Did you know junk mail is a fraud risk? Sure, you and I know better and throw that crap away but what about our senior parents who are far more vulnerable to getting scammed? My dad gets 4-10 unsolicited promotional catalogues, magazines, junk fliers and credit card offers A DAY! That is ridiculous! I started collecting them on a mission to clean up his mailbox to deter companies from targeting and taking advantage of bored, old men who think they need a 10th gold watch or another turquoise and silver bracelet. Sadly, this isn’t a joke as there is a drawer at my dad’s apartment filled with this crap right now. Enough is enough. Here is how to get rid of junk mail for yourself or an aging parent to protect them from junk mail fraud and unwanted purchases.
Not even joking. Two drawers full of items that were ordered from my senior parent from junk magazines and catalogues. These junk mailers focus on aging parents boredom and naivety.
I did not realize that not all junk mail is the same. There are three categories of junk mail. When I say junk mail I am talking about magazines, catalogues, pamphlets, flyers and envelope mailings. Each type of unsolicited mail fits into one of these three categories below and should be handled accordingly when wanting to opt-out for yourself or a senior parent.
- Unsolicited materials from companies you have purchased from, donated or subscribed to. These are a little harder to get out of having them send stuff because you/your parent has already given money to!
- Unsolicited materials from companies you have never heard of or bought from but have a similar niche as the ones mentioned above. These materials are sent because the companies above SOLD your info to them as a “juicy buyer”.
- Unsolicited materials from credit card and insurance companies. They are in a category of their own and need to be handled differently than the two groups above.
Catalogchoice.org
Go to the website catalogchoice.org and create an account. Use this site to opt out of magazines, catalogues from category 1 above. Enter in the name of the magazine and this site will give you exact instructions and links how that particular publication or company accepts opt outs. It was very easy and self explanatory. No fee. They do ask for a donation but it can be disregarded if you choose.
DMAchoice.org
Go to the website dmachoice.org and create an account. Use this site for opting out of any future mailings or those in category 2 above. Once account is created you can opt out of receiving any mailings/publications or pick and choose which mailings you want/don’t want to be sent. I kept it simple and opted out of ALL. DMA charges a $2 handling fee to opt out of mailings when you register online. The opt out is good for 10 years and you can change your “opt out status” at any time by logging back into the account and updating.
Optoutprescreen.com
Go to the website optoutprescreen.com or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) to opt out of receiving unsolicited offers for new credit cards and insurances as mentioned in category 3 above.. Service is free and operated by the four major consumer reporting companies and is effective. Unlike the National Do Not Call Registry which is useless.
TIPS
- When creating account to opt out make sure you use the exact spelling of the name and address used on the pieces of junk mail.
- DMA also offers registration for name to removed from email lists to reduce unsolicited commercial emails.