Consumer Watchdog – Stop Junk Faxes

If you have an active fax machine, you've probably received annoying ads that you didn't ask for. Like junk mail and spam e-mail, "junk faxes" are another way businesses waste our time and invade our privacy at home and the office. Some of the problems created by "junk faxing" include:

• Blocked Communication. All fax machine owners can have important communications disrupted by junk faxes.
• Shifted Costs, Environmental Waste. Junk fax recipients pay for wasted paper as well as the ink and electricity required to print the unwanted ads.
• Lost Business. A fax machine cannot receive orders and other business correspondence when junk faxes tie up its phone line.
• Lost Sleep. Some automated junk fax systems ring fax numbers day and night. The ringing can wake people who have fax machines at home.
• Lost Time. Faxes are potentially urgent documents, but a junk fax is a let down and a waste of time. Often, junk faxes have no business name or address, and even if there is a number to call to be removed from the junk faxer's "list," it takes up a lot of time to call for every ad received.

Junk faxing to any fax machine in the U.S. is illegal under federal law, but many junk faxers continue to ignore the law.

To stop the practice of junk faxing, FTCR has filed lawsuits on behalf of the public against junk faxers to enforce the federal law. Follow the links below to learn about these suits, see the legal documents (and junk faxes) involved, and learn how to use the federal law that lets victims of this unethical marketing practice sue advertisers for at least $500 per unwanted fax.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO STOP JUNKFAXERS

• File a Complaint with the California Attorney General
• Commonly Asked Questions about Junk Faxing
  Learn what federal law makes junk faxing illegal and which faxes count as junk faxes under the law.
  
• How to Use a Federal Law to Make Junk Faxers Pay You
  If you receive junk faxes this guide can help you use the law to get money from junk faxers.
  
• Federal Junk Fax Law
  (excerpt from 47 U.S.C. § 227) A federal law makes it illegal to send advertisements to a fax machine anywhere in the U.S.A. Read the federal law governing unsolicited faxes:
  • Read the FCC Regulations implementing federal junk fax law.
  • Read the FCC 2003 Ruling implementing federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (including junk fax provisions).
• Model Complaint
  Use the FTCR's Model Complaint as a guideline in your legal action against junk faxers.
  
• File a Complaint with the FCC
  Learn how to make the Federal Communications Commission take action against senders of junk faxes.
  
• Finding contact information for Junk Fax companies.
• Send your junk faxes and complaints about junk faxing to FTCR. To submit your complaint online, click here.

FTCR LAWSUITS

Download successful FTCR actions and examples of junk faxes.

• FTCR v. Communications 2000, et al.
  • Complaint
  • Exhibits A&B (junk faxes)
  • Exhibit C (federal law and regulations)
  
  
• FTCR v. FAXertise, et al.
  • Complaint
  • Exhibit A (federal law and regulations)
  • Exhibits B-J (junk faxes)
  • FTCR's amicus brief in related appeal: Kaufman v. ACS.
  
  
• Recent $1,000 judgment won by FTCR against Rincon Recycling
  
• Recent $500 judgment won by FTCR against Kerry K. Assil, M.D., Inc. - Written opinion attached.
  
• Recent $560 judgment won by FTCR against Promo Dart, Inc. - Written opinion attached.
  
  
• Model complaint using federal junk fax law

OTHER RESOURCES

Check these websites for additional information.

• www.junkfaxes.org
• www.tcpalaw.com

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