Are you frustrated by the multitude of catalogues, offers from credit card companies and just plan junk mail stuffed in your mailbox each day?

Advice from the Better Business Bureau — BBB — can help end your having to sort through all that unwanted mail. You could unknowingly throw out an important notice or letter from faraway friends or an expected check that's stuck in the pages of an unwanted brochure .

The BBB reports that junk mail is not only a nuisance for many consumers but also presents an opportunity for ID thieves to steal important personal information.

The Better Business Bureau explains that you can take steps to help reduce that annoying unwanted mail and also limit the possibility of identity theft.

Did you know that a Javelin Strategy and Research Survey on ID theft estimates that 8.1 million Americans became victims of ID theft in 2007. About half a million of those occurred as a result of stolen mail. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans throw out more than four million tons of junk mail every year, and what is one man’s garbage is an ID thief’s goldmine. “Many people view junk mail simply as a daily nuisance, but if credit card offers and catalogs are heading to the trash can intact, that unwanted mail can become a much more sinister problem,” said Steve Cox, BBB spokesperson. “Preventing ID theft perpetrated through the mail requires the two-step approach of reducing the amount of junk mail received, as well as shredding any sensitive materials, such as credit card offers.” Remember that your junk mail can be a thief's golden opportunity to rip you off if you throw out mail that contains your personal data. BBB recommends consumers always shred important documents and take the following steps to reduce the amount of junk mail received:

• Pre-approved credit card offers are an easy target for thieves who can use these offers to open fraudulent credit accounts in your name. You can “opt-out” of getting pre-approved credit card offers for at least five years, and perhaps permanently, consumers can call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (567-8688) or visit: www.optoutprescreen.com. This service is offered by the three major credit reporting bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Consumers will be asked for personal information, including their name, address, birth date and Social Security Number. The information you provide, BBB reports, is only used to process these requests and will remain confidential. This procedure will need to be followed for each adult family member.

• Direct mail offers

Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is a trade group with 5,200 member companies that use telephone, mail, and the Internet to pitch their products to consumers. To stop receiving mailings from DMA members, consumers can go to: www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing. DMA regularly updates its list, but companies it notifies to remove names from their mailing lists can take their time. It can take as long as six months before solicitations from all DMA members stop.

• Catalogs

Your mailbox can be stuffed with unsolicited catalogs – even if you have never shopped with the companies. This can happen because you made a purchase from that company's catalog or an online purchase with a company that passed your contact information to Abacus, an alliance of catalogue and publishing companies. To stop individual catalog, you can contact the specific company in question. To stop mass mailings, consumers can e-mail, optout@abacus-us.com, or write to Abacus, Inc., P.O. Box 1478, Broomfield, Colo. 80038.

• Resident and occupant mailings

Consumers can remove their address from addressed to “resident” and “occupant” mailings offering various goods, by contacting Valassis – formerly known as ADVO, Inc. through an online form at: www.advo.com/consumersupport.html. Consumers can also send a written request to ADVO, Inc. Customer Assistance, P.O. Box 249, Windsor, Connecticut 06095.

• Coupon Packs

To stop getting coupon packs, consumers can visit: www.coxtarget.com/mailsuppression/s/DisplayMailSuppressionForm, and fill out an online request form.