Federal Bounty on Spammers

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Posted by timothy on Friday September 17, 2004 @05:54AM from the just-a-thought dept.

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.'"

20 of 244 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

What we need is... by Trailer+Trash · 2004-09-17 05:55 · Score: 5, Funny

a bounty on /. dups...

--
Do you have ESP?
1. Re:What we need is... by FortKnox · 2004-09-17 05:58 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Plz see sig.
  
  --
  Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
2. Re:What we need is... by transient · 2004-09-17 06:01 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Or maybe just a bounty on Slashdot editors.
  
  --
  
  irb(main):001:0>
3. Re:What we need is... by tomhudson · 2004-09-17 08:14 · Score: 3, Interesting
  They are guessing it would take between $100,000 to $250,000 to get people to rat out their friends, coworkers, etc.
  Hey, just goes to show how fucked-up the government is, to t hink they'd have to offer a huge award. Someone should point out to them:
  
  Spammers don't have friends
  
  Most people would PAY a 900 number to rat out a spammer
Potentially duplicating by dan+dan+the+dna+man · 2004-09-17 05:56 · Score: 4, Interesting

this

But the question I have to ask - are they really worth persuing to this degree? I'm not trolling (seriously) but I'd rather see my tax dollars paying for takedowns in more serious crime..

--
I don't read your sig, why do you read mine?
1. Re:Potentially duplicating by Trailer+Trash · 2004-09-17 06:06 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  Spam is a serious crime. A single spammer can cost our country millions of dollars of lost productivity each year. While no one company (outside of AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.) bears this entire cost, it adds up to big bucks in the aggregate.
  
  It is quite appropriate that we put a bounty on spammers. Frankly, I still think the proper thing to do is to have a large statutory penalty, say $10,000/spam, that anyone can collect in small-claims court. We had a good law here in Tennessee, but the penalties weren't large enough ($10/spam, capped at $5000/day) and it really didn't specify that the damages weren't compensatory, leaving the judge with some discretion.
  
  The only way to kill a spamming operation is the "death of a thousand cuts". It's obvious that law enforcement doesn't really care about this problem, otherwise Ralsky and Hardigree wouldn't be doing interviews and talking about their wealth. For that matter, I don't see a bounty system as working since we're still relying on law enforcement to catch and prosecute.
  
  --
  Do you have ESP?
Dupe? by fresh27 · 2004-09-17 05:56 · Score: 3, Funny

I think I saw this yesterday O_o Could this be considered spam?

--
http://ipod.fresh27.net/
$100k-$250k?! by fatcatman · 2004-09-17 05:59 · Score: 5, Funny

They are guessing it would take between $100,000 to $250,000 to get people to rat out their friends, coworkers, etc...

Holy shit, spammers have loyal friends. I'd rat 'em out for a happy meal.
1. Re:$100k-$250k?! by stratjakt · 2004-09-17 06:36 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  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!!!!
Re:Difference is... by glpierce · 2004-09-17 06:02 · Score: 4, Funny

Perhaps you should send out an email to all potentially interested parties. "Send $20 and watch spam disappear from your computer!"

--
G
Ooh, ooh...Let me try! by switcha · 2004-09-17 06:05 · Score: 4, Funny

Dear Slashdotters,
Do you need a new mortgage?
Do you want to earn your d1pl0ma?
Do you want a Nigerian penis?
Send $1 to:
Happy Dude
355 S 520 W, Ste. 100
Lindon, UT 84042
Sincerely,
Darl McBride

via Gzip Christ

--
You know what? ... A little club soda *did* get that out!
Re:Karma Whoring 101 by Monkeyman334 · 2004-09-17 06:06 · Score: 4, Insightful

Why repost comments and be a karma whore? You could instead repost stories and become an editor.
Rat out non-BCC users? by BestNicksRTaken · 2004-09-17 06:06 · Score: 5, Funny

Does this mean I can rat out my coworkers who insist on forwarding jokes with their whole addressbook in the TO: field AND GET PAID FOR IT?!

--
#include <sig.h>
Re:What does this imply? by stratjakt · 2004-09-17 06:10 · Score: 3, Interesting

No, it implies (to me) that spammers are harder to track down than regular criminals without community help.

I mean you have no crime scene to investigate, no fingerprints or DNA or other physical evidence to link the suspect to the crime.

About the only real way to bag a spammer as I can see is with eye witness testimony. Any "evidence" you collect online is easily thrown out by an attorney with the "anyone could have forged that" or "my clients box was hacked because of an insecure OS".

--
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?! by gosand · 2004-09-17 06:11 · Score: 4, Funny

Or maybe just a bounty on Slashdot editors.
Slashdot has editors?

--

My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
but what do we do with them once we catch them? by Wilk4 · 2004-09-17 06:23 · Score: 5, Insightful

I know we all have our personal lists of the things we'd like to do to spammers ;-) but until someone can effectively prosecute them on it what's the point of catching them?
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...
Re:Dupe, Dupe, Dupe.... by Yo+Grark · 2004-09-17 06:29 · Score: 4, Funny

You Forgot:

As I wade through dup'd Articles
Will noone stop the Duped Url's
And-a you, where did you go editors?
And no one can stop you now

Yes-a, I, oh a we.....we're gonna get you, oh Taco
Not gonna subscribe no more
'Cause you ignore, the duped Url's
So hey yea yea yeah

And when we warn you,
You'll ignore our emails, Emails about Duped URL's
So we're left to pay to read our duped Slashdot
While the profits you just don't share

Yes-a, we, oh we're gonna get you, oh Taco
Nothing will make us renew now
'Cause we're still seeing Duped Url's
So hey yeah yeah yeah

Well, we, oh we're gonna get you, oh Taco
Try searching before you post it now
'Avoid the duped URL's
So hey yeah yeah yeah

Yo Grark

--
Canadian Bred with American Buttering
Hey, Timothy! by ceeam · 2004-09-17 06:34 · Score: 3, Funny

CowboyNeal had a first post on this story!
$100,000? Not bad by theonetruekeebler · 2004-09-17 07:21 · Score: 4, Funny

Now, is that just for the pelt, or do I have to bring in the whole spammer?

--
This is not my sandwich.
Slashdot: Subscribe Now! by denttford · 2004-09-17 07:21 · Score: 3, Funny

The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and pay to see yesterday's stories again!

--

Leben Sie jetzt die Fragen.