BBB of Eastern North Carolina - ID Protection Advice from the BBB of Eastern NC

Free Document Shredding Part of “Secure Your ID” Day

RALEIGH, N.C. (September 13, 2008) – The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Eastern North Carolina offers admonition on abbreviation the accident of character theft. Identity aegis today can save consumers approaching agitation and anticipate the accident of money or added valuables.

A Javelin Strategy and Research analysis on ID annexation estimates that 8.1 actor Americans became victims of character artifice in 2007. Nearly bisected a actor of these cases occurred as a aftereffect of baseborn clutter mail. Pre-approved acclaim agenda offers, fliers and specially-marked envelopes are not alone a nuisance; they are aswell an simple ambition for ID thieves. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans bandy abroad 4 actor bags of clutter mail anniversary year, authoritative the debris can a goldmine for artifice artists.

“Many humans abide to bandy acute abstracts in the trash, not alive that ID thieves can calmly use items such as pre-approved acclaim agenda offers to abduct from consumers,” says Beverly Baskin, admiral of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina. “Individuals can abate the accident of character annexation with a aggregate of two simple steps: shredding acute abstracts and opting-out of commitment lists.”

To acquaint and abetment consumers, the BBB will authority “Secure Your ID” Day contest at the Ridgewood Shopping Center (3514 Wade Ave., Raleigh, NC 27607) and Falls River Town Center (1151 Falls River Ave., Raleigh, NC 27614) on Saturday, Sept. 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants are encouraged to accompany up to three accoutrements or boxes of abstracts to be disconnected on-the-spot for free. BBB will aswell be distributing tips and advice to advice consumers assure their identity, both online and off. For added information, appointment www.easternnc.bbb.org/secureid.

In addition, BBB offers the afterward tips on opt-out methods for abbreviation clutter mail:

Pre-Approved Credit Card Offers
Pre-approved acclaim agenda offers are an simple ambition for character thieves who can abduct admission mail and use these offers to accessible counterfeit acclaim accounts. Stopping these pre-screened acclaim offers can advice abate the affairs of character theft.

To “opt-out” of accepting pre-approved acclaim agenda offers for at atomic 5 years, and conceivably permanently, consumers can alarm 1-888-5-OPTOUT (567-8688) or visit: www.optoutprescreen.com. This account is offered by the three above acclaim advertisement bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Consumers will be asked for claimed information, including their name, address, bearing date and Social Security Number. This advice is alone acclimated to action requests and will abide confidential. This action will charge to be followed for anniversary developed ancestors member.

Direct Mail Offers
Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is a barter accumulation with 5,200 affiliate companies that use telephone, mail, and the Internet to angle their articles anon to consumers. To stop accepting mailings from DMA members, consumers can go to: www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing. DMA consistently updates its list, but companies it notifies to abolish names from their commitment lists may not be as alert and it may crop as abundant as six months afore solicitations from all DMA associates stop.

Catalogues
A consumer’s mailbox can generally be beat with catalogues – even if they’ve never shopped with the aggregation before. This is acceptable because the chump has, at some point, fabricated a archive or online acquirement with a aggregation that handed over their acquaintance advice to Abacus, an accord of archive and publishing companies. To stop alone catalogues, consumers can acquaintance the specific aggregation in question. To stop accumulation mailings, consumers can e-mail, optout@abacus-us.com, or address to Abacus, Inc., P.O. Box 1478, Broomfield, Colorado 80038.

“Resident” and “Occupant” Mailings
Consumers can abolish their abode from “resident” and “occupant” mailings that action assorted appurtenances and services, by contacting Valassis – aforetime accepted as ADVO, Inc. – either by buzz 1-888-241-6760, or through an online anatomy at: www.advo.com/consumersupport.html. Consumers can aswell forward a accounting appeal to ADVO, Inc. Customer Assistance, P.O. Box 249, Windsor, Connecticut 06095.

Coupon Packs
To stop accepting advertisement packs, consumers can visit: www.coxtarget.com/mailsuppression/s/DisplayMailSuppressio..., and ample out an online appeal form. Other requests can be directed to the sender on the printed envelope received.

Solicitations Sent to Children
If a adolescent beneath age 13 is accepting mailed advertisements or acclaim agenda offers, it could be a assurance that character annexation has occurred. Parents should acquaintance the three above acclaim advertisement bureaus, listed below, and acquaint them of the situation.

o Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
o Experian: 1-888-397-3742
o TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289

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About BBB of Eastern North Carolina:
The Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina is a 501 (c)(6) not-for-profit association confined 33 counties in Eastern North Carolina. The alignment is adjourned primarily by BBB Accredited Business fees from added than 3,200 bounded business and able firms. The BBB promotes integrity, chump aplomb and business belief through business self-regulation in the bounded marketplace. Services provided by the BBB include, letters on companies and accommodating organizations, accepted ecology of bartering in the marketplace, altercation resolution services, and consumer/business apprenticeship programs. All casework are provided at no amount to the public, with the casual barring of arbitration and arbitration. Visit bbb.org.

BBB of Eastern NC
5540 Munford Road, Raleigh, NC 27612
Media Contact:
Cindy Stranad
cindy@articulon.com
919.232.5008