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Microsoft Wins Record Amount from Hotmail Spammer

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the losing-battles dept.

mytrip writes to tell us News.com is reporting that Microsoft has won a record $87,177 against spammer Paul Fox who used a hotmail account to direct users to his pornographic download site. From the article: "But while Microsoft has clearly won, the case highlights a failure in the British legal system to tackle spam. Despite efforts by the Information Commissioner's Office to gain power from the Department of Trade & Industry to deal with spam, Information Commissioner Richard Thomas remains hamstrung."

4 of 79 comments (clear)

  1. I bet that really hurt... by HatchedEggs · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sooo basically the Spammer had to pay 1/10th what he earned doing all that spamming? Say it ain't so!

    If they really step it up and go at him perhaps they'll take away his tinker toys.

    --
    Justin - Don't be afraid of my blog, it won't bite.
  2. Not nearly enough. by jcr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    As long as the penalties for spamming are less than the spammer's seeing in revenues, this shit is just going to keep piling up. I vote for flogging the bastard.

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
    1. Re:Not nearly enough. by jd · · Score: 3, Funny

      In England, it is a legal requirement that all makes over the age of 12 practice with the longbow. This qualifies you to be a debt collector in cases of spammer bankrupcy.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  3. Good For Them by aztracker1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I really hope they get to collect... What is really needed is a two pronged approach.

    The first step is to eliminate most of the pseudo-anonymity of email... Not necessarily so much as to create the authentication system that Yahoo, or MS seem to be pushing for, even the lighter SPF system would be a good start. Of course the big guys need to work together, most internet email goes to MSN/Hotmail, AOL, and Yahoo, with larger ISPs like Earthlink, Qwest, etc. taking up a huge portion of the rest... If even half of the above required either A: SPF, or B: the sending MTA *IS* authenticated, or the MTA in the MX listing for the header's "from" this would do it... Now the responsible parties for email would be at least more trackable, since the spam zombies would be ineffective, or at least less effective (Responsible ISP mail admins flagging accounts with >10 emails an hour for review).

    The second is to allow suits like this to have more teeth... Bankrupt the scum, ceize their assets.. Procecute under whatever applicable laws (most likely fraud).

    --
    Michael J. Ryan - tracker1.info