The Do Not Call list was created in 2003. 137 Million have signed up for it not because of privacy, but because frequent calls were an intrusion.

Now the success of do-not-call created a new industry of Opt Out resources

A consumer can now opt out of the standard practice of their banks or loan companies selling their information to others. While most of the opt-outs are intended to make life less annoying, they can also have the side effect of protecting personal information that can be misused by identity thieves or unscrupulous merchants. "Over the years, it has gotten so much easier to opt out," said Ari Schwartz, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a public interest group that lobbies Congress on privacy issues. "There are still gray areas." For those of us who need relief now- here are some resources to get you off the List!

PHONE SOLICITATIONS: To stop them, go to www.donotcall.gov Or call toll free, 1-888-382-1222, from the number you are going to restrict.

Remember to register if you get a new phone number. You can register cell phone numbers as well. A listing is good for five years,

JUNK MAIL: You can try to opt out of direct mail solicitations, but it will probably not work very well. A private organization, the Direct Marketing Association, handles that list and not member uses the list. It is worth a try

Write the association: Mail Preference Service at P.O. Box 643, Carmel, N.Y. 10512. There is an online form at www.the-dma.org.

E-MAIL: Whatever you do, do not respond to an unsolicited e-mail message when it gives you the option to opt out of receiving more e-mails. That is a trick used by spammers to confirm they hit a live address. Once that happens, your address goes to a prime list and is sold to other spammers. So how do you prevent spam? Unfortunately, other than spam filters, there really is no good way.

CREDIT CARD OFFERS: Billions of offers sail through the mail system every year, so many in fact that Congress is looking to slow the use of targeting those who can not handle credit.

Call 1-888-567-8688, but be ready to give out some personal information like your Social Security number.

The major credit bureaus, like Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, which collect information on your borrowing habits let you opt out of what they call pre-screened offers of credit at https://www.optoutprescreen.com.

CREDIT FREEZE: If you opt for a credit info freeze, companies can not look at your credit history before they offer you a "deal" on a new credit card. In the end if they don't know your past they are not going to "bank" on your future".