Source of Information

How did ADMA get my name?

ADMA does not compile or distribute marketing lists under any circumstances. If you have been advised by a supplier that your details came from us, the information is false.

The only list ADMA maintains is a record of consumers who have registered NOT to receive direct marketing offers in the mail.

The Do Not Mail service is free to consumers and enables people who prefer not to receive mail offers at home to request that their name and contact details be removed from marketing lists held by our members.

How did they get my name or telephone number?

Lists of names and addresses are routinely compiled by marketers from countless sources. If you have a telephone (unless you have a silent number) your name and address are available to anyone with a pencil and a piece of paper by accessing a telephone directory.

In most states, if you own a house or land, your name and address are available from public records. So are such publicly-recorded events as marriages, births, and divorces. All are available to anyone who wants to compile a mailing list from the source material. Your high school and university directories may list your name, address, and class.

If you are a doctor, lawyer, dentist, engineer, or teacher, you probably belong to one or more professional societies or associations whose membership lists show your name and address. Do you practice a profession for which the state has granted a license? Have you joined any business organisations such as a local Chamber of Commerce or Service Club? Many of these membership lists, while not, strictly speaking, public records, are widely available to the public.

It is also possible that you have subscribed to a magazine, made a donation to a charity, answered a survey that came with an appliance warranty, sent some money to a political party, bought a gadget or a gift from a catalogue. Your name, address, and purchase (or donation) information are automatically recorded on that company's computerised list, and it is very likely that you will hear from that company again -- their goal is to build long-term relationships with their customers (or donors). It is also possible that, from time to time, they will rent or exchange your name and address with other direct marketers so long as you have consented to this happening.

ADMA members are required under the Australian Direct Marketing Association’s Direct Marketing Code of Practice to let you know where how they obtained your information if you ask them.