Off topic phone question

[azdesertrhino]

A question for the electronic wizards. For some reason a fax machine is calling our home phone number. The caller I.D. just shows "unknown - unknown". Sometimes it happens in the middle of the night. According to the phone company, without some type of identification, they have no way to block the calls. Any ideas? Otherwise it looks like I'll just shut down the home line and go to cell phones. Thanks in advance!!

[ThumpAZ]

well, I thought it was illegal to have a fax machine without the header info filled in?
Other than that, they won't do anything like put a trace without money or court order or something... as far as I understand it.

Sorry, man, looks like yer screwed.

On a lighter note... we got rid of landlines a few years ago and couldn't be happier.

[NVRSTUKXJ]

my phone is set up (by Qwest) to block all calls that don't display a number/name......caller has to enter a number code to unblock their number before it will go thru.....

[azdesertrhino]

my phone is set up (by Qwest) to block all calls that don't display a number/name......caller has to enter a number code to unblock their number before it will go thru.....

We use MCI right now because they had unlimited long distance for a flat rate. They are supposed to block the type of calls you talked about but it doesn't seem to work. I may be checking with Qwest today.

ThumpAz: Regarding the fax header not being filled in. I'm not sure if they do or not, I don't have a fax machine.

[jeepin_in_az]

Anyway you can borrow somones fax machine to use for a night and let the damn fax come through?? :D

[xFallen]

Anyway you can borrow somones fax machine to use for a night and let the damn fax come through?? :D

It is more than likely one of those stinking advertisement companies that dial blindly either from a database or at random -- probably the former. I know you are probably kidding, but you probably don't want to do that. As soon as that fax number is verified it seems to spread like wildfire and the number of calls goes up dramatically.

I do not believe it is illegal to have fax headers NOT filled out, but my understanding is random dialing for solicitation is illegal.

As annoying as it is, leave it long enough and it will probably eventually stop. The best option is probably the blocked call thing mentioned above. That's how I solved the exact same problem when it happened to me.


Barry

[jeepin_in_az]

It is more than likely one of those stinking advertisement companies that dial blindly either from a database or at random -- probably the former. I know you are probably kidding, but you probably don't want to do that. As soon as that fax number is verified it seems to spread like wildfire and the number of calls goes up dramatically.

I have never heard of that, but I could be wrong!! I was thinking more in the lines of having the fax come through, then bringing hell to the people that are faxing.

I do not believe it is illegal to have fax headers NOT filled out, but my understanding is random dialing for solicitation is illegal.

No, leaving the fax header blank is not illeagl. The fax header only works when the fax comes through!

If it is random dialing, then he can report the solicitor to press charges for stress and grief!! LOL...j/k

As annoying as it is, leave it long enough and it will probably eventually stop. The best option is probably the blocked call thing mentioned above. That's how I solved the exact same problem when it happened to me.

I had a cell phone about 5 years ago that was one digit off from a doctor's office. Must have been an old persons doctor, cause I got TONS of calls between 9 and 5 from old people trying to make an appointment with me!

I called the cell carrier, and they changed my number for me. That won't work now for me, I have had this number too long and it is on my business cards. But if you can handle a number change, MCI should be more than willing to change it due to your situation and thier lack of helping you block that paricular number. I still think it is kinda weird that MCI can't figure out what number is calling Jim in the middle of the night :confused:

[xFallen]

I had a cell phone about 5 years ago that was one digit off from a doctor's office. Must have been an old persons doctor, cause I got TONS of calls between 9 and 5 from old people trying to make an appointment with me!

I called the cell carrier, and they changed my number for me. That won't work now for me, I have had this number too long and it is on my business cards. But if you can handle a number change, MCI should be more than willing to change it due to your situation and thier lack of helping you block that paricular number. I still think it is kinda weird that MCI can't figure out what number is calling Jim in the middle of the night :confused:

They can, just won't for us mere peons.

