OPTOUTPRESCREEN.COM
Are you tired of getting unsolicited credit card applications in the mail? Well, there’s a way to stop them. The various credit reporting agencies have banded together on a site called “OptOutPrescreen.com”. When I found out about this site, I wanted to put my info in, but I wasn’t sure that I wasn’t the victim of a fishing expedition. So, I went to the various credit sites. I couldn’t find it linked from Experian. I couldn’t find it linked from Equifax. Finally, I found a link from Trans-Union.
I’m intentionally not linking directly to the site, since, if you actually care about this, you won’t want to click a random link. Even if you do trust me. :-)
Thanks to Orcmid for the link, and to SeaBlogs for pointing me there.
Posted by Garrett on March 30th, 2005 in Consumer, Web | 5 Comments
It’s worth it, though. The only negative I can think of is that once you stop getting junk mail you feel unloved because hardly anything will appear in your mailbox. I was worried about using this site at first but a little research showed me that Optoutprescreen.com is legit.
Comment by Anonymous — October 5, 2006 @ 3:08 pm
I hesitated when I read that my SSN was required. Why?? Since it’s web site URL address is dot com and not dot org or dot gov. Any thoughts?
Comment by Dobutsu — March 9, 2008 @ 5:38 pm
It was never a government function, just a government requirement, and it’s related to commercial transactions, so .com makes perfect sense.
If you’re worried, do like I did, and find the link off one of the credit-reporting sites. You can be sure _they_ already have your SSN, at least…
Since signing up, my credit offers have dropped to near zero: my wife, who didn’t sign up with them, gets a couple per week.
Comment by Garrett — March 11, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
As cautious as I am with identity theft being so prevalent, I admit to being a recent (yesterday) victim of a phishing scam. As a result, I contacted my financial institution who in turn referred me to Experian credit bureau to additionally report the incident. While Experian does offer a 90-day opt out, the long-term opt out is reserved for those who have actually been a victim of fruad, and does require some sort of proof. I don’t recall seeing a link to optoutprescreen.com. There’s no way I’ll post my info on this site. Just can’t be too cautious these days.
Comment by Susie Q — April 22, 2008 @ 7:59 pm
Susie Q – I agree with your caution. All I can say is that since I signed up, the only credit card offers I’ve gotten have been from places like my college alumni association, while my wife, who didn’t sign up, has continued to get a regular stream of shreddables.
Comment by Garrett — April 24, 2008 @ 11:26 am