazon Jones" for your name. If you are signing up for a Harry and David's account, you might put "Bob H&D Jones" as your name. Then if that company sells your name, your junk mail will appear as "Bob Amazon Jones" and you will know exactly who sold your name. With a couple of phone calls you can nip the problem in the bud. By the way, Amazon doesn't sell you information but Harry and David's does.