720 ILCS 5/26-3 – Use of a Facsimile Machine in Unsolicited Advertising or Fund-Raising
This law says you can be fined if you send unwanted ads or fund-raising messages by fax without permission.
This Illinois law makes it illegal to send ads or requests for money by fax unless the person you’re sending it to has given you permission. If you do it anyway, you can be fined up to $500.
(a) Definitions:
- A “facsimile machine” is a device that can send or receive copies of documents through a phone or internet connection. AKA fax machine.
- A “person” is anyone – this includes individuals, companies, government offices, or organizations.
(b) A person breaks this law if they knowingly use a fax machine to send, or cause someone else to send, an ad or fund-raising message to another person without that person’s permission. It’s only allowed if the sender knows, or reasonably believes, that the recipient has said it’s okay to receive such messages–either once or on an ongoing basis.
(c) Sentence: Anyone who violates part (b) commits a petty offense and can be fined up to $500.
Contact us online or call (314) 900-HELP to talk with a Southern Illinois criminal defense lawyer.
