Nnaell@aol.com wrote:
>
> Actually, you can request that companies not give out your name and personal
> information to any other person, vendor or organization. <snip>
There is a new Privacy Act that requires companies to allow you to "opt
out" of having your personal info sold or traded with other companies.
You may receive info for doing so with your current credit
card/mortgage/bank statements. Read it very carefully and fill it out;
send it to the correct address, which is usually not where you send your
payments.
For unwanted catalogs, simply call the toll-free number and request that
your name be removed from their mailing list; it really works, though it
may be a couple of months before you notice a difference. Doing this
will cut down on a _lot_ of extraneous mail, catalogs or not.
For unsolicited calls, many of them are automatically dialed by
computers; when someone answers, there's a few seconds' delay until a
salesperson picks it up. If the phone rings and no one says anything
for a couple of seconds, I hang up immediately (they won't call back
right away). Eventually they get the hint and stop calling. Another
tactic, especially if they ask for "Mrs. White," I know it's someone who
doesn't know me, and I tell them "Sorry, no one here by that name," or
even "Mrs. White (my mother) has passed away." Obviously, this only
works for single people!
