If there is one massive disadvantage of going digital, it’s exposing oneself to online scams. From phishing websites to seemingly too-good-to-be-true ROI from a business opportunity, they all have one thing in common: they’re fake.
With faxing, either the digital or the antiquated method, fake fax numbers also exist. Want to learn more about how to identify a fake fax number and why they exist? This blog will give you all the answers you need.
What Are Fake Fax Numbers?
A fax number is much like a regular phone number. It comprises ten digits beginning with three numbers for the area code, followed by seven unique series of numbers. A fake fax number is nothing different, except that they’re used to perform scams.
But it may surprise you that using a fax number is not always intended for fraudulent activities.
What Are the Good Reasons for Using a Fake Fax Number?
You may need to have a fake fax number for the following good reasons:
1. Test a fax machine’s reception and transmission capabilities
Using a fake number allows you to test the reception and transmission capabilities of a fax machine. To know if your machine is working just fine, check the screen if it received a confirmation. If yes, then this only means your fax machine is working perfectly.
2. For privacy and protection from fraud
If you’re the person who won’t just provide his fax number for privacy purposes, using a fake number is ideal. Resorting to a fake fax number means concealing your real fax number. If you send a fax to an intended recipient, a fake fax number will appear on the latter’s end. This will prevent potential fraudsters from obtaining your real fax information.
3. Avoid fax-related spam and scams
When you use a fake fax number, you free yourself from unsolicited communication sent through fax. With it, you won’t have to deal with the hassle and danger of receiving unwanted spam faxes. You also help declutter your inbox by just receiving faxes you expect from business contacts.
How Are Fake Fax Numbers Used in Scams?
Fax phishing in fax may seem like a nonexistent thing. But they exist, and fake fax numbers are just one of every scammer’s ways to perform their crimes.
Fax phishing works through an email notification telling a target recipient that they just received an electronic fax. The victim will then enter his login credentials on a site posing as a legitimate eFax provider. In consequence, the scammer could gain access to the recipient’s credentials and steal their username and password.
Risks of Responding to Fake Fax Numbers
The likelihood that the fax you received is sent to multiple people all at once. The fake fax will then contain a button prompting you to click an attachment or open a file. Vulnerable targets will be curious and end up opening the link, only to be a victim of a phishing scam.
The main risk associated with responding to fake fax numbers is having your login credentials stolen. The attackers will then use your credentials to further their crime and impersonate you to access your account. Another possibility would be for attackers to sell your login credentials and personal data to the black market.
It will be worse if you’re using the same password for other platforms. Chances are high that the attackers will use your login credentials to also access your other accounts. For your safety, every online account you have must have different passwords. Also, your passwords must be strong enough to be easy to remember but hard to guess.
Tips for Avoiding Fake Fax Numbers
If truth be told, there’s no way to spot what a fake fax number is from an authentic one. Fake fax numbers don’t contain letters or extra numbers. In fact, they’re much like regular fax or phone numbers with the same ten digits. But there are ways users can avoid fake fax numbers. These are through identifying the following red flags:
Spelling and grammatical mistakes
All sorts of online fraudsters have one thing in common: they’re really bad at grammar. From misspelling words to making run-on sentences, it is fairly easy to detect suspicious faxes. Make sure to pay attention to how the faxed document was worded and formatted.
Weird web address and unheard-of company name
If the web address sounds weird, it’s probably illegitimate, though this is not always the case. Still, this is one of the indicators to check if a hyperlink is safe to access. Also, the link will seek to direct you to an unknown company website. This is a red flag that, just to be safe, you should never click on.
Generic email greeting
With a generic email greeting such as “dear user,” it is likely that the phishing is sent to multiple recipients. To make it look legit, the email will then contain a clickable link at the end of the message. It’s a trap that’ll take you to a legit-looking harvesting site where the information that you’d provide will be stolen.
To avoid falling prey to these schemes, use only trusted faxing providers. In online faxing, iFax is the smart choice to send and receive faxes. You can integrate our digital faxing service with thousands of other applications. If you want seamless faxing without the machine, iFax is the trusted paperless solution to achieve your company goals.
iFax: A Legitimate eFaxing Provider for Every Business
With iFax, you can ensure that your online faxes are protected from the dangers of fake fax number-related scams. iFax is one of the leading digital faxing providers on the market today. Our integrated platform is 100 percent compliant with HIPAA and GLBA. What is more, iFax is equipped with the following essential features:
- Cloud-based storage for secure digital archiving
- 256-bit encryption for sensitive data protection
Easy conversion of document images to text format
Faxing of unlimited documents and pages of any size
Import and export files from Google Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud
Shift to digital faxing and streamline your business processes with iFax. Sign up for a free account today.
