You may not know it but stolen mail accounts for nearly 8 percent of identity thefts and an additional 3 percent of identities are lost as a result of Dumpster Diving. I know, that does not sound like a big deal but considering the Federal Trade Commission in 2004 received 387,456 ID Theft complaints and these statistics have been consistently rising every year since; simple math will tell you in 2004 alone there were nearly 31,000 victims of identity theft as a result of mail and garbage thefts.

I am sad to say these thefts were a direct result of people failing to take the most basic proactive measures that could have precluded these crimes from occurring. Just a few measures such as the following can eliminate identity theft of mail and trash.

· Always go directly to the post office or use a secure mailbox when sending out bills or any correspondence containing personal information or account numbers. Never ever use the unlocked mailbox in your front yard because the Red Flag that alerts the postal carrier to pick-up your mail also tells thieves there are possible checks waiting inside for alteration.

· To eliminate the risk of mail delivery thefts, opt out of junk mail and solicitations that often contain offers for loans, credit cards, refinancing propositions, etc. This process can be started by calling 1-800-567-8688.

· If you did not ask for it, do not fall for it. Another words, when Telemarketers call and especially if they request your bank account, credit card or Social Security Number or any other personal information - Hang up! Even better, use your caller ID or an answering machine to screen calls and do not talk to solicitors at all.

What Else Can You Do?

Put aside the needed time and campaign to stop junk mail from being delivered and an end to most telemarketing solicitations by undertaking the following actions;

1. National Do Not Call List maintained by the Federal Trade Commission. You can go online to www.donotcall.gov or call them direct from the phone you wish to bar by dialing 888-382-1222. Your registration will not expire. Telephone numbers placed on the National Do Not Call Registry will remain on it permanently due to the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, which became law in February 2008. Bear in mind this action will not eliminate all phone calls as some agencies are an exception from the FTC requirements such as chartable Register your phone numbers (landline and cell) with the organizations, political pollsters, telephone surveyors (Not selling products) and the commercial companies with whom you have conducted or have existing business relationships with.

Additionally the FTC states, "you should know by purchasing something from a company, you established a business relationship with the company. As a result, even if you put your number on the National Do Not Call Registry, that company may call you for up to 18 months after your last purchase or delivery from it, or your last payment to it, unless you ask the company not to call again. Finally, An established business relationship with a company also will be created if you make an inquiry to the company, or submit an application to it. This kind of established business relationship exists for three months after the inquiry or application. During this time, the company can call you."

2. Credit Bureaus
You may contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion Corporation individually using the contact information provided below. Or you can call 1-888-5OPT-OUT to reach the National Opt-Out Center Hotline established by the three credit bureaus to help consumers remove their names from pre-approved credit, insurance and other financial offers.

Equifax
Equifax Credit Information Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
1-800-685-1111 for general inquiries
1-888-766-0008 to place a fraud alert on your credit report
1-888-567-8688 to remove your name from mailing lists

Experian
1-888-397-3742 for consumer credit center
1-866-200-6020 to request a credit report by mail

TransUnion Corporation
TransUnion Fraud Victim Assistance Department
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834

TransUnion Name Removal Option
P.O. Box 505
Woodlyn, PA 19094
1-877-322-8228 for your free credit report
1-800-680-7289 to report fraud

3. Junk Mail You can reduce these mailings by contacting the Direct Marketing Association by logging onto www.DMAChoice.org. Here you will be given choices to opt out of both mail and Email solicitations. Opting out of mail lets you choose one or all of their categories (Credit Offers, Catalogs, Magazine Offers (this includes subscription offers, newsletters, periodicals and other promotional mailings) and/or Other Mail Offers (this includes donation requests, bank offers, retail promotions and more). There is a separate registration form on the DMA site to be removed from Email. This Email Preference Service (eMPS) removal file online once completed is good for five years.

4. Financial and Other Institutions You can also stop the spread of your personal information that happens as a result of established business relationships. Banks for example are required annually by law to notify you about how they use your personal information and as a customer; what opt-out rights you have. These notices often contain mailing addresses, phone numbers or a website address to contact and subsequently stop this business from sharing your information with unaffiliated third parties such as credit card issuers, insurance companies or mortgage companies.

Bear in mind even if you opt out of these affiliations the bank (as an example) can still pass your information onto their other affiliations such as their credit card department or their mortgage component. Just be aware when opting out to make sure you tell a business you opt out of both unaffiliated third parties and their affiliations as well and would like complete instructions and contact information on how to accomplish it.

5. Warranty Cards Some form of warranty covers whether you know it or not most durable and non-durable products you buy within the United States unless otherwise restricted by law. When you make a purchase and keep the receipt, that product is under warranty for its designated period of time whether you return the warranty card or not period. Warranty cards are simply a ploy for the manufacturer to collect information for profit such as income level, number of children, hobbies, interests, etc. which in turn allows your profile to be provided to others who in turn attempt to interest you in their products and services.

What you also need to bear in mind is that less than honest employees can harvest that personal data from this card and use it to steal your identity. Should you decide to complete the warranty card anyway simply keep things in check by only annotating your name, address and date of product purchase. Send the card back with a copy of the receipt if required. Advise the company in writing by adding a statement to the card that stipulates your personal information is not to be distributed. There is legally no requirement to answer any other questions and subject your personal profile to solicitations or theft.

In conclusion, thinking you will be removed from junk mailings by scribing refused or return to sender upon unsolicited letters will remove you from distributor listings is futile. Postal regulations requires third class returned mail be simply thrown away. You have to take the actions we discussed to be relieved from unwanted receipt of mail, as the postal system is required to deliver metered or properly stamped articles. Their requirement to throw the returned mailing away isn't any more productive than you tossing it into the trash. The only one who benefits is the dumpster diver looking for your personal information to sell and he/she will if the junk isn't properly shredded.