Reporter Jason Kincaid for technology blog TechCrunch was surprised to see that Facebook was offering a new feature: With the click of a mouse you could fax a photograph from your account.
For $1.50. And in low-resolution black and white.
"Maybe I’m missing something here, but I’m not sure why Facebook would do this," wrote Kincaid.
They aren't! Instead, it was a prank. The fax feature, though functional, was only made visible to Facebook users registered with the TechCrunch network -- in other words, TechCrunch employees.
Facebook targeted TechCrunch writers in the hopes of catching one out, and the joke worked beautifully.
It was all a ploy to embarrass TechCrunch into calling the company before reporting about the site.
The joke was on Facebook, though: Kincaid contacted Facebook for comment before posting his story.
Photo by Flickr user the prodigal untitled13.
Jackson West wishes he would never have to send a fax ever again.