HOW TO PROTECT YOUR MAILBOX DURING THE HOLIDAYS

Getting ready for the holidays means a lot of extra shopping and as any good consumer knows, those additional transactions can put your identity – and your mailbox – at risk. As you share personal information with retailers and charities, you increase the likelihood of having your information distributed to other marketers looking to inundate you with you junk mail or compromising your privacy or identity.

Catalog Choice – a TrustedID company and the nation’s largest mail preference and privacy service – has easy tips on how to protect consumers this holiday season:

• Stop junk mail before it starts. Be wary of giving out personal information when it’s not necessary. This season, skip the sweepstakes sign-ups, in-store rewards cards, and product warrantees that don’t require a proof of purchase.

• Check coupons. When receiving coupons or offers on social networks, go to the website and verify that those offers are current. Above all, keep in mind that you’re an easy target if you offer too much personal information when filling out forms to get a deal.

• Be charitable…and anonymous. People receive an influx of mail from charitable organizations towards the end of the year. Make sure to either opt-out of charity mailers or give anonymously through a site like Network for Good. They’ll get your donations into the right hands while keeping your personal information to themselves.

• Read the fine print. It’ll take an extra minute, but look at company privacy policies before doing business with them. Often companies will disclose whether or not they plan to share your information with third parties.

• Change your (middle) name. When doing business with a new company, use a fake middle initial that you can remember and associate with that company. As new unwanted marketing mail comes to your name with the fake initial, you’ll be able to determine which companies are sharing your name, address, and purchase data.

• Delete unnecessary information online. Remove any personal information, such as your date of birth, email address, and employment information from your social networking profiles, such as Facebook. We promise nobody will de-friend you for protecting your identity.

• Stop the post-holiday rush. After the holidays are over, you might see a spike in the unwanted marketing mail that comes to your mailbox including catalogs, credit card offers, or donation requests. De-list for free either with Catalog Choice, it’s MailStop Mobile app or MailStop Browser extension to remove your name and information from over 8,000 marketing companies.