Taking Action: How to opt out of junk mail

TAMPA, Fla. - The post office calls it direct marketing.  Most of you probably refer to it as junk mail.  One Tampa woman says she was drowning in it and did not know where to turn for help.

The snowball grew into an avalanche three years ago.  “It came like a bombardment.  It was unbelievable,” said Susan Hoffman about her incoming junk mail.

Some days the postal carrier struggles to get it all in.  Pitches for every cause invade her mailbox by the dozens.

Groups claiming to save the bears, monkeys, hungry children and others want her money.

The 87-year old says she has written to some of the charities and ask that they remove her name.  She has also spoken to her mail carrier but the envelopes just keep coming.

One day, she received 39 solicitations and direct marketing pieces.  That is when I contacted the post office to find out what she and others can do to get rid of all of it.

Turns out the Direct Marketing Association -- not related to the postal service -- offers a free service similar to the do not call registry.  DMA lets customers opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial mail from many national companies for five years.

Susan wrote to DMA two weeks ago and is already seeing a decline in her box.

You can register with the Direct Marketing Association online or by mail.  You can log into their site at dmachoice.org or mail your request with a $1 processing fee to:

DMA choice
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512