Opting out of credit card offers is no panacea

I am on the do not call list. I have called the credit reporting agencies' opt out 800 number to restrict e-mail and postal mail credit card offers. I have called every financial services provider I work with to tell them not to send me pre-approved credit card offers. And still I receive the offers. Protecting credit information is like floating a ship with a hull that's constantly being breached by indifferent financial services firms. You think you've provided a bulwark by opting out, but still the banks find other databases and use them to send those solicitations anyway.

The latest one came from Sam's club. After our family signed up for membership and said no to a credit card, Sam's went ahead and sent along a "pre-approved" credit card offer by mail. The retailer didn't bother to check first to see if we were on the opt out list. It also ignored a clear "no" to the offer at the time of application for a Sam's Club pass. Apparently, "no" must mean "maybe."

So, despite the fact that 1) I opted out with all major credit reporting agencies and 2) I said "no" in person I've once again been spammed with another pre-approved card offer.

Some of this junk also comes from spammer lists. In MSNBC's Red Tape Chronicles Blog, Spam Never Dies, reporter Bob Sullivan discusses how, three years after answering spam adds for mortgage loans, he is still receiving calls. What's surprising is just how much money the solicitors pay for these supposedly qualified leads.

If you want to try to stem the tide, visit the FTC's Just Say No Web page. The Center for Democracy and Technology's Operation Opt Out  Web site is another good resource.