When you receive a Sweepstakes mailing, you can do one of three things: You can enter the Sweepstakes, you can shred it, or you can get off their mailing list. Which do you want to do?

If you enter the Sweepstakes, you do not have to buy a product or donate to their charity to increase your chances of winning. Just send it back and hope that you will be the 1 out of 40,000,000 entrants who wins. What? The odds aren’t very good, are they? If you don’t want to do that, go to Plan B.

Which is: just throw it away after shredding. Remember, your name is on almost every page, so you would be smart to shred it. Yes, that’s a nuisance, but you remember what I mentioned last week about identity theft. (An update - I saw a shredder advertised last week for $14.95.)

Just last week a block captain from a senior community came to my office with her recent sweepstakes mailings. Believe it or not she receives 20 a week. This is truly an annoyance, because she realizes the importance of shredding. Why does she get so many mailings - sometimes 5 a day? Two reasons: she lives in a senior community (and seniors are always targeted); and she most likely has contributed to at least one of the charities. The lists are sold constantly to other organizations. She is upset about this, so I suggested she go to Plan C.

Plan C stops it all. In every Sweepstakes mailing - deep into the boilerplate - there is a sentence that says: "If you do not wish to receive further mailings…"(or words to that effect) "write us at" (and here they give the proper address for this). I have advised the block captain to write out her name and address, etc with instructions to "remove my name from your mailing list." Just xerox this and send to them all. It’s easy, and it works.

Now there is a Plan D. Which is: call the Post Office immediately if you feel that the Sweepstakes mailing is fraudulent. The following information should be set forth clearly if the Sweepstakes is legitimate: No purchase of the advertised product or donation to a charity is required in order to win the prize; clear procedures to enter; the termination date for eligibility and whether it is a date of mailing or of receipt; the number and complete description of all prizes - can cash be awarded instead? If cash, is it in installments -that should be clearly disclosed, as well as the nature and timing of payments; the approximate odds of winning, or a statement that such odds depend on the number of entries; how the winners will be selected; all eligibility requirements, if any; approximate dates when the winners will be selected and notified; publicity rights regarding the use of the winner’s name; the statement that taxes are the responsibility of the winner; and a mailing address where consumers can write to request a list of winners.