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Federal Bounty on Spammers
Portigui writes "CNN is reporting that the FTC is considering imposing a bounty on spammers. They are guessing it would take between $100,000 to $250,000 to get people to rat out their friends, coworkers, etc... Interstingly enough is that it is 'higher than rewards in most high-profile criminal and terrorism cases. For example, the FBI pays $50,000 for tips leading to the arrests of most of its top 10 fugitives.'"
Why repost comments and be a karma whore? You could instead repost stories and become an editor.
Totally correct, I take your point entirely. If someone is defruaded by a spammer - treat it as fraud, surely it doesn't need new legislation? If you're going after people just because they bulk mail to sell shitty products, I'm less inclined to see the crime.
I find the fact people might actually use these to buy prescription medications more worrying than anything, $DEITY only knows what people are putting in their mouths because they're too afraid/stupid/addicted to go to the doctors to ask...
I don't read your sig, why do you read mine?
The laws are pitiful and full of loopholes built in by the direct marketing lobbyists, and even Eliot Spitzer has mostly given the spammers he's prosecuted mere slaps on the wrist.
If I were a spammer, I'd have a friend turn me in for the reward, take the minimal risk that anyone could actually prosecute me on it, then split the reward with the friend. Sounds like instant profit to me...
... and probably an easier way to "make money fast" ;-) than actually spamming...
For that matter, such a scheme could work well enough to bring new people into the spamming field just to turn themselves in...
I'd rat out just about anyone for spamming for like $1000. let alone 100x that.
Although oddly I don't have a problem with well focused spam. I dont' mind getting spam from my regional compeditors and suppliers. But knock off Pfizer products is a little annoying.
They're looking to turn partners against each other. That's the only way to get a real conviction. A witness would have to see, or participate in the spamming for his testimony to be useful.
Ie; you couldn't go to court and testify "stratjakt is a spammer because he told me all about it at the bar!" That would be heresay. You could say "stratjakt and I ran a spamming operation, I rolled on him to avoid prosecution. I was just following orders, honest!"
I'm not a lawyer, of course.
Of course, you have to make the reward for rolling over on your partners greater than the rewards of staying loyal.
There's no honor among thieves. Computer criminals are the pussiest of all criminals. The warez rings crumble like a house of cards once they pick up a couple of easily intimidated 13 year old kids. Show em a list of charges, show em a picture of goatse, let them connect the dots, and get out your notebook to start jotting down names and numbers.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
HELLO!! the internet isnt all american. a bounty will work in the US. But will it with in the czech republic. What about spammers in thailand, china and anywhere else. These bounties wont work as a solution long term.
Spam, as a criminal activity, affects way more people directly than most other serious offenses. When you look at murder, for example, say one person kills another. That is obviously one victim. Add to that everyone that that person knows, and on average that crime affected ~ 100 people (making the math easy)? If that killer makes the 10 most wanted, there may be a $50,000 bounty out. That would be about $500 / person affected.
Look at spam then. One message goes out to 10 million addresses. Then multiply that one message by a conservative 10 messages per day.
Say both these criminals are out on the street for 100 days before each is ratted out. The killer has affected 100 people in this time, with one occurrence - about 100 effects. The spammer has spammed 10 million people with 10 messages for 100 days. That is 10,000,000,000 occurrences of the "crime".
Dollars per occurrence - Murderer - $50,000 / 100 = $500 / effect. Spammer - $250,000 / 10,000,000,000 = $0.000025 per effect
So the FTC is spending way less than the FBI for each of us affected by the crimes.
Perhaps they need a bigger budget? =)