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The best way to stay off marketing lists? Don't put your privacy at risk in the first place, says ProQuo. Here are three common mistakes the free junk-mail-elimination Web service says people often make:
1. Entering sweepstakes: Entering your personal information into a sweepstakes essentially gives data brokers the right to resell your information to other people. Read the fine print on the back of a sweepstakes entry before you fill it out; you may inadvertently be inviting telemarketers to bypass the Federal Trade Commission's Do Not Call Registry and phone your home.
2. Sending back "warranty cards": Most warranties require only a proof of purchase in the form of a receipt. Product warranty cards, on the other hand, are actually marketing solicitations that will flood your mailbox with junk mail based on the information you've provided.
3. Signing up for in-store rewards cards: You may think you're on your way to getting better shopping deals, but any information you submit may be sold to data brokers and end up in the hands of dozens of other marketers.
To test out which of your activities leads to junk mail, ProQuo recommends you use a slight variation in the spelling of your name (use a first initial or add a middle initial). "Within weeks you can bet you will start receiving junk mail with this new spelling," the site says.
Magazines and charities frequently sell lists to data aggregators, as well, so be sure to ask them right off the bat to opt you out from any mailing and exchange lists.
See also: ::Reclaim Your Mailbox, Get Rid of Junk Mail and ::Eliminate Unwanted Catalogs For Free
Difficulty level: Easy
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