Opt Out Center

Our Opt Out Center will help you remove your name from major lists throughout the county, including pre-approved credit offers and junk mail. Take control!

Pre-approved credit offers opt-out

Sick of those endless pre-approved credit offers? The nation's large credit bureaus sell your name to potential creditors. Have your name removed from their list by calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT (567-8688). The recorded system will ask you for your address, phone number and social security number. It's best to call from your home phone. Your name is removed for 2 years.

Unsolicited mail

There are 2 major sources of junk mail in this country: The Direct Marketing Association and the big three credit bureaus. They sell your name to other companies for marketing purposes which fill your mail with catalogs and junk mail.

Step 1 - Contact the bureaus

You must contact the three bureaus separately by mail to have your named removed. Download this form letter, fill it out and send the form to:

Equifax
Options
PO Box 740123
Atlanta, GA 30374-0123

Experian
Consumer Opt-Out
701 Experian Parkway
Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion
Name Removal Option
P.O. Box 505
Woodlyn, PA 19094

Step 2 - Direct Marketing Association

The Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service lets you remove your name from their direct mail lists for five years. Though many companies are registered with the DMA, some are not. However, this step will cut your junk mail down drastically.

Register online at www.the-dma.org

Or write:
Direct Marketing Association
Mail Preference Service
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

Telemarketing calls

Register your home and mobile phones with the National Do-Not-Call Registry. It's free and removes your number from call lists for 5 years. Can you imagine a dinner in which you're not interrupted?

Visit www.donotcall.gov , or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register. Within 30 days you should notice a huge difference. Remember to register again in 5 years.

Stop spam

The DMA also has an Email Preference Service to help you reduce the volume of electronic spam. To "opt-out" of unwanted emails, use this online form at www.dmaconsumers.org.

Your online request will be effective for one year. Be advised that the vast majority of spammers are not reputable companies and do not follow requests. You may want to use free software to fight your spam problem.

Try:

Mailwasher
http://www.mailwasher.net

Other complaints

Report your consumer credit issue to the Federal Trade Commission which fights fraud, deceptive business practices, Identity Theft, and telemarketing violations.

To file a complaint, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Complaints are entered into a national database called the Consumer Sentinel which is used by law enforcement.

In your financial life, few things figure as prominently as your credit report and credit score. Learning the basics of the credit report process, and keeping your credit report free of errors, is essential to good financial health. You should focus on improving your credit score as the highest credit scores receive the best interest rates and loan terms. On a mortgage, a difference of 100 points could be worth hundreds of dollars each month.

Since 2005, all Americans have the legal right to obtain a free annual copy of their credit report from TransUnion, Equifax and Experian credit reporting bureaus. This law is intended to help consumers reduce errors in their credit reports by minimizing the obstacles to viewing credit reports. To receive a free credit report visit the official site run by the bureaus: annualcreditreport.com

Your personal credit score is a number from 350-800 which stands for your credit risk. The higher numbers are considered less likely to default. Credit scores come from mathematical formulas that measure many variables in your credit report such as payment history, public records, and debt to income ratio.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (2003) amendment to the FCRA Fair Credit Reporting Act guaranteed all Americans the right to see their credit report once a year to check it for errors. To learn more about free credit, credit scores and financial terminology, visit our glossary page.