Help Stop Junk Faxing

By some estimates, every unsolicited junk fax that you get costs you 25 cents in paper and toner. That's on top of the inconvenience of having your line tied up and your sleep interrupted when the junk fax systems ring your fax number in a home office at night. While federal law banned unsolicited junk faxes more than 10 years ago, California allows them, IF the sender includes an "opt-out" number at the bottom of the fax. Not surprisingly, some numbers are bogus, so you are at their mercy.

Linda Sherry from the non-profit group Consumer Action advises consumers to call the opt-out number, record the name of the company, and the time and date of your call. If that doesn't stop the unwanted faxes, file complaints with the California Attorney General, the sender's Attorney General and the Federal Communications Commission. For more information on how to fight this problem, contact www.junkfaxes.org.