Shielding your personal information from genuine companies and fraudsters
Your name, address, telephone number, and email address are valuable.
Once on a computerised list they can be bought, sold, rented or swapped.
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Some lists are even available to anyone who is willing to pay, and this is how genuine companies are able to send you catalogues, sales advertisements, credit card offers, prize draw offers and competitions, and fraudsters are able to send you hoax letters and other scams!
How does my personal information appear on these lists?
Companies and other organisations (including those established specifically to collate and sell information) find out about you from many different sources.
- Many businesses 'rent' their mailing lists, so if you are for example a customer of a mail order catalogue, or you subscribe to a magazine, or have a credit card, then there is a chance your personal information may be made available to others for marketing purposes.
- Mailing list companies collect information from public sources such as telephone directories and the edited electoral roll. These are then collated and sold to other companies.
- If you have ever entered a competition, or filled out a questionnaire, filled in a warranty or product registration card, or been 'surveyed' by someone on then street, chances are your details will also find their way on to a mailing list.
- Email addresses can be collected with the use of programs called 'email spiders'. These 'spiders' will search the interent looking for web pages on which email addresses can be found. They will also look for email addresses in guest books, on newsgroups, message boards and chat rooms. Some spammers (senders of unwanted email) will also try to guess your email address.
What can I do to protect my personal information and stop it from appearing on mailing lists?
There are a number of straightforward and simple things you can do (or avoid doing) to protect your personal information.
- You can also contact companies direct and notify their customer service department that you do not wish your name, address, telephone number or email address to be provided to other companies. Think about contacting magazines to which you subscribe, as well as charities, nonprofit organisations and professional/trade associations to which you have either donated money or joined, and request they do the same.
- Go ex-directory and have your details removed from the telephone book.
- The electoral roll is now divided in to two parts. The full register, on which all information appears can only be supplied for certain, limited purposes, for example law enforcement - it cannot be sold for marketing purposes. The edited version however is available for general sale sand can be used for any purpose. Electors are able to choose not to have their details included on the edited register by marking a box on the annual canvass form, or on the rolling registration form.
- To reduce mailings by prize promoters, avoid participating in sweep-stakes, competitions and contests. Also avoid filling in surveys or questionnaires etc.
- Never respond to any letters or emails that you believe to be scams. If you do, you will only receive more.
- Avoid using your primary email address anywhere on any website. Instead consider using a free 'throwaway' email address.
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