Junk mail, unwanted phone calls and the internet

Information about who you are and where you live is used by companies to send you information about things you can buy, or charities you can donate to. Some people call letters like these ‘junk mail’, although the official name is ‘marketing’ or ‘direct mail’.
If you’d rather not receive marketing mail you can register your address with the Mailing Preference Scheme. Although not the law, this usually removes 95 per cent of unsolicited mail though junk mail from abroad still gets through. MPS is particularly valuable to stop upsetting mail being sent to people who have died.
Mail Preference Scheme
0845 703 4599
Telephone Preference Scheme
0845 070 0707
Scam alert!
Been rung up to be told that you’ve won a prize in a competition? Told you’ve won a free holiday? Given the low-down on a little-known share which is bound to go up in price?
Don’t be taken in! These are well-known scams which want to part you from your money.
If you use the internet
All the things which make the internet so effective – its global reach, the ease of communication, its cheapness – also make it hard to control against abuse. When using the internet, take care to avoid your personal details becoming compromised.
Five ways to be a savvy surfer:
1. Look carefully at website tick boxes.
When registering for services on-line, you may well be asked whether you agree to the personal data you supply being used in different ways. Sometimes you will have to opt out – in other words, to prevent your details being used, you will have to positively remember to tick a box.
Tip: Watch out for boxes which have ‘helpfully’ been ticked already, so that you have to untick them if you disagree with the choice being offered.
2. Phishing isn’t phunny
If you use on-line banking or services like Pay Pal, don’t be taken in by the common practice known as ‘phishing’. An email may arrive, apparently from your bank or financial company but actually from a bogus source, asking you to reconfirm your password or account details. Don’t be caught!
3. Protect your email
Spam (unwanted emails) is a worldwide problem, and one which is very hard to tackle. As well as using an anti-spam filter for incoming emails, you can reduce the risk of spam in various ways. Make sure your full email isn’t shown on websites. Avoid sending emails to large groups of recipients, or if you must do this use the BCC: feature (‘blind carbon copy’) available on most email software.
Tip: Get yourself a spare free email address for when you are asked for your email by websites or individuals you don’t fully trust.
4. Blog and chat safely
If, like many other people, you have your own personal blog (on-line diary), or if you use internet chat, be cautious about the amount of personal information about yourself you are giving away. Anyone could be out there, reading about you.
5. You don’t have to give information just because someone asks for it
Tip: If you are asked for your pet’s name or your mother’s maiden name as a security measure, you don’t have to give the true name: pick any name you like, as long as you will remember it.
If you use the internet a lot, you should look into other things you can do to reduce the risk of people messing you around, or messing your computer up. See the government web site www.getsafeonline.org. If you find the technical details difficult to understand, see if you can get a friend to help.
Tip: banks will never ask you for confidential information via emails.







