Sep 15, 2008 10:32 pm US/Pacific
Call Kurtis: Toddler Credit Cards
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
Sophia Greenland is a four year old with a very grown up toy: She was preselected for a Capital One credit card.
"Which I thought was a little ridiculous," said Sophia's dad, Peter Greenland. "So I called the credit card company… I said I want you to take her off the list."
First, Capital One said they needed Sophia's birth date or social security number. Peter wouldn't give it to them, citing identity theft concerns.
"If somebody was going to steal that information, she's four years old," Peter said. "Her ID is gone. It's hard to get back."
The company wouldn't budge and the offers kept coming.
After our sister station in San Francisco called Capital One, they took Sophia's name off the list right away, saying they only needed her name and address. In a statement, they added, "Capital One does not target children for our solicitations. We apologize to the Greenlands for any inconvenience and concern this has caused. It was clearly an error on our part."
The family believes her name got on a list after a trip.
"We got her a frequent flyer number, so I don't know if it came from there," Peter said. "I'm not really sure."
Capital One says they get names from mailing lists, which often don't include the person's age.
To stop this from happening, go to OptOutPreScreen.com to permanently opt out of preapproved credit card and insurance officers. Keep your child off mailing lists -- use your name when subscribing to magazines, shopping online, or buying a cell phone.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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