Shred Solicitations Before Discarding

Credit card solicitations, which reached a record 6 billion in 2005, may pose a financial risk because some contain consumers' social security numbers, according to a May 10 CBS article. Identity thieves can take discarded solicitations from open trashcans or unopened solicitations from mailboxes and gain access to your sensitive, personal information.

In addition to shredding documents with sensitive information, you can "opt out" of receiving pre-approved credit card solicitations in the future by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT or by visiting www.optoutprescreen.com. You can opt out for five years, permanently and you can choose to opt back in if you later change your mind.

According to a report released last month by market research firm Synovate, the number of pre-approved credit card solicitations rose from 5.2 billion in 2004 to more than 6 billion in 2005 -- a 16% jump. The record number of mailings averages to more than 20 offers for every man, woman and child in the United States and cost about $1 billion in postage.

The average household received over six pre-approved credit card solicitations by mail every month. According to Synovate's research, more solicitations are being sent to more households because consumers are not taking advantage of the opt-out registry mandated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Resource:
http://www.optoutprescreen.com/