Those unsolicited credit card offers in your mailbox leave you vulnerable. Here’s how to get them to stop

We’ve all opened our mailboxes to discover an unsolicited credit card offer (or three) inside. Although there must be people out there who take advantage of these offers, most of us simply throw the unopened envelopes in the trash. Yet simply tossing these pieces of snail mail can leave you and your finances vulnerable. Here’s why, and how you can get those unsolicited offers to stop for good.

Why am I getting unsolicited credit card offers?

While not as incessant as all the spam emails and text messages we get every day, unsolicited credit card offers are definitely one of the annoyances of modern life. The offers are sent by credit card companies via the U.S. Postal Service and arrive in our physical mailboxes without request. Yet unlike many types of digital spam, these unsolicited credit card offers aren’t illegal to send.

The offers are permissible under the decades old Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and other subsequent laws, which allow credit card companies to approach the major credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, Innovis, and TransUnion) with a wishlist of the type of customers they are looking for (ones in a certain ZIP code or with a certain credit score, for example).

The credit card companies then “pre-approve” these individuals and send the offer in an unsolicited letter. Provided that the recipient still meets the credit requirements when they reply, they are legally entitled to that offer. Pre-approved offers differ from “pre-qualified” offers in that, with pre-approved offers, the credit card company is essentially scouting you as a customer. With “pre-qualified” offers, you have to take the initiative to contact the credit card company, telling them that you are interested in applying for a card.

But regardless of whether the letter waiting in your mailbox is for a pre-approved card or pre-qualified one, that piece of physical mail can leave you and your finances vulnerable.

How do they leave you vulnerable?

Credit card offers are tempting by nature: they seduce you into racking up debt at incredibly high interest rates. But unsolicited pre-approved and other credit card offers are risky for an entirely different reason, as well: They leave you vulnerable to identity theft.

The letters already contain your name and address. Pre-approved offers reveal that you will likely have no problem securing a new line of credit. Many of these letters also include a unique code that lets you easily reply to the offer online without having to manually re-enter your identifying information.

All of this information is mouthwatering to an identity thief as it means they have to take little action—besides snatching the offer letter you tossed into the trash—to accept a card issued in your name. And often during the acceptance process, they can reroute the card to their address or PO Box with minimal effort, and begin using it to rack up debt at your expense.

How to stop pre-approved credit card offers from hurting your finances

To protect yourself from having a stolen credit card offer open up a black hole in your financial life, you can do two things.

First, under no circumstances should you simply toss an unsolicited credit card letter into the trash or recycling bin. Anyone can fish it from the garbage and use the information it contains to apply for a card in your name. Instead, you should securely destroy the letter’s contents by shredding it.

Second, and better yet, stop unsolicited credit card offers from landing in your mailbox in the first place. You can do this by informing the credit bureaus that you do not want to receive any such offers. You can opt out of receiving offers for two timeframes: five years or forever. Once you inform the credit bureaus of this, they are legally required to comply with your request.

To opt out, you’ll need to have your name, address, date of birth, and Social Security or tax identification number. Once you have this, you’ll go to OptOutPrescreen.com, which is run by the four major credit reporting agencies.

To opt out of getting unsolicited credit card offers in the mail for five years:

1. Go to OptOutPrescreen.com.
2. Tap the “Click here to opt-in or opt-out” button.
3. Select “Electronic Opt-Out for 5 years.”
4. Click Continue and follow the opt-out instructions.

If you are opting out for only five years, you can submit your entire request online. However, if you want to permanently opt out of receiving credit card offers, you must physically mail a form to the credit reporting agencies.

To permanently opt out of unsolicited credit card offers:

1. Go to OptOutPrescreen.com.
2. Tap the “Click here to opt-in or opt-out” button.
3. Select “Permanent Opt-Out by Mail.”
4. Click Continue and follow the opt-out instructions. You’ll be asked to download a “Permanent Opt-Out Election Form” and then print, sign, and date it. You must then mail this form to the address provided on it.

And not to worry. If you change your mind in the future and decide you want to be eligible to receive unsolicited credit card offers again, you can opt back into them at any time. But if you do, just keep an eye on your mailbox before an identity thief does.