Easy Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to Scams

The simplest way to protect yourself from a scam is by reducing your exposure to unscrupulous telemarketers, direct mail offers and email enticements.

If you're bothered by telemarketer calls, you can reduce those annoyances by registering your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry, a service of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

It's easy to get your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. Simply call the registry hotline at 1-888-382-1222. You can also register online at the National Do Not Call Registry web site.

1. When you make the call, be sure you're calling from the phone number you want to register.
2. And keep in mind that you are registering a phone number, not a person. This means everyone in your household will be affected once your phone number is listed.

It only takes a few seconds to register but it takes up to 30 days for your "do not call" information to reach telemarketers.

If you continue to get telemarketer calls after 31 days, get the telemarketer's phone number (Caller ID is so handy) and report it to the National Do Not Call Registry web site.

Other Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to Scams
Unfortunately, older adults are popular targets for scams.

Reducing telemarketer calls is one way to avoid being the victim of a scam. For more tips about reducing your exposure to scams, see "6 Tips to Avoid Senior Scams."

Other ways to protect yourself from scams include:

• Reducing junk mail: By reducing junk mail, you can help to protect the environment while protecting yourself from scams. Visit About.com Environmental Issues for tips on How to Stop Receiving Junk Mail."
• Protecting your e-mail: To reduce spam (mass mailings by e-mail, usually selling something), make sure your computer is protected by a security program. When you find junk mail or spam mail in your inbox, don't just delete it. Identify it as junk using your e-mail program or your security application so your software program can continue to protect you from that address. This won't stop spam completely, but it may reduce the amount of unwanted mail you have to handle.

For simple explanations about the complicated subjects of Internet and computer security, I recommend "Security 101" on About.com's Internet/Network Security site.