FCRA: A Rose with Many Hidden Thorns
How to Stop Unsolicited Credit Card Offers
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a 64-page law outlining protections for U.S. consumers’ credit, insurance, and employment reporting, is like a rose with many sharp thorns. While designed to safeguard your credit history, it also enables unsolicited credit card and insurance offers that fill your mailbox weekly. These offers, if stolen, can lead to significant financial harm.
Why It Matters
Consider the case of Ryan Tichy, a criminal who orchestrated a large-scale identity fraud scheme across Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada. Tichy stole identities by raiding mailboxes for credit card and financial offers. In one instance, he used a victim’s identity to buy a travel trailer, which he converted into a mobile lab for churning out fake IDs with his photo and victims’ personal information. At the time of his arrest, Tichy was out on bond for prior identity theft charges and had removed his ankle monitor. His 90-month federal prison sentence did little to resolve the financial devastation faced by his victims.
How to Stop Unsolicited Offers
To protect yourself from mailbox theft and identity fraud, you can stop unsolicited credit card offers by visiting this website or calling:
You then have three options;
1. Opt out of receiving the firm offers for 5 years using an online filing
2. Opt out permanently by mailing in a hard copy of the form
3. Opt in to receiving offers after having opted out
Consumers can also opt out of mass marketing mail to your mailbox, email, and phone, but this costs $6-7 for a 10-year period of coverage. To view the options for this type of service, visit the website at:
Contact Fittz & Associates if you have been the victim of identity or business fraud at www.fittz-associates.com.