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TestMagic
Senior Member
USA
1568 Posts |
 Posted - 14 March 2003 : 16:49:04
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As if e-mail spam weren't bad enough, I seem to be getting more and more fax spam these days. It's more than annoying, it can be expensive at times, especially when, for example, you receive a page with more than 50% coverage of the paper. And sometimes I load stationery in the paper bin, meaning I sometimes receive fax spam on this expensive paper.
I remember reading that it's the law that each fax contain a number to call to be removed from the list and that if the company sent you another spam, the company could be fined $500. So, I started calling the companies to get off their lists. It seems to work when I get the spam directly from the companies, but I keep getting spams that look to me to be from the same fax spamming company, but the number to call to be removed is different. In other words, I'm guessing the same company probably sends the faxes, but uses different numbers if you call to be removed.
It occurred to me that the rule that you should never request removal because that simply shows the company that the number is live.
I know that I can program my fax machine to block certain numbers, but I want a more satisfying solution--like being able to find the company to bill them a couple million bucks for the annoyance!  |
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spyordie007
Junior Member
USA
408 Posts |
Posted - 14 March 2003 : 16:59:21
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quote:
It occurred to me that the rule that you should never request removal because that simply shows the company that the number is live.
If they are able to send you the fax than they already know that your number is live.
quote:
I remember reading that it's the law that each fax contain a number to call to be removed from the list
I know that there are some laws, however I dont know the details of them. As boring as it is I've found the best way is just to keep requesting that you get removed. Save a weeks worth in a stack and do them at once (shouldnt take more than a few minutes of your Friday afternoon when you dont feel like doing anything productive anyways). Once you've submitted that you get removed dump them in a file folder and keep them around for a while (just in case).
-Spy |
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VodkaFish
Average Member
USA
654 Posts |
Posted - 14 March 2003 : 17:44:25
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| A person who won an e-mail spam court case won it because he used the fax laws that prevents "spamming". I think he had his e-mail setup to be printed and that's how he drew the comparison. Either way, there definitely are Federal US laws that prohibit unsolicited faxes. I've only received a few, so I haven't gotten too mad about it. |
v ø d k â f ï § h |
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Classicmotorcycling
Development Team Leader
Australia
2085 Posts |
Posted - 14 March 2003 : 18:02:13
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TestMagic,
Have you considered faxing them back say 200 times a week and see if they call you to be removed. Then when they call give them your fax number and tell them to remove you first or you keep sending! I think it would be funny to give them a does of their own spam...
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Cheers,
David Greening |
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PeeWee.Inc
Senior Member
United Kingdom
1893 Posts |
Posted - 14 March 2003 : 18:39:31
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| A friend of mine did that with the free AOL CD's, ended up gettin sent a free webcam. |
De Priofundus Calmo Ad Te Damine |
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seven
Senior Member
USA
1037 Posts |
Posted - 14 March 2003 : 19:08:59
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http://www.nomoreaolcds.com/
quote:
Originally posted by PeeWee.Inc
A friend of mine did that with the free AOL CD's, ended up gettin sent a free webcam.
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dayve
Forum Moderator
USA
5820 Posts |
Posted - 14 March 2003 : 19:23:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Classicmotorcycling
TestMagic,
Have you considered faxing them back say 200 times a week and see if they call you to be removed. Then when they call give them your fax number and tell them to remove you first or you keep sending! I think it would be funny to give them a does of their own spam...
instead of faxing them 200 times a week, get one piece of 8.5 by 11 (Legal Size Paper), write a "colorful" message on it and feed it through your fax to the offending person in a manner where you can tape the top and bottom of the page together to continuously fax the person. I've done this before and its cruel but very fun in a vengeful kind of way. Do it late at night so as to wipe out all of their ink or toner. |
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sy
Average Member
United Kingdom
638 Posts |
Posted - 14 March 2003 : 19:45:29
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quote:
Originally posted by dayve
quote:
Originally posted by Classicmotorcycling
TestMagic,
Have you considered faxing them back say 200 times a week and see if they call you to be removed. Then when they call give them your fax number and tell them to remove you first or you keep sending! I think it would be funny to give them a does of their own spam...
instead of faxing them 200 times a week, get one piece of 8.5 by 11 (Legal Size Paper), write a "colorful" message on it and feed it through your fax to the offending person in a manner where you can tape the top and bottom of the page together to continuously fax the person. I've done this before and its cruel but very fun in a vengeful kind of way. Do it late at night so as to wipe out all of their ink or toner.
