Kiwi spammer collects huge fine

02 December 2009 · 0 comments

Law enforcement caught up with one spammer, and now he has to pay.

 

Well, hooray! Spamming isn’t the kind of entrepreneurial initiative we welcome in Kiwis:

A little bit of spam.

A little bit of spam.

The New Zealand “mastermind” behind an international spam network has been ordered to pay $US15.15 million ($NZ21.33 million) by a US federal judge.

Lance Atkinson, originally from Christchurch but now living in Queensland, was identified by anti-spam organisation Spamhaus as the ringleader of the world’s largest spam gang, marketing male enhancement pills, prescription drugs and weight-loss pills, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says. …

Smith is awaiting sentencing and could face up to five years in prison.

[Via : NZ mastermind behind international spam network fined $21 million | TECHNOLOGY News.]

I doubt it’ll even slightly slow other spammers though. For sure, the flood of garbage in my email continues unabated.

What’s galling though is the pathetic fine this guy collected from his New Zealand court appearance:

Atkinson pleaded guilty in the High Court in Christchurch last year to his role in the network and was fined $100,000.

That’s a huge difference: $100,000 in New Zealand and $21 million in the US.

They should ban him from the Internet, or from even using a computer too.

Still, if the system can put him and his cronies out of business, the world will be a better place.

Clip to Evernote

Be the first to comment ⇒

Tell us what you think.
Note: there may be a delay before your comment appears. I now approve all comments from new visitors, in an attempt to keep spam at bay.

Add your Comment

Older Post:

Newer Post: