[Junk]Fax.com Fined $5.4 Million

Satanboy writes "This article states that a record $5.4m fine was levied on Fax.com after blatantly ignoring requests by the FCC to discontinue the activity of sending unsolicited faxes. This is similar to actions CmdrTaco posted about earlier." The people at junkfax.org are apparently planning a large class-action suit against fax.com as well.

Comments

some people are just dumb

[Auckerman]

Let's see their business model is illegal. The FCC tells them that it knows what they are doing, it's illegal, and they should stop it. They don't listen. At what point do you NOT beleive the FCC and keep doing it?

Idiot 1: Hey man, let's send some more junk faxes.

Idiot 2: Didn't the FCC say we would get hell if we kept doing that?

Idiot 1: What's the worse they can do? Fine our "company"?!?

Laughter

Idiot 2: I hear the Bamahas are nice this time of year.

Spam the Fax Spammers Back

[peterdaly]

I have posted this on slashdot before, but the comment fits the article.

They will hate me for putting this idea into people's minds...but everyone I explain this to gets a kick out of it, so here goes.

1. Take 5 sheets of black construction paper.
2. Scotch tape them into a single 5 sheet long sheet.
3. Place start of "page" into fax machine.
4. Dial the "recipient".
5. Watch sheet start going into the fax machine with glee.
6. Once out the other side, Scotch Tape beginning of "sheet" to end of sheet forming a giant black loop.
7. Giggle like a teenage girl and show your co-workers. Trust me, the showing co-workers step is needed for the full satisfaction. Choose co-workers carefully.
8. You Are Done! Not only that, but the recipient is now out of ink or toner.

Not that I have ever done this...but I know someone who has done this to someone who kept sending them spam faxes.

I hold no responsibility for your actions yada yada...

-Pete

The best junk faxes

[Liquidity]

My favorite is the one where there is some product information printed out, as if from internal company report or something Then, there are some lines underlined or circled and a note written in the margin somewhere which says something like: "Jim, this is the one I told you about!"

I guess you are supposed to grab this off the incoming queue and think, "AHa! I've intercepted a confidential memo! Now I, too, will reap the benefits of this secret deal!"

Let Evil Fight Evil.

[pb]

Here's a sure-fire way to confound junk faxers and spammers alike:

1) Harvest phone numbers from spam e-mails and e-mails from junk faxes. (you can find these online)

2) Figure out where spammers and faxers get their information from and flood these locations with the e-mails and phone numbers you find; USENET and message boards (like slashdot!) are good for this.

3) Wait for the faxers to start faxing the spammers, and for the spammers to start e-mailing the faxers.

Problem solved.

To clear things up with some fax...

[Eric_Cartman_South_P]

The fax of the case are black and white. Fax.com faxed unsolicited faxes, and as a matter of fax, that is bad and they are liable. Those are the fax.

Re:READ ME!

[DemiKnute]

Print out these articles and mail them off to your congresscritter [house.gov] and your class II senator [senate.gov] if you have one.

Mail 'em, hell! Fax it too 'em.

Maybe three times, just to make sure.

My workplace gets fax spam

[vandelais]

that requests that you fax your interest back to them.

Step 1) find black construction paper at your workplace.
Step 2) write "Stop Spamming" in stencil on white paper
Step 3) Cut out message and tape to black construction paper
Step 4) fax back message that uses a shitload of recipient's fax toner

Step 5) Smile and enjoy the rest of day.

Re:They won't care

[ceejayoz]

"This is a fax virus. Please light this fax on fire and place it on the floor."

Disabling memory send is trivial

[swb]

On most machines, the local buffer holds a scan of all the pages BEFORE the machine even dials. Your machine may differ.

There's lots of problems with the continuous black page attack, but this one is the most easy to mitigate. Most FAX machines that I've dealt with can disable the "memory send" feature, which results in a direct transmission of the FAX. I do this all the time, since my FAX machine is brain dead and waits 5-10 minutes before even starting a memory send.

The other problems others have mentioned: no actual printing machine on the other end, expensive toll calls, are hard to get around. I would imagine that "pro" faxsmappers use outbound-only trunks that cannot accept an incoming call, their computers are originate-only. And how do you get their number in the first place, providing they're dumb enough to call from a regular line with whatever machine they have set to accept?

Better to get their home address, some friends and a couple of fungo bats.