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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!brl-vgr!wmartin
From: wmartin@brl-vgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: junk mail - ways of getting even
Message-ID: <2979@brl-vgr.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 29-Mar-84 16:14:10 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-vgr.2979
Posted: Thu Mar 29 16:14:10 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 30-Mar-84 02:47:12 EST
References: <3618@tekecs.UUCP> <2868@brl-vgr.ARPA>, <269@ihu1g.UUCP>
Organization: Ballistics Research Lab
Lines: 21

A most dangerous practice, to dispose of your junk mail unopened in
a publicly-accessible wastebasket. Anyone who wishes to annoy you
or is otherwise hostile to you can merely take the items out of
that basket, remove the order forms and cards with your address
label upon them, and send them in (postage paid, at no cost to them).
Then you start getting all this "unsolicited" merchandise and
the like -- unsolicited by you personally, but the company has
your name on the form with no indication that it was not you who
sent it in. If you refuse to pay, your credit rating may be damaged.
You stand to lose much time, inconvenience, irritation and
annoyance, and maybe money, if you are careless enough to let
others get to such an easy means to harass you.

Basic principle for disposing of junk mail: DESTROY IT. At least
tear it in half, through the address label. Better to pull off
the address label entirely. Just because nobody is out to get you
right now doesn't mean they aren't lurking around the corner.
Make basic paranoia your unthinking default method of operation,
and it won't cost you anything, and may save you a lot!

Will (is that his real name?) Martin (sure it is...)