Spammer reformed?
Scott Richter, aka the 'Spam King', is no longer classed as a
spammer according to Spamhaus's authoritative Register of
Known Spam Operations (ROKSO)
Scott Richter, aka the 'Spam King', is no longer classed as a
spammer according to Spamhaus's authoritative Register of
Known Spam Operations (ROKSO). The man who brought
to our inboxes such 'unbeatable' offers as the set of Iraq's
Most Wanted playing cards for only $5.99 has apparently
decided to go straight, ditching the spam in favour of
legitimate opt-in bulk mailing.
Richter gained notoriety as a spammer thanks to a catalogue
of high-profile campaigns and legal cases. In May 2004
Richter was granted a restraining order against
spam-reporting outfit SpamCop. The following month,
shortly after he began to market a range of clothing under
the 'Spam King' label, Richter received a cease-and-desist
communication from Hormel Foods, warning him against
using the Spam marque. July 2004 saw Richter agree to pay
$40,000 in settlement of a lawsuit brought against him by
the State of New York, and in March this year his email
marketing company OptInRealBig.com was brought to the
brink of bankruptcy by a Microsoft lawsuit. On filing for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Richter claimed
company assets of less than $10 million and debts of more
than $50 million.
Spamhaus director Steve Linford reported that a significant
drop in overall spam levels has been noted over the six
months since Richter gave up spamming.
30 July 2005
Tags:
spam
del.icio.us 
digg this
