Fax machine - yes or no

[TheSnowFairy]

I don't use a fax machine, ever. There isn't one at work either.

My Dr has just asked me to fax over my request for a repeat prescription Seemed surprised I didn't have easy access to fax.

So, do you ever use a fax machine - yay or nay?

Sorry, my typo said fax MACHINES cannot be copied. I meant the fax MESSAGE cannot be intercepted, copied or stored. Computer programs can 'emulate' a fax machine to send or receive but the transmission is pretty secure as 1 machine will only 'speak' to 1 other machine and uses a telephone line. You cannot connect more machines at the same time as the data that travels between them 'handshakes' between the 'send' and 'receive', a second 'receiver' would not be able to 'butt in' as it would corrupt the handshaking.
Outside the 'office' at each end you need a court order to 'tap' a phone line.
A machine may store and produce more copies but the relevant bit is that it is ONLY that machine not any other. If you use a computer to emulate a fax machine you can store and print whatever you wish but the transmission is the secure part of the operation.

I work for a car dealership. One of the big manufacturers still fax over remittances advices for finance agreements. They come throug one of the photocopiers

When i started my current job just over 4 years ago we were regularly having to fax off our timesheets to the city office and other bits and pieces here and there. I always had to get one of the older employees to show me how because it involved unplugging a phone and plugging in a printer/fax etc. A whole pain in the neck experience.

These days we scan and email everything, and funnily enough im the only one who knows how to do that! Although the new whizbang printer/copier/spaceship they brought for our new centre is keeping me on my toes.

There are websites and apps for this problem. I used one when temping cos the agency thought faxes couldn't be faked and email attachments could be. Lol.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.howtogeek.com/168841/how-to-send-and-receive-faxes-online-without-a-fax-machine-or-phone-line/amp/

If you work in law or banking then they are still used for transmission of certain information. Not used otherwise but we have to have one (our photocopier does everything).

Another NHS worker here. Our department would fall apart without a fax machine sadly. Although I’m quite fond of it, it’s like an old reliable friend.

Don't want to criticize the NHS (been fantastic for us) but surely faxes are not the best way to conduct business?!

I mean, from this thread almost no-one uses them in work. And if I email someone from a password protected device, isn't that proof it's me?

Sadly emails are not all that secure and certainly not 'proof' although having password protection can make it highly likely that the message was from you.
Nothing is totally secure but encryption and passwords can buy 'time' meaning that things CAN be read but the time taken to do it makes the message less important.

Ex-nhs here. All faxes and tapes. Remember needing to replace some worn tapes and wondering where the hell they’d find some.

eBay. Always eBay.

I was asked to fax over credit card details in order to pay an invoice for a us company the other day. I found out we do still have one machine which will send faxes (I work for a university) but I couldn't make the damn thing work! I ended up having to phone them up instead and give the details by phone instead (well actually I asked one of the people who reports to me to do it as making international calls from work is a faff as we aren't all set up to do it and so I had to send her off to the dean's office to do so...). A hassle all round! I think Americans must uses faxes more.

Faxes are not that secure either. In an old job of mine we were banned from faxing documents for that reason.