Controlling junk mail

Press, 19 July 1988, Page 12

Controlling junk mail

BY NOW the scene has become all too familiar to most Americans. The morning mail is delivered and most of it is junk. There are begging letters from charities, missives from creditcard companies hawking their wares, and pleas from specialinterest groups fighting the latest public-policy ogre. Most of the mail ends up in the rubbish bin. To get that response, some organisations involved in directmail solicitation have begun using the Federal Government to strengthen their sales pitch. Their work can be deceptive. Some letters now arrive using logos and envelope designs to imply that they are official Government communications. “Important social security and Medicare information enclosed,” says one, which turns out to be a shrill fund-raiser from the National Administration Office of a lobbying group.

A private company sells radon testing equipment to Michiganders after informing them that the Environmental Testing Agency has determined that they may be subject to high radon levels. The “agency” has a seal incorporating an American eagle. Other letters go further, offering for a fee to provide services, that the Government does for nothing. For $lO the Federal Record Service will obtain a social-security card for your child.

The National Records Advisory will do the same, having found out through county records that you have recently changed your name.

For some members of Congress, enough is enough. A subcommittee of the House of Representatives has approved legislation that would require such missives to carry clear statements that they are not official

documents. The letters inside would also have to make it clear that Federal agencies are not involved. Letters without such disclaimers would not be delivered by the Postal Service.

The legislation has also been amended to include solicitation letters designed to look like bills. They would have to make clear that there is no obligation to pay up. And the legislation applies to political fund-raising mail — political campaigns and the Democratic and Republican parties not being above a little sleight of hand on occasion.

The proposal has a long way to go before it becomes law, but, if it is enacted, punishment for those breaking it will be tough. Under its provisions, they could be sent to prison for up to a year and be fined as much as $U525,000. Copyright — The Economist