Stopping Unwanted Faxes
Tired
of having unwanted faxes littering the floor .when you open your
business in the morning? Out of fax paper due to the unwanted
and unsolicited faxes using up your paper? Anyone who receives junk
faxes can complain, not just businesses. The fix is easy, and you
don't have to worry about calling different 800
numbers to remove your number from every one of those unwanted
faxes.
Unsolicited faxes are not
only against Florida law. but are also in violation of the
1991 Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Federal
Communications Commission regulations also prohibit sending
unsolicited advertisements, also known as "junk faxes," to
fax machines. This prohibition applies to both businesses and
residences. Stopping the unwanted faxes is a fairly straightforward
procedure, but it is a responsibility of the state Attorney General's
office.
A fax machine is able to
send and receive data, either text or images over
a telephone line. According to the FCC. an "unsolicited
advertisement" is defined as “any material
advertising the commercial availability or quality of any property,
goods, or services which is transmitted to any person without that
person's prior express invitation or permission," Just because
your fax number is published or distributed does not mean anyone has
permission to send you unsolicited advertisements.
This
approach has proven to be quite effective in stopping unwanted faxes.
The state Attorney General's office first contacts the offender with
copies of the illegal faxes, attached to copies of the Florida
Statutes, and sends you a courtesy copy of the complaint to show who
the offender really is.
That
is usually enough to stop the fax "spam," but if the
offender persists, it is a $500 penalty per offense, and the state
will take action. The Economic Crimes Division of the Attorney
General's Office investigates more than 100 cases a year.
Mail
the offending faxes, along with a cover letter explaining who you are
and that the faxes are unsolicited. Include your fax number in
the letter. If the sender puts your fax number on top of each page
twice to blank theirs out, point out in your cover letter that the
sender's number is unknown.
Mail the complaint and
the faxes to: Economic Crimes Division, Office of the Attorney
General, 110 S.E. Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale. FL 33301-5000.
Now, if we could find a
way to stop unwanted e-mails.
George Mindling
©
2002
