Let's Play Foil The Sleazebags!
I've gotten two junk faxes from the same (unnamed) company -- using my toner and my fax line to sleaze me somebody's "Bad Credit - OK" ads; one last week, one just now. That's vandalism and theft. I don't pay for a phone line and fax toner to fund somebody's advertising. (FYI, posting their message here is the antithesis of that!)
I called the number on the fax, 1-800-210-0605, to try to find the company behind the sleazing, so I can sue them for $500 per fax under the current junk faxing laws. Well, some rude guy there won't give me the company's name, he just said, repeatedly, "Give me your name and number and I'll take it off." Well, I'd already called their bogus "take-off" number last week, and it didn't help; furthermore, the last thing I want to do is identify myself to some sleazebag company. The guy's response: "you can get as angry as you want" and hung up. Repeatedly. Each time I called back for the company's name.
Well, I don't think people like this should have an easy time doing business, so I'd like to enlist your help to find out who's behind the faxing...in the most annoying, sleazy business-confounding way possible. Let's all call the company and see if we can't, well, work for the greater good. That number again:
1-800-210-0605
Post your experiences here. You might also encourage other bloggers to link to this blog item so their readers will join in. Let's show these creep-asses that consumers don't have to be victims.
PS The fax number it says it came from this time, atop the page, is 877-508-8463. Whether that's correct is anyone's guess. The last fax came from 877-417-8570.
Well, you didn't hear it from me, but the best thing to do is to print out two completely black pages, tape them end to end and start to feed them through your fax. Then tape the other two ends together and now you have an endless loop that is all black and will feed through your fax until you stop it. Reprogram your fax to give a meaningless number, hit whatever the star code is that blocks your number, then start faxing back to the fax machine that the fax came from. Lather, rinse, repeat.
johnshade at January 30, 2006 8:44 AM
Good Morning Amy,
I just called that number and spoke to a pleasant lady named Sarah. She answered the phone with the name of the company, "Mortgage Center" and verified that name when I asked her to confirm it. She also verified that the phone number is "one of the numbers" that rings into their call center. After explaining the nature of my call, I'm certain she is scrambling for an internet connection to have a look at your blog. Give her a call, she's much nicer then the guy you described above.
You still want the number posted on my blog, web sites and random truck stop bathrooms across the nation?
Leland at January 30, 2006 8:52 AM
Leland, thanks, but "Mortgage Center" is not the name of the company. I want name, address, names of owners, everything I need to sue their asses. Trust me, I don't think it will be forthcoming. And yes, let's encourage the entire planet to call in hopes of getting that information.
Amy Alkon at January 30, 2006 8:56 AM
Amy, I called the number, but got the message that my call could not be completed as dialled.
(At work, we use a fax system which sends all faxes to us via email instead of printing them out. I prefer to work with soft copies anyway, but it does have the added bonus of foiling junk faxers.)
What a bunch of sleazeballs.
Jackie D at January 30, 2006 2:47 PM
Thanks, Jackie...but I think you can't dial 800 numbers from Europe...can you?
I used to use Global Village fax software, but I don't think there's anything as easy anymore.
I hope a lot of people called them. After my deadline, I'll file complaints with the California Atty. General and the Feds. They annoyed the wrong girl!
Amy Alkon at January 30, 2006 3:03 PM
Junk faxes like this have been against the law for some time. Of course, that hasn't stopped these companies - I receive an average of 1-2 pages a day.
I read that the feds are trying to strengthen the penalties for those who violate junk fax laws. If they do, I'll try to get info about where to send junk faxes so the government deal with the logistics of finding the sender and dealing with them. Not as satisfying as taking them to Small Claims Court, I admit, but ultimately more effective (and more cost-effective for fax owners like you and me).
Melissa at January 30, 2006 3:54 PM
There is information about this at
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2003/11/26/panther_fax.html
Fax STF makes a clean, clear print happen, even on really old thermal fax machines. I have not used this for a while; you'll have to learn something... then you can drag & drop.
Radwaste at January 30, 2006 3:56 PM
Consider it done...
Leland at January 30, 2006 6:00 PM
Well, the last two numbers on the page are a number to remove you from their fax list, and answered by automation. Have you ever thought of sending this information the State's Attorney's Office? If they violated the state's junk faxing laws, the State Attorney can subpeona that information. And "Mortgage Center" is the name they gave me, too.
Patrick at January 31, 2006 9:31 AM
Thanks, Patrick...going to do that after my deadline. And, of course, I called automaton immediately -- the first time. But, I shouldn't have to, because I'm on the Do Not Fax list. For whatever that's worth.
Amy Alkon at January 31, 2006 12:08 PM
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gabledpic at February 13, 2009 3:34 AM
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