Need FReeper Advice - Unsolicited Junk Faxes (VANITY)

none ^ | 8/7/2002 | me

[Bobby777]

OK FReepers, I have one phone line hooked up to my fax for business / personal use. Apparently these fax dot com's "search" for fax machines and start spamming you with offers of cruise trips to roof repairs ...

Well, today one came in at 5 a.m. ... that did it ...

OK I don't want to change phone numbers ... and I'm calling the "abuse" line at the phone company tomorrow ... I doubt, frankly, that this will accomplish much ...

Has anybody had to deal with this? What is effective in getting them to stop? I see on Yahoo! News that the FCC just fined Fax.com and they think their spam faxes are "free speech" ...

Let's hear what you guys have to say ... I'm sure you've got some good ideas ...

Here is the link to the Yahoo! article if it hasn't been posted already ...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020807/ap_on_hi_te/junk_faxes_fine_4

[JZoback]

Send a bomb over the fax line to blow up their machine.

Sorry, I know that isn't much help, but it sure would be nice if you could do it.

I have the same problem at my work, way low on my priority list to worry about. I just toss them.

[Ipse Dixit]

I had much the same problem with the fax machine in my home, which also rolls over to my answering machine. My solution was (sad, but true) to disconnect that fax by pulling the plug and leaving a message on the answering machine to the calling party that they would have to let me know ahead of time if they wanted to send me a fax. A bit inconvenient perhaps, but at least I'm no longer burning up a roll of fax paper a week with useless offers from dentists with strange sounding names to get my teeth whitened.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

Fax.com Fined $5.4M for Junk Faxes

[Bobby777]

Send a bomb over the fax line to blow up their machine.

LOL !!! ... tomorrow I am reporting them to the FCC ... no warning either ... Maybe some additional fines ... the next fax I printed came in at 8 p.m. ... Would the U.S. Military consider launching a campaign against Fax.Com? ... LOL ...

[Bobby777]

I was considering contacting my attorney and "billing" these clowns for fax paper and my special fax analysis rate of say, I don't know, $500 per incident ... nobody hates frivolous lawsuits more than me but it seems these guys are like email spammers ... they don't care ... just go on their merry way until fined, or blocked out ... *sigh* ... I can't believe anybody buys any of their services ... but then, I thought nobody would buy LeCar ...

[HairOfTheDog]

I have lucked out so far on my fax, which has a dedicated line. I did ask that my fax line be unlisted, and it isn't on a website anywhere where they can scan for numbers.... maybe I just have not had my lucky day yet.

[Bobby777]

I know ... my number is unlisted but that doesn't stop them ...

[Chad Fairbanks]

Yes, they MAY be low on the priority level, but they ARE using YOUR resources (i.e. paper, toner/ink etc...) which, when unsolicited, is what I consider to be theft...

But maybe that's because I'm a hardass... :0)

[Bobby777]

you'll get no argument from me on that ... this isn't an accident or a misstep or misunderstanding ... it's a disrepectful marketing scam to bombard people via private lines ...

[CyberAnt]

On the junk faxes, there should be a phone or fax number you can respond to if you want to cancel receiving anymore of their faxes. The number is required by law. If that is not happening, you need to get your fax number provider involved. We receive some stuff in our office and I always call or fax them and tell them I want to be removed from their list. I haven't kept track, but I don't recall ever receiving messages after I cancelled them.

[quietolong]

But 75% of the email SPAM I get. The "remove me" don't work.

[mykdsmom]

I own a small business and started getting a large number of these spam faxes too. Fax film is EXPENSIVE!

I simply started calling the toll free numbers at the bottom of the fax and they stopped completely. They are all auto repsonse type of numbers so you don't get to talk to a real person, but it does seem to work. My faxes were mostly for discount Disney vacations.

I also saved all of the junk faxes I recieved and dated and timed when I left the message just in case they didn't stop. I did hear that in some cases you can sue them if you ask them to stop and they don't.

MKM

[mykdsmom]

Check this out:

Unsolicited Faxes

If you run a business, chances are your fax machine spews out a lot of unsolicited messages. Do you want to put an end to faxed ads?

I'm Shirley Rooker for the Federal Trade Commission.

A little known provision of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act bans unsolicited faxed advertisements...and puts teeth in the ban.

The Act makes it unlawful for anyone to fax an unsolicited ad to another individual or business if there is no prior business relationship - and the penalty for each violation is $500 or up to $1,500 if a company willfully and knowingly violates the law.

However, you don't have to tell the company you don't want its faxes. You can make a powerful statement by taking it to small claims court, and winning a judgement against the fax-happy company.

So save those unsolicited faxes and make your displeasure known by legal action. The law is there for your protection, so use it.

I'm Shirley Rooker, director of WTOP radio's Call For Action for the Federal Trade Commission.

January 2002

Take a look at UNWANTED FAXES: WHAT YOU CAN DO?

MKM

[martin_fierro]

Get on board with these guys: http://www.junkfax.org