Slender Walk Tip of the Week

Here's another phone number for you: 888-567-8688

No, this one shouldn't be calling you trying to offer credit protection insurance. It is a number the major credit bureaus have set up to allow you to opt out of prescreened credit card offers ("You are approved for a Visa Platinum card with 0% APR on balance transfers!") from all of them at once. When you call, it prompts you to enter your Social Security Number, which concerns some people, although the FTC has put out a statement that the phone number is legitimate.

An alternative, if you don't want to use the dial-in method, is to write to the credit bureaus individually with a request that your information not be shared for promotional purposes. This will not affect legitimate inquiries into your credit. Be sure to include any name variants you use, your current mailing address, any mailing addresses you have had in the past six months, your date of birth, and your Social Security number.

Equifax, Inc.
Options
PO Box 740123
Atlanta, GA 30374-0123

Experian
Consumer Opt-Out
701 Experian Parkway
Allen, TX 75013

Transunion
Marketing List Opt Out
PO Box 97328
Jackson, MS 39288-7328

Eventually, I hope to get the Slender Walk Tip of the Week off the subject of credit cards and telemarketers.