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Protect Your Privacy
How to Remove Your
Name | Protection Against 900#
Marketers
This information is provided as a consumer service by MasterCard International,
an association representing 5,000 MasterCard Card issuers in the United States,
and an advocate for the responsible use of credit. Copyright 1994 MasterCard International
Inc. - Reprinted with Permission
When making a purchase in person (as opposed to ordering over the telephone), don't
let merchants talk you into providing more personal information than necessary.
To combat misuse of personal information, MasterCard® discourages merchants from
recording account numbers on personal checks and forbids charging your credit card
account to cover a returned check.
In fact, the practice of writing credit card numbers on checks is now against the
law in several states.
To further protect your privacy and prevent fraud, MasterCard prohibits merchants
from requiring you to provide a phone number, home address, or other personal information
as a condition of making a purchase with your MasterCard card. This policy is reinforced
in CA, DE, GA, MD, MN, NV, NJ, and NY by laws prohibiting such conditional requirements.
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How can I remove my name from marketing
lists?
The Direct Marketing Association compiles lists of consumers
who prefer not to receive mail or telephone solicitations. DMA members use the DMA
lists to remove names from their own mailing lists. The addresses are:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
PO Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Telephone Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 9014
Farmingdale, NY 11735
If you write the DMA, you'll be removed from DMA member lists for three years.
Even though your request becomes effective within five days of your notifying them,
it may take up to three months before you see a reduction in the amount of solicitations.
Opting out will not end solicitations from all local merchants, religious and charitable
associations, professional and alumni associations, politicians and companies with
which you conduct business. To eliminate mail from these groups - as well as mail
addressed to "occupant" or "resident" - write directly to each source.
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Protection Against 900-number Card Marketing
As an additional measure for your protection, MasterCard was
the first to establish a policy prohibiting the use of 900 numbers and other pay-per-call
telephone exchanges to market its cards.
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Credit Scoring
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