Don't give out
personal information, such as your income and buying habits, to people or
businesses that ask for it. Personal information that you provide often gets
sold to other marketers. Don't include personal information when you enter
drawings at stores, when you fill out warranty cards, or when you respond to
surveys on the Internet.Never give your social security number, account
numbers, or personal credit card information to anyone who calls you.
Establish a "Junk" email address. You will find less "spam" in your personal
email box if you establish an address at a free mail service such as Hot Mail,
Yahoo, or Gmail (Google).
The Consumer Action Handbook, published by the Federal Consumer Information
Center, is valuable information that no consumer should be without. In addition
to advice and consumer tips, this handbook includes a Consumer Assistance
Directory with thousands of names, addresses, telephone numbers, web site and
email addresses for national consumer organizations, better business bureaus,
corporations, trade associations, state and local consumer protection offices,
state agencies, military consumer offices, and federal agencies. For more
information, visit
www.pueblo.gsa.gov/crh/respref.htm.
To get off mailing lists and telemarketing lists, write to Telephone
Preference Service, Attention: Preference Service Manager, Direct Marketing
Association, P.O. Box 3079, Grand Central Station, NY 10163. Ask to have your
name and home address removed from participating marketers' unsolicited mailing
lists and ask to have your telephone number(s) removed from telemarketers'
calling lists and put on the "do not call" list.
To get off credit bureau marketing lists, call toll free 888-567-8688 to
remove your name from marketing lists of the nation's three major credit
bureaus that share information with third party marketers.
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