You just had your credit pulled in the process of being preapproved for a mortgage, or maybe you just closed on your new mortgage. The last thing you want is a huge influx of junk mail or repeat calls from vendors or even other lenders. Sadly, though, that’s often the reality faced by potential homebuyers and new homeowners. Fortunately, there are ways to slow or even stop the deluge of solicitations. advertisements, and messages. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to opt out of junk mail and spam once you are on the radar of competitors and advertisers.
Why And How Does This Happen?
Put simply: Many companies sell their customer data to third-party marketers. While this might be annoying, it’s legal (unless, of course, they said they wouldn’t). We want to help you understand how this works.
First World Mortgage does NOT sell borrowers’ information.
First and foremost we want to make sure we make this VERY clear. We are NOT among companies who sell data to third parties. We do not sell clients’ information – you might see us name-dropped in ads and other forms of solicitation.
“How do these companies get my information?”
If you are just starting the homebuying process and recently had your credit pulled, you may see pre-screened offers of credit from credit card companies and even hear from other lenders. That’s because major credit bureaus can legally sell your information, and often do.
If you recently closed on a loan, this happens because the disclosure of your name, your lender’s name, the loan amount, and the property address is going to happen after your closing once the deed is recorded. That means that anybody can see the information once it’s “out there” and businesses then take that data and use it to market to you. There are even marketing companies out there that take the data and then sell those lists to businesses looking to market.
Make It Stop!
The good news is that there are steps you can take to slow or even stop all of this solicitation and spam. None of these methods of deterring unwanted messaging are guaranteed to work, but they are pretty impactful and could make a huge difference!
We recommend using OptOutPrescreen to opt out of these credit offers for 5 years by visiting www.optoutprescreen.com or calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT. You can even opt out permanently by filling out a permanent opt-out election form and mailing it in. That form is available via the above-mentioned site, too. All these requests are usually processed within a week, but it can take multiple weeks before you actually stop getting those offers because some companies might have been holding onto your info after the point that your request to stop was processed.
For call spam, you can go to donotcall.gov and register your number. It will send you an email with a link to click on within 3 days to complete registration. You can also call 1-888-382-1222 to reach donotcall.gov if you prefer to do this by phone. From there, it may take up to a month or so for sales calls to stop, but it is very effective once it takes effect!
You can opt out of most junk mailings. The first step is to figure out which organization is sending you the junk mail. This information is usually listed in the fine print at the bottom of the advertisement. Once you know who’s behind the junk mail, you can visit their website and follow their opt-out instructions. Most organizations will require you to fill out an online form or give them a call. It’s important to note that it may take a few weeks for your request to be processed. So, be patient and continue to throw away any unwanted mailings in the meantime.
Mortgage-Specific Solicitations
Some businesses and ads may look legitimate and may name-drop us or other companies. Other entities may even use our company logo. They might look like legal documents or forms. When in doubt, always reach out to us or your loan servicer (the company who you send your mortgage payment to each month) to verify whether or not it is junk or not. Same goes for insurance or another associated service – if something is suggesting you have to verify a change or send additional information, or an offer is extended, proceed with caution.
How About Spam Emails?
Spam emails are a bit trickier to deal with since there’s no way to know who’s selling your email address. However, there are steps you can take to reduce the amount of spam you receive. First, never click on links or open attachments from unknown senders. Second, set up filters in your email program so that messages from certain addresses go directly into your spam folder. Finally, mark spam messages as “junk” when they do end up in your inbox so that your email program can learn to filter them out in the future.
Multiple Steps To Reduce Unsolicited Messages
Junk mail and spam can be a real pain—especially after closing on a new home. But there are steps you can take to reduce the amount of unsolicited mail and emails you receive. By following the tips in this blog post, you can help keep your mailbox, your mailbox, and your voicemail box a little bit more clutter-free.