You should have sent no-show bills to these people -- could have made a fortune. :D


Barry

[k7mto]

You should have sent no-show bills to these people -- could have made a fortune. :D


That, or gave them all the same appointment date/time and then gone over to the doctor's office to watch the fun :)

We get a few unknown/unknown calls a day (not during the night) but just ignore them. Caller-ID is a wonderful thing.

[Special K]

A question for the electronic wizards. For some reason a fax machine is calling our home phone number. The caller I.D. just shows "unknown - unknown". Sometimes it happens in the middle of the night. According to the phone company, without some type of identification, they have no way to block the calls. Any ideas? Otherwise it looks like I'll just shut down the home line and go to cell phones. Thanks in advance!!

Try *57 (call tracing) after the next call, but I would talk with your phone company first to find out if this will work as there is usually a charge for this feature.

[My1stJeep]

My wife and I had this happening to us a copule years back and it crops up every once in awhile. The blocked call thing where they have to enter the number is the best to stop this.

We did plug a fax machine into it to receive a fax so we coule make there life hell at 2:00am when it always seemed to start going off, nothing ever came through, so I still think the blocked call thing is the best option. Sad thing is you have to pay to use this feature so you can sleep when it is the mindless idiots sending this stuff blindly that should be paying for it.

[ThumpAZ]

I wasn't reading that it was just on the caller ID... I was thinking that it was on the header of the fax LOL. Don't ask, my mind is totally elsewhere.

(corporate law studies made me have to do this to ya :) )
U.S. CODE Title 47, Chapter 5, Subchapter II, Part 1, Section 227, Paragraph D:1,b and Paragraph D:2 both state specifically:
(d) Technical and procedural standards
(1) Prohibition
It shall be unlawful for any person within the United States?
(A) ...; or
(B) to use a computer or other electronic device to send any message via a telephone facsimile machine unless such person clearly marks, in a margin at the top or bottom of each transmitted page of the message or on the first page of the transmission, the date and time it is sent and an identification of the business, other entity, or individual sending the message and the telephone number of the sending machine or of such business, other entity, or individual.
(2) Telephone facsimile machines
The Commission shall revise the regulations setting technical and procedural standards for telephone facsimile machines to require that any such machine which is manufactured after one year after December 20, 1991, clearly marks, in a margin at the top or bottom of each transmitted page or on the first page of each transmission, the date and time sent, an identification of the business, other entity, or individual sending the message, and the telephone number of the sending machine or of such business, other entity, or individual.

[xFallen]

Good info -- thanks.


Barry


I wasn't reading that it was just on the caller ID... I was thinking that it was on the header of the fax LOL. Don't ask, my mind is totally elsewhere.

(corporate law studies made me have to do this to ya :) )
U.S. CODE Title 47, Chapter 5, Subchapter II, Part 1, Section 227, Paragraph D:1,b and Paragraph D:2 both state specifically:
(d) Technical and procedural standards
(1) Prohibition
It shall be unlawful for any person within the United States?
(A) ...; or
(B) to use a computer or other electronic device to send any message via a telephone facsimile machine unless such person clearly marks, in a margin at the top or bottom of each transmitted page of the message or on the first page of the transmission, the date and time it is sent and an identification of the business, other entity, or individual sending the message and the telephone number of the sending machine or of such business, other entity, or individual.
(2) Telephone facsimile machines
The Commission shall revise the regulations setting technical and procedural standards for telephone facsimile machines to require that any such machine which is manufactured after one year after December 20, 1991, clearly marks, in a margin at the top or bottom of each transmitted page or on the first page of each transmission, the date and time sent, an identification of the business, other entity, or individual sending the message, and the telephone number of the sending machine or of such business, other entity, or individual.

[danno]

Anyway you can borrow somones fax machine to use for a night and let the damn fax come through?? :D


DO NOT plug in a fax machine....

We had this same problem a few years back... I plugged in my computer to receive the fax and once it came though it was indeed an advert... The next day the calls started increasing in frequency...

