Junk mail goes by many different names -- junk mail, direct mail, ad mail, direct marketing, etc. It includes credit offers, catalogs, coupons, sweepstakes, post cards, and magazines. But it all boils down to one thing -- it's junk and it's wasting your time. Junk mail is any unsolicited piece of mail you receive. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, each year 4 million tons of junk mail ends up in landfills. Junk mail is also a big contributor to identity theft. Identity thieves will confiscate credit offers delivered to your mailbox and very happily send them in on your behalf.
Simply by being a consumer your name gets on one list after another. There are many sources of public information where your personal information can be obtained: phone books; home and car purchases; marriage, birth and divorce events; or any type of organization or association you may belong to.
Creditors, banks, insurance companies, magazine publishers, and many others share your name and address with their affiliated companies and partners unless you tell them otherwise. The direct marketing industry is always looking for new ways to market directly to you.
Yes! You can absolutely stop junk mail for free. There are services out there that ask for donations or actually charge for their services, but if you follow every step we talk about on this site, you can stop virtually all junk mail being delivered to you. Check out the getting started page or the resources page for more information.