Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Spammer Bows to Lawsuit

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the please-bow-lower-next-time dept.

Compulawyer writes "The Washington Post is reporting in this article that spammer Alan Ralsky has agreed to stop sending spam over Verizon's lines and to pay Verizon an undisclosed sum of money. Although Ralsky denies any liability, this sounds like a clear win for Verizon to me."

12 comments

  1. Hmmm by smoondog · · Score: 3, Interesting

    We get spammed and verizon gets paid. Sounds like the American economy is working normally.

    Too bad there are too many spammers in the world for this approach to actually work.

    -Sean

  2. One gone... by Dukebytes · · Score: 1
    "Ralsky said he doesn't send offers for pornography or any messages to people who indicate they don't want them."

    I guess that the above statement "could" be legit - but I bet it's more bullshit than anything else and I HOPE that Verzion does get the $37M out of him and shut him down.

    43 spam emails a day minus ONE. 42 more to go...

    Hey spammers - I would like for you to please carefully read the above link for your pleasure.

    Duke

    --

    FreeBSD: Nothing runs like a daemon with a pitch fork.
    1. Re:One gone... by fmaxwell · · Score: 3, Insightful
      "Ralsky said he doesn't send offers for pornography or any messages to people who indicate they don't want them."

      I guess that the above statement "could" be legit - but I bet it's more bullshit than anything else


      So some ten year old kid gets spam advertising "Fantasy Black: Hot ebony sluts who love gettin' their salad tossed" (taken from an actual ad) and, after being horrified by pictures of tongues in rectums, he can then click on a link to "opt-out." Or someone can get that at their job and have IS report to their boss that they have been for visiting the site -- when it was just their HTML e-mail client picking up the pictures from the web site. (Note: Don't lecture me about how e-mail clients should not do that. I agree, but Joe Average uses the e-mail client he's told to at work.)

      There is never an appropriate time to send unsolicited commercial e-mail of any kind -- but that is especially true of porn spam. The sender has no idea whether the recipient is a 20-something guy, an elementary school kid, or an elderly nun. I'd like to see the spammers that send this kind of stuff to little kids be prosecuted just like they would be if they were handing out hardcore porn magazines to little kids in shopping malls.
    2. Re:One gone... by dincubus · · Score: 1

      i have had major issues with real reply. i have had to call them and more or less threaten prosecution under 47 U.S.C. 227 that is basically the telephone consumer protection act. that is the one i have found most often quoted in lawsuits against spammers. it is fun to make them squirm in their seats when i mention federal law. i have even spoken, to some of the spammers i deal with on a daily basis, their legal departments. and i have been asked on more than one instance if i was formally trained as a lawyer because they dont expect the general public to be as educated on law stuff.

      --
      a wise man once said "two wrongs dont make a right, but three rights do make a left" and that wise man was gallagher
  3. Obligatory reference by MainframeKiller · · Score: 5, Funny

    Verizon to spammer:

    Can you hear me now? Good!

    --
    http://www.club977.com/ - The 80's Channel!
    Your source for commercial free 80's music!
    1. Re:Obligatory reference by Exedore · · Score: 1

      Dangit, you beat me to it. I was going to use "Can you pay me now?" though.

      --

      I take drugs seriously.

  4. Maybe why by www.sorehands.com · · Score: 2
    Maybe Ralsky surrendered when Verizon went to sieze Ralsky's assetts. A while back, Ralsky was quoted, in an interview, that he may move to China to avoid a judgment.


    I forwarded a link to Verizon's attorney so that they may get an order to sieze the assets.


    I don't know if he did get the injunction, but the attorney was appreciative for the link.

    --
    Fight Spammers!
  5. Don't expect anything to change by JWBsDad · · Score: 1
    unless Verizon is your internet provider. According to Computer World only the domain names owned by Verizon, including verizon.net, verizon, and vzw.com are affected. Even domains hosted by Verizon can still be spammed by Ralsky.

    And as reported by the South China Morning Post: Mr Ralsky has said he has lists of 150 million e-mail addresses as a part of his business, so the Verizon case would likely make only a small dent in it.

    --
    Ahhh yess, the obligatory sigh oh, did you say sig?
  6. Whats the problem? by Veovis · · Score: 1

    See Spammer Send Spam
    See Spammer Annoy People
    See Spammer Get Sued
    See Spammer Pay Fines
    See Veovis Hate Spammer

    Wheres the problem?

    This is a good move on Verizon's part, I guess it's true they "Never stop working for you"

  7. Clear for who? by Servo · · Score: 2

    Clear win for Verizon, but thats all. It doesn't do any good for us in general. You think Verizon is going to pay that money back to the actual users affected?? hahahha

    Not only that, but spammers are like crack dealers. The potential for huge profits are so high that as soon as one dealer gets arrested, another pops up in his place.

    The only way to "win" is to create a secure infrastructure and/or methology that helps keep from spam happening in the first place.

    --
    A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over. -Benjamin Franklin
  8. paypal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    why the fuck does paypal need my phone number to take money off me.

    I can buy shoes, peas, fishing rods and vacuum cleaners simply by using my card, but paypal wants my fucking phone number.

    they won't even take a false one. it took ten attempts to work out a random stream of digits that they'd accept.

    cunts.