There are several steps that we can take in order to prevent identity theft mail fraud. For example, if you receive some pre-screened credit card offers in your mail then you must learn that it is necessary to tear these up after deciding that you don’t want to take advantage of the offers. Otherwise, an identity thief can retrieve these offers and use them for their own good and do so without your even suspecting that anything is wrong.
Another way of avoiding identity theft mail fraud is to opt out and decline to receive pre-screened credit card offers and this can be achieved by calling 1-888-5-OPTOUT or 1-888-567-8688. All of the major credit bureaus use this toll-free numbers to allow consumers to take the opt-out option.
You can also avoid identity theft mail fraud by notifying the major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) that you are against having your personal information shared for the purpose of receiving promotional offers. All you need to do to affect this is send an opt-out letter to these credit bureaus.
It is also possible to take advantage of the law that, according to the federal Drivers Privacy Protection Act, protects you from having your personal information shared with direct marketers – unless and until you give your consent to such distribution of your personal information. Of course, this Act does not give you protection against your personal information from being shared by law enforcement officials and with the courts as well as government agencies and even private investigators.
If you have a passport you must write to the State Department’s passport office to let them know and be alerted to the fact that someone is ordering a passport through fraudulent means. In the same vein, you can prevent identity theft mail fraud by also learning to, when using a government website, look for the .gov suffix that shows that you are in fact visiting a legitimate government website.
Also, to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft mail fraud you can also get in touch with the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail and Telephone Preference Services to inform them that you wish to opt out from getting any kind of direct mail marketing as well as telemarketing calls from national companies for a period of five years.
It is known that an estimated ten million Americans become victims of consumer fraud and identity theft on an annual basis. This knowledge should motivate you into protecting yourself and one way to do so is to read a book called The Real Safety Guide to Beating Identity Theft, Con Artists & Credit Fraud.
