3. Tell companies not to sell or share your data

• Stop creditors from sending pre-approved credit offers through the mail. Call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT, a number maintained by the three major credit bureaus. Press option 3 to remove your name permanently. You can also opt-out of these offers electronically at www.optoutprescreen.com

• Opt-out of information sharing. Federal law allows you the stop your bank and other financial institutions from sharing your personal information with most outside companies. Review the "Privacy Policies" your financial institutions send you once a year, and write to any companies that you want to restrict from sharing your personal information.