Protect Yourself from Trigger Leads

Trigger Leads are a marketing tool that mortgage lenders, insurance companies, and credit card providers use to identify potential customers.

When you apply for a mortgage loan, your credit is pulled. The three main credit bureaus use the credit inquiries to sell to other lenders, potentially leading to unsolicited sales calls and unwanted offers.

Is it legal?

Yes, Trigger leads are legal in all 50 states if the company buying the leads meets all the legal conditions.

The Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau support Trigger Leads because they feel it will give consumers a chance at getting the best financing as possible. Even though they are frustrating and it does not feel that way.

What Can I do to stop them?

There is no way to completely stop them however there are steps you can take.

OPT-OUT of any prescreened offers.

The process can take up to 5 days to go into effect. If your credit has already been pulled it may take a few days for the calls to be blocked. You can opt out by visiting optoutprescreen.com or calling 888.5.OPTOUT.

You can opt-out for 5 years or permanently. The 5 year opt out can be done electronically and the permanent will require you to print and mail the request.

Add your name to the Do Not Call List.

The trigger leads are supposed to be scrubbed against the National Do Not Call List. You can add your name to the do not call list by visiting donotcall.gov or calling 888.382.1222.

After you register, you could still receive calls from charities, political groups, debt collectors, and surveys. If you receive unwanted calls after 31 days on the registry, you may report them to the FTC.

Blaze Credit Union is committed to responsible lending and protection of customer’s privacy. We do not sell customer information to third parties.

Source: cuna.org