At the bottom of the fax that I had received, there was a number to call to remove myself from the distribution... I figured what the heck and I called it... it required me to enter my telephone number and the message at the end was "you have been processed"

Then I started getting 10+ fax calls a day from fax machines at all times 24 hours a day.

Bottom line, these people are hunting for fax machines, once they find one that goes through, they will use it more frequently or sell it to others to use. If you call them to take yourself off of the list... This just confirms that it is a real fax machine which means that they can use it at their will...

I would try the *57 approach... After the call, hang up and then dial *57... Then call the operator and indicate that you are getting harassing phone calls from an unknown source that you wish them to investigate...

[ThumpAZ]

Actually, if you have the number that called you, and you have attempted to remove yourself from that distribution list, then you are able to file claim against them through the FCC Junk Fax Enforcement.
http://www.fcc.gov/eb/tcd/ufax.html

Other areas of the U.S. CODE Title 47 discuss the legalities of using database and random number dialers for this type of stuff. There was also a Junk Fax Act enacted and signed into Law in mid-2005 that dealt with this type of stuff specifically. Funny thing... the largest opponent of it is insurance salesmen's association??

[1BLKJP]

Actually, if you have the number that called you, and you have attempted to remove yourself from that distribution list, then you are able to file claim against them through the FCC Junk Fax Enforcement.
http://www.fcc.gov/eb/tcd/ufax.html

Other areas of the U.S. CODE Title 47 discuss the legalities of using database and random number dialers for this type of stuff. There was also a Junk Fax Act enacted and signed into Law in mid-2005 that dealt with this type of stuff specifically. Funny thing... the largest opponent of it is insurance salesmen's association??

Either that or let the fax come thru and find the the nunber that is doing it and turn them into the FCC on "Do No Call List Violation". Don't know if it would work, but you don't have a fax machine so technically they are calling you. :D

[azdesertrhino]

I appreciate all the input and have contacted my carrier again and went through the blocked call set up again so lets see what happens. I also believe it is a blind dialing advertisement type thing that is doing it. Hopefully it will just go away.
We've had this phone number for over ten years now and I would hate to have to dump it just to sleep at night!!:rolleyes:

[Nnote]

Remember those telezappers that cause your phone# to come across as out of service to auto dialing machines? They simply played a 3toned sound over the phone line, that made the machines think your number is disconnected and take your # off the list. I have a .wav of that tone if anyone wants the file. You simply record it on your answering machine or voice mail before your actuall message. If an autodialing machine calls and gets this tone, it will think it's a bad number and list your number as so...

[azdesertrhino]

Remember those telezappers that cause your phone# to come across as out of service to auto dialing machines? They simply played a 3toned sound over the phone line, that made the machines think your number is disconnected and take your # off the list. I have a .wav of that tone if anyone wants the file. You simply record it on your answering machine or voice mail before your actuall message. If an autodialing machine calls and gets this tone, it will think it's a bad number and list your number as so...

Did that thing actually work? I figured it was some sort of scam. :rolleyes:

[Nnote]

It is a wav of the doo dee daa! sound that you get when you dial a non existant number. The machine hears this and takes your number off the list as a non valid number.

[paparonbo]

Unfortunately there are some marketers that have changed their dialers to ignore that tone and keep the number on the list. They have figured out that people are using this to flag their number as bad. My guess is that the fax-spammers may be in this group because
Its cheap to let the machine try to connect anyways since they aren't paying a live body to talk to you if you answer.
They are slimeballs and will try anything to make $$

If you ever do get the number of the fax machine thats calling you a fax revenge tactic is to put a piece of black paper taped into a loop in your fax machine and send it to them. :)

Ron
00 XJ
87 XJ

[azdesertrhino]

If you ever do get the number of the fax machine thats calling you a fax revenge tactic is to put a piece of black paper taped into a loop in your fax machine and send it to them. :)

Ron
00 XJ
87 XJ

Now that sounds like a nice revengeful tactic if a person actually had a fax machine.;) :D :D