Reduce Junk Mail and Identity Theft

We all know about the rash of identity theft that has hit our community and others nationwide. One of the key sources for the data that is used to commit these crimes is unsecured mail. More than 400,000 Americans each year can trace falsely-opened credit accounts to stolen mail. Reducing the excess mail can help you reduce your exposure to this type of crime.

There are three key places you should contact to help tame the junk mail in your box.

• Remove your name from this list sold by consumer reporting agencies to credit card companies for preapproved offers.
  
  
• The Direct Marketing Association's removal tool can pull your name off of the mailing lists used by their 5,200 members - most of the junk you get. Obviously, they're not really concerned about getting your name off the list; they charge $5 to submit your request online, although you can print your request from their site and mail it to them.
  
  
• Remove yourself from unsolicited mortgage and home equity loan offers by visiting the DataQuick website.
  

Take 10 minutes to visit these sites, and you'll be on the way to protecting your identity.