Keep Social Security numbers out of mail photos
Identifying an advertising mailer takes only a photo of the mailer itself, including the sender name and your mailing label. Your Social Security number has no role in that. Opting out of prescreened credit offers is a separate official process with its own route.
Separate the two tasks
- To get off prescreened credit and insurance offer lists, use the official opt-out route described at stop credit card offers by mail guide instead of uploading anything here.
- For an ordinary advertising mailer, photograph the sender name and your mailing label. No government ID, Social Security number, or account number is needed.
- If a website or form says it needs your Social Security number to stop advertising mail, be wary and check the site through official channels before going further.
- Keep any document that shows your Social Security number, such as a tax notice or benefits letter, apart from the advertising mail you plan to photograph.
Why these two processes are different
A prescreened offer opt-out is handled through the credit bureaus, and that process does involve identity verification. A removal request for an identified sender concerns that sender's own marketing list, and it does not call for that kind of data. Uploading a sensitive document to cover both goals only adds privacy risk. If you cannot tell which route fits a piece of mail, stop credit card offers by mail guide explains the difference.
A check before every photo
Confirm that the piece is an advertisement before you photograph it. If it is an official notice or a financial document, do not upload it. Look for the official route that matches that kind of mail.
Instructions for the next step
Have an unwanted advertisement ready?
Photograph one piece you are authorized to handle, with the sender and full mailing label visible. Review the details before submitting. The first request is free; the sender controls the response.
Try one request free