Tips to Help Stop Junk Mail

I came up with these steps to get rid of all the Charity and Sweepstakes mail and catalogs my 95-year-old mother was getting. She was entering contests, buying things she never used and donating more money than she could have afforded.  It took about 4-5 months but these steps work.  She went from getting 10-15 pieces of junk mail a day to maybe 5 a week.

After seeing the success, I had with my mom’s mail, I did it with my own junk mail and got the same results.

NOTE: it takes about 4 months to get off junk mail lists because at least 95% of junk mail lists are not done in the company – they pay another company to do it.  IF you are still getting junk mail from companies after all this, see if they have an Facebook page and send them a message and if possible, post about it on their Facebook page.  I had to resort to this with some companies – mainly banks that kept wanting me to get a credit card.

These ideas sound drastic, but if you want the junk mail and junk emails to stop, you must BE drastic. 

NOTE – if you donate again or enter a sweepstakes again, you will probably wind up back on the lists again. If you really want to donate – send a money order and don’t give your correct address.

If you are willing to pay postage, send this letter to each of the companies that is sending you things. 

You can also use this letter in an email or on the charity Facebook page or in an email to them.

Basically, you will be lying to these companies, but using the “family member passed away” line will get you the best results. 

In the letter where it reads “CHARITY/SWEEPSTAKES” choose the correct one.

I am ANY NAME, and my mother (YOUR NAME) has passed away. 

I am requesting that she (YOUR NAME), see address below be removed from all your mailing lists.  In addition, DO NOT send any CHARITY/SWEEPSTAKES requests to “Current Resident” as my family & I are now the current residents and do not wish to receive your charity requests.

Under State and Federal laws, you are required to remove her name from the mailing list and refrain from sending her any mail without my prior written approval.

Do not rent or sell her name or address to other organizations

Your Name

Your Complete Address

FOR CATALOGS

For Catalogs that you don’t want to receive:

Go to Catalog Choice - https://www.catalogchoice.org/.  They work pretty well.  With a few catalogs, I had to write them directly. 

My biggest complaint with companies that have catalogs & also sell online is that when you buy something from them online, you start to get their catalogs in the mail as well.  EVEN if you tell them not to on the order form.  I have stopped buying from many companies that do that – I warn them first, wait the three months and if I continue to get catalogs, I stop buying from them.

ADDITIONAL WAYS

Go to https://www.dmachoice.org/ and to https://www.optoutprescreen.com/

JUNK EMAILS

You can also use the letter for any junk emails you receive when unsubscribing doesn’t work.

If that still doesn’t work, send this message

This is your final notice!!!

I have the right not to receive e-mails from anyone I choose and if someone continues sending emails against my wishes, IT’S HARASSMENT!

I have asked you to remove me from your list since XX.

Notice that I have also sent this message to the SPAM patrol, and I will repost it on the FTC site as well.

Next stop is contacting my lawyer.

Judy
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