Spam News

Spammer fined $100K in New Zealand

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

A New Zealand court has found a man guilty of sending at least two million spam emails about penis-enlargement pills and ordered to pay a hefty fine.

Lance Atkinson, 26, of Pelican Waters in Queensland pleaded guilty last week and was ordered to pay at least $100,000 for his role in the spam email operation pushing products with names like Herbal King, Elite Herbal and Express Herbal.

Atkinson's brother, Shane, and another man named Ronald Smits are contesting the charges in New Zealand and have submitted statements of defense.

"This is a first under the new law and is just reward for the effort put in by our investigators and overseas agencies, particularly the FTC. The negative effects of spam are significant and far reaching and it's pleasing to know there's at least one less spammer plaguing the internet," said Joe Stewart, Internal Affairs' Anti-Spam Compliance Unit Manager.

Atkinson will also face additional spamming charges in the U.S. from the District Court in Illinois, at the urging of the FTC.

Recently, there has been a call by several security groups as well as a government report urging for more policing on the internet to prosecute spammers and cybercriminals.