How to get off Scientology mailing lists
and stop them calling you

By Ruth Lorenzen

I often get people asking me how to get off Scientology's endless mailing lists and phone lists. It doesn't matter how many times you move, or how many times you change your phone number, nor how long it has been since Scientology last saw you. They will track you down like they're hunting their prey (they are!) and contact you even 20 or 30 years after you last even thought about them.

I received this question recently (the names and specific details have been changed to protect the innocent):

Dear Ruth, About seven years ago, when I was a minor, I took one "learning class" from the Church of Scientology near my home. I was not interested in what Scientology was selling so I completed the course and never returned. Now it's seven years later and I still get mail, phone calls, and have even had my home visited. Every time I have spoken to someone on the phone (I have lost count) I either yell at them or try to be calm and direct and basically tell them to take me off the mailing list and that I am not interested. I told them that the more they call, the more I hate them. Finally, a representative told me I would no longer be hearing from them. Since then, I still get mail, and my other family members also get phone calls from them enquiring about me and my whereabouts. One of my relatives told them that I moved, and now they've been calling another relative's cell phone looking for me. They even called my personal house phone line, which I didn't even start using until two years after I finished that one course. I feel like I have a stalker... and I know that if they are doing this to me and my family they must be doing it to others because I certainly don't have gobs of money to give them. So I can only assume this is standard procedure. I know this is absolutely not legal. But as far as I know the only way to get them to stop is to start recording calls and keeping the mail and filing a lawsuit. They are taking advantage of the probability that I'm not going to take it that far. And it works out for them because I don't really think I want to take it that far. What can I do?? Signed, Frustrated

Dear Frustrated,

Yes, this behavior is standard procedure for Scientology.

Scientology is hurting right now. They are shrinking and shrinking and one of the things they know how to do is hunt people down -- they also use private investigators, public records and background searches to find you and your new address and phone number. They think that you would be easier to convince to "come back" than getting someone new in to the cult.

You can try a few things:

1. Call Scientology at their Los Angeles, California building 323-960-3550 and ask for "Merav Ellis, Address Correction and Policing In Charge". She should be able to help you, but if she's not available then they'll direct you to the person who is now holding the position "Address Correction and Policing In Charge". Tell her that you don't want any more mailing or calls from Scientology or any of their groups or organizations, and to mark you as "off the list" FOREVER. It may take a while for this information to propagate from her centralized computer to the other Scientology organizations, but it will help. It will NOT, however, completely stop the problem. But it should be your first step. The reason it will not stop the problem is that they keep lists all over the place (on paper and in computers), and do not use the centralized computer to "cross check" for people who don't want calls. It should stop the bulk-mail junk mailings, though.

2. Call your local police and/or your phone company. Ask them about making a complaint against harassment. Especially since they "tracked you down" after being told you never wanted contact from them again, you probably have a good reason to make a complaint. If you can make a complaint that is simply a police report, you can later send a copy of that report to Church of Scientology International (their "mother church") and demand to never hear from them again. That will put you on some good (for you) "black list" where they should order people to stop calling you. To locate the address to which to mail a copy of your report to the police on harassment, go to the California Secretary of State website and do a "business entities search" for the corporation "Church of Scientology International". You want to mail your demand to the "Agent for service". At present that is Jeanne M. Gavigan, 3055 Wilshire Blvd #900, Los Angeles CA 90010.

3. Whenever you get mail from them, if it includes a business reply envelope (free postage for you) scribble on the envelope or area showing mailing address and send it back to them. Make it clear that they should remove you from their lists and stop mailing you. Don't be nice; that won't work with Scientology. You have to "threaten legal action" if they continue to mail to you. Scientology takes "legal threats" seriously. Just asking them won't get the desiresd result.

4. Whenever anyone calls, ask them if they have heard of "Xenu" (pronounced zee-noo). Say you'd love to tell them Hubbard's secret Xenu story. They will think you now know the (altered version of their) secret OT3 levels. No one will want to hear any more -- they will probably be afraid; they're trained to think they will get pneumonia if they hear the story and will probably hang up on you. Then tell them that you never want to hear from them again. If they try to argue with you, or convince you otherwise, you should start to read them L. Ron Hubbard's OT3 writing. Here is the OT3 story (page 1 only). If they won't "go away" on the phone, just calmly start reading it to them over the phone. They WILL go away. They WILL stop calling you. Make sure your friends and family also have a copy of it, too, and know they should read it over the phone to the Scientologists. Scientology will get the idea that not only are YOU on the side of Xenu and an enemy to Scientology, but that all your friends and family are too, and they should call less and less over time.

Scientology does not care about "do not call" lists. Even though they consider themselves "a charity" and they consider that they don't fall under the usual "do not call registry" guidelines, if you ask off of their lists and ask to never be called again... they cannot do so without risking a suit to owe you... what is it... about $11,000 PER INCIDENT?

They DO care about threats of using a lawyer to sue them. Use those threats liberally.

Eventually, they will tag you as someone to not bother with. But you're going to have to persist to make it known that you are not on their side. This means showing yourself as an enemy (knowing the XENU story).

Being nice, or telling them you're "not interested" is just a reason for them to call you again.

It's not impossible to get off their lists. I have. They rarely mess up and call me these days, but it took persistence and "being nasty" to get the desired effect.

Sincerely,
Ruth

Copyright 2009 Ruth Lorenzen. You may freely link to this article on my website, but may not reproduce it on your own website or a message board. Permission is granted to download and print this article for the purpose of viewing, reading and retaining for reference. Any other copying, distribution, retransmission or modification of this article, whether in electronic or hard-copy form, without express prior written permission by me is strictly prohibited.