Spammers sentenced
Sentences for first US spammer to be convicted under CAN-SPAM and Australian mobile phone marketers.
The first US spammer to be convicted under the 2003 CAN-SPAM Act was
sentenced last month, nearly three years after agreeing a plea deal with
federal prosecutors. In September 2004, 40-year-old Californian Nicholas
Tombros became the first person to be convicted under the CAN-SPAM Act when
he pleaded guilty to sending spam messages advertising pornographic
websites. He admitted to having driven around the Los Angeles neighbourhood
of Venice searching for unsecured wireless networks which he then used to
send the spam messages - having obtained the email addresses from a credit
card aggregation company of which he was a former employee.
Tombros was sentenced last month to three years' probation, and six months'
home detention, as well as ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. The reason for
the long delay in sentencing was not disclosed.
Meanwhile, Australian mobile phone marketing company DC Marketing Europe
has been fined almost AU$150,000 by the Australian Communications and Media
Authority for breaching the country's Spam Act in July and August 2006. The
company - notorious for its 'missed call' marketing schemes - was charged
with sending unsolicited messages that failed to identify the sender and
did not allow the recipient to unsubscribe.
01 August 2007
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