The avalanche of letters from insurance firms, credit card companies and catalog stores grieve relatives of the deceased and can lead to identity theft, The Daily Telegraph reported. Families can reduce junk mail by signing up for a company's "Deceased Preference Service," the British newspaper noted

Experts say sending junk mail direct, however, is on the decline because sending e-mail is cheaper, more environmentally friendly and may produce better results than sending unsolicited junk mail to a person's door, the Telegraph reported.

"The days of mass mailing are well and truly over," said Neil Fisher, a former direct marketing manager at Esure.