Are they at least on any interesting lists?

(I often wondered how you get on certain lists. Once me and pips recieved a few sample cans of Similac in the mail for some reason. Must've been when we used the Kids R Us baby registry to get a gift for my niece.)

Well, they get a lot of stuff related to horses, because they owned horses, so that's unusual but not all that interesting.

Eponysterical! Sort of.

We get stuff from the republicans and the NRA and various other institutions that serve that demographic. I haven't tried to get off the lists because I like seeing what kind of stuff they're saying. "Librulz are coming to eat your bibles and give your pets the gay!!!!"

We made a pile for all the mail the previous owners of our house received and every couple months I would sit down and call the catalog companies and have the address removed. Slowly over the last 6 months most of the mail has stopped.

We get stuff for folks who lived here in the 70's. Weird. I just write "deceased. Return to sender" and drop them in the mailbox. Let them pay twice.

Even more fun is having a phone number once used by someone with major credit problems.

terrapin, it may come to that.

This has worked for me:

--Call 1-888 5OPTOUT to be removed from direct marketing lists and pre-approved credit card offers. (Maintained by the credit reporting agencies; they ask for your SSN)

--Write to the following addresses to be removed from junk mail lists.

Direct Marketing Association
Mail Preference Service
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

Direct Marketing Association
Telephone Preference Service
PO Box 1559
Carmel, NY 10512

--When telemarketers call, request that they add you to the do-not-call list. They are required by law to obtain and use a copy of this list. Unfortunately, political campaigns, non-profits and companies you already do business with (e.g. the telephone company) are exempt from this requirement.

And unrelated but a useful tip: you may now get one free copy of your credit report per year by going to the Annual Credit Report site, sponsored by the three credit reporting agencies. I get mine at the end of the year; that reminds me to get it. (However, you still have to pay for a report that includes your credit score).

What scared me is when I started receiving Victoria's Secret catalogs at my new residence, in my name. I ordered something from them one time, years ago, and never told them I moved, or gave them my new address (which, incidentally, is unlisted). Yet the crack team of spies that Victoria apparently has working for her managed to track me down.

jrossi4r - when I was in college in So. Cal., I used to get similar letters, most of them involving terrorists crossing the Mexican border into California. I never had the heart to tell those people that terrorists get into the US the same way other people with money do: passports and visas.

BP, You never though of replying to some of it to amuse yourself one afternoon?

You're best of changing your address. Redirect the old one to dev/null or just let it bounceback.

Oh, snail mail address. Wow, do people still have those?

best off

I want a snail mail Bayesian filter.

Anyway, yes, DECEASED works, ADDRESSEE MOVED works, and the thing is once you get off one list you stay off ten more because they don't distribute the name.

They don't care if somebody else gets their ads, you know, because chances are somebody in the same address is in the same demographic. (Same with your issue, mike9322 -- probably has nothing to do with the purchase. They just sussed you out as a lingerie freak by all your other consumer datapoints.)