Since we are getting so many freebies and most of them require us to fill out personal information, I’m going to share with you some of the techniques I use in order to avoid junk mail and to protect my personal information.
- Set up Another Email: First, set up a separate FREE email account just for signing up all these freebies. Don’t use your primary or personal email account! I recommend Gmail.
- Be Aware of Checked Box: Many online forms have a checkbox asking for your permission to share your information with third parties. Sometimes the box is already checked. I always uncheck that box because I don’t want them to share my information to other companies. Those boxes could be very small and hard to see.
- Don’t Give Out Too Much Personal Information: Here’s what I do:
- Name: My real first and last name
- Address: My real address
- Email: My freebie email address
- Phone: My Google Voice phone number
- Birthday: Same month, but different day and year
- Credit Card: Never give credit card info for a freebie
- SSN: Never give this out!
- Read the fine print carefully! This is especially important when it comes to FREE trial offers.
