Still Getting Junk Mail for a Deceased Spouse? Here’s What to Do

Junk mail – when it’s addressed to you, it’s merely an annoying waste of paper. However, it can be incredibly upsetting when you’ve recently lost a spouse and the direct mail solicitations addressed to that person keep pouring in. Did you know that you can at least slow down the flow of this kind of junk mail by placing your spouse’s (or other deceased loved one’s) name on the Deceased Do Not Contact (DDNC) list?

 This list is maintained by the Direct Marketing Association, which has more than 5,000 members. When a name is placed on the DDNC list, members of the Direct Marketing Association are required to stop attempting to contact that person. There are no such restrictions for non-members, but the Direct Marketing Association makes the list available to them so that they can make the choice to stop sending solicitations to the individuals named. The list is updated and circulated to companies and non-profits at least once every three months.

 There’s no cost to add  your loved one’s name to the DDNC list, and once a name is registered, the amount of junk mail addressed to that person should begin to slow within three months.