I was out of the country last week and didn’t check my email therefore you can imagine the amount of junk mail I came back to. One of the biggest fillers that I had was regarding Mother’s Day deals, discounts and flower promotions. 1-800 Flowes and FTD were the two most prominent offering beautiful flowers, free shipping and the “perfect” way to honor the mothers we love.
The funny thing about this is, I’ve never ordered flowers online or even anywhere for that matter (I think) so how did they get my information? Well, I did a little research and I discovered the way these companies obtain your information and some tips you can use to avoid spam.
Your name, address, and buying habits can be regularly sold & traded on the open market. Organizations that you typically deal with sell your name unless you specifically ask them to stop.
To avoid:
When you donote money, write on the form (if applicable) “Please do not sell my name or address“. Ever get a product warranty card? This are most often used for the sole purpose of targeting direct mail. Since they are typically not required, avoid sending them. Additionally, your credit card company probably sells your name the most often. When you call them ask to “mark my account so that my name is not traded or sold to other companies“. You can also avoid entering contests which are almost always fishing expeditions for names. Finally, never reply to SPAM mail.
Good luck!
