Spammer arrested

[Dubyagee]

FROM YAHOO.COM

Man described as a top spammer arrested By GENE JOHNSON, AP Legal Affairs Writer
2 hours, 20 minutes ago



SEATTLE - A 27-year-old man described as one of the world's most prolific spammers was arrested Wednesday, and federal authorities said computer users across the Web could notice a decrease in the amount of junk e-mail.

Robert Alan Soloway is accused of using networks of compromised "zombie" computers to send out millions upon millions of spam e-mails.

"He's one of the top 10 spammers in the world," said Tim Cranton, a Microsoft Corp. lawyer who is senior director of the company's Worldwide Internet Safety Programs. "He's a huge problem for our customers. This is a very good day."

A federal grand jury last week returned a 35-count indictment against Soloway charging him with mail fraud, wire fraud, e-mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering.

Soloway pleaded not guilty Wednesday afternoon to all charges after a judge determined that — even with four bank accounts seized by the government — he was sufficiently well off to pay for his own lawyer.

He has been living in a ritzy apartment and drives an expensive Mercedes convertible, said prosecutor Kathryn Warma. Prosecutors are seeking to have him forfeit $773,000 they say he made from his business, Newport Internet Marketing Corp.

A public defender who represented him for Wednesday's hearing declined to comment.

Prosecutors say Soloway used computers infected with malicious code to send out millions of junk e-mails since 2003. The computers are called "zombies" because owners typically have no idea their machines have been infected.

He continued his activities even after Microsoft won a $7 million civil judgment against him in 2005 and the operator of a small Internet service provider in Oklahoma won a $10 million judgment, prosecutors said.

U.S. Attorney Jeff Sullivan said Wednesday that the case is the first in the country in which federal prosecutors have used identity theft statutes to prosecute a spammer for taking over someone else's Internet domain name. Soloway could face decades in prison, though prosecutors said they have not calculated what guideline sentencing range he might face.

The investigation began when the authorities began receiving hundreds of complaints about Soloway, who had been featured on a list of known spammers kept by The Spamhaus Project, an international anti-spam organization.

The Santa Barbara County, Calif., Department of Social Services said it was spending $1,000 a week to fight the spam it was receiving, and other businesses and individuals complained of having their reputations damaged when it appeared spam was originating from their computers.

"This is not just a nuisance. This is way beyond a nuisance," Warma said.

Soloway used the networks of compromised computers to send out unsolicited bulk e-mails urging people to use his Internet marketing company to advertise their products, authorities said.

People who clicked on a link in the e-mail were directed to his Web site. There, Soloway advertised his ability to send out as many as 20 million e-mail advertisements over 15 days for $495, the indictment said.

The Spamhaus Project rejoiced at his arrest.

"Soloway has been a long-term nuisance on the Internet — both in terms of the spam he sent, and the people he duped to use his spam service," organizers wrote on Spamhaus.org.

Soloway remained in federal detention pending a hearing Monday.

[Dee8go]

I hope they lock that SOB up for a long time!

[Botnst]

Where's a tree? I have a rope.

[GermanStar]

Originally Posted by Botnst

Where's a tree? I have a rope.

No trees around here -- will a rattlesnake pit do?

[Botnst]

Originally Posted by GermanStar

No trees around here -- will a rattlesnake pit do?

Oh hell yeah!

[JenTay]

i don't know what the big deal with spam is.

that's what the spam filters are for right?

he's providing a service (in this case, spam) and people are willing to pay for it. it's a nuisance to all of us, but so are a number of other things that are just part of living.

i try not to sweat the small stuff...spam is small stuff, catching a spammer is smaller stuff. whatever floats yall's boat i guess.

[Matt L]

If nobody bought anything because of a spammed advertisement, the practice would cease.

But they clearly do; it's very evident that the spammed stock tips generate a whole lot of volume on otherwise very bad investments. What are people thinking?

[GermanStar]

I'll never understand folks who sit and listen to telephone solicitors or respond to spam... Can anyone really be that lonely?

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by GermanStar

I'll never understand folks who sit and listen to telephone solicitors or respond to spam...

I understand it perfectly.

I can explain it if you like..........

[Hatterasguy]

One was killed in Russia not so long ago. Spammers should be hunted down like the dogs they are and shot on site.

Thankfully my Gmail account has a very nice spam filter, 99.9999% gets filtered out.

[G-Benz]

This spammer thread reminds me of the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" episode with all the pop-ups...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axm7vA-xmQ4

[Hatterasguy]

Originally Posted by G-Benz

This spammer thread reminds me of the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" episode with all the pop-ups...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axm7vA-xmQ4

Classic!

[300SD81]

I don't see the big deal either, I run my own server, since I own all addresses on several domains, I get tons of spam. The filters I installed take care of 99.9%

[Matt L]

Originally Posted by 300SD81

I don't see the big deal either, I run my own server, since I own all addresses on several domains, I get tons of spam. The filters I installed take care of 99.9%

The "big deal" is that since it is essentially free to send the mass emails but not free to receive them, you are paying for every piece of spam that you throw away.

Sure, right now you're not paying by the bit for your internet connection, but the volume of spam has actually doubled over the past year. It will likely continue to double every year. How long until your connection can carry nothing but inbound spam, and you have to buy another?

Now think of companies with hundreds or thousands of employees who also all receive this trash. They really do end up paying a lot extra. Your "several domains" hardly compares.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by 300SD81

The filters I installed take care of 99.9%

Just like what people count when they figure out how much their homemade fuel costs, you do the same. Assuming the filters you got were free, the labor to install and maintain them is not. Neither are the other resources to deal with them. Now, multiply that on a megafold basis and tell me what it costs.