Lol, we once did that to someone too, we sent the opposing machine a solid black page, attached at either end with sticky tape so it rolled on and on.
Tin foil is supposed to be good one as well. |
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails
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Doug G
Support Moderator
USA
6493 Posts |
Posted - 14 March 2003 : 20:41:38
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quote:
Originally posted by dayve
quote:
Originally posted by Classicmotorcycling
TestMagic,
Have you considered faxing them back say 200 times a week and see if they call you to be removed. Then when they call give them your fax number and tell them to remove you first or you keep sending! I think it would be funny to give them a does of their own spam...
instead of faxing them 200 times a week, get one piece of 8.5 by 11 (Legal Size Paper), write a "colorful" message on it and feed it through your fax to the offending person in a manner where you can tape the top and bottom of the page together to continuously fax the person. I've done this before and its cruel but very fun in a vengeful kind of way. Do it late at night so as to wipe out all of their ink or toner.
I hate to say this but if you do this you're not much better than the original fax spammer.
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Doug G
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Computer history and help at www.dougscode.com |
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Gremlin
General Help Moderator
New Zealand
7528 Posts |
Posted - 14 March 2003 : 21:25:12
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quote:
I hate to say this but if you do this you're not much better than the original fax spammer.
Very true, but sometimes revenge does feel oh so sweet !. |
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dayve
Forum Moderator
USA
5820 Posts |
Posted - 14 March 2003 : 22:57:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Doug G
I hate to say this but if you do this you're not much better than the original fax spammer.
I would whole heartedly disagree with this statement. |
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Gremlin
General Help Moderator
New Zealand
7528 Posts |
Posted - 14 March 2003 : 23:13:55
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| Well your both sending unsolicited fax's and both causing trouble for the recipient of the "fax", so wheres the difference again ? |
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dayve
Forum Moderator
USA
5820 Posts |
Posted - 14 March 2003 : 23:55:14
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| Without getting into a huge debate about the issue, due mostly in part because I enjoy everyone's company here at the Snitz Community, I will just decline to respond to my feelings of the situation. I stand completely by my statement that I disagree with Doug's comments that I would not be much better than the original fax spammer. It would be night and day in fact. |
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seven
Senior Member
USA
1037 Posts |
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TestMagic
Senior Member
USA
1568 Posts |
Posted - 15 March 2003 : 23:12:47
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All fascinating ideas there, many of which I've either contemplated or actually done.
Now, in the "I'm not sure I want to go there" department, I have to say that yes, one could be held at least partly morally culpable for "fax bombing" somebody else in retaliation, but I also believe that the original spammer is more culpable. I do in fact believe that one should turn the other cheek whenever possible (for like begets like), but, humans being what they are, often respond only to that which makes them feel uncomfortable.
In an ideal or better world, we would all "turn the other cheek;" however; as we all know, this is not an ideal world, and this does not happen. But the world could be better!
Sorry to be ambiguous, but my nick is also the name of my business. Had I known I'd have stuck around Snitz so long when I joined up, I wouldn't have used my business name. But since I know that enough of my forum members come here (many of them have their own Snitz forums), and since a simple Google will reveal this post, I can't really go out on a limb. That's also the main reason I haven't jumped into this topic.
Okay, all that aside, I think these mega-faxers are big companies, and are very clever, much like the spammers we all have to deal with every day. I'm looking for the best way to deal with the fax spammers who may have gotten my fax # from my website and are sending me the $79 trip to Mexico faxes.
I think these guys are pros, and the return fax number is usually the same as the 8xx number to call to be removed. In other words, if I fax a 1,000-meter roll of aluminum foil to the number, no fax will pick up.  |
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Edited by - TestMagic on 16 March 2003 02:34:47 |
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bjlt
Senior Member
1144 Posts |
Posted - 16 March 2003 : 02:04:22
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Here we don't have much of fax spamming and it's not an good option to revenge that way either, simply because the monopoly telephone companies do not provide packaged local phone calls, every mininte of your call counts in your bill. it's as costive as the ink/paper for the telephone call.  A good thing here is the law is different, for email even one provides removal method it's still a spam, though I haven't heard many cases againgst it. Maybe I'll file one myself, not only against the spammer but also as a free promotion on the media. [;-)] |
Edited by - bjlt on 16 March 2003 02:07:39 |
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