T 5.33 Sending faxes under a false identity

One can send a falsified fax as easily as one can write a letter under a false name and with a false letter head. This may result in damage if the recipient assumes that the information contained in the fax is authentic and possibly legally binding. (see T 3.14 Misjudgement of the legal force of a fax).

Examples:

• Signatures may be scanned from other documents and printed to the fax template and/or pasted into the document as graphic file when using a fax server. On the received fax, no difference between a signature reproduced this way and an authentic handwritten signature can be discerned.
• Normally, the fax number of the sending fax connection is transmitted during transmission. However, it is also possible to fake a different fax number. Therefore, analysing the receipt protocol is not a reliable confirmation of the sender either.