RSSMicrosoft Helps Bust Mass. Spam Ring
By Nate Mook | Published May 11, 2005, 4:07 PM
With the investigative help of Microsoft's Internet Safety Enforcement team, Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly has filed a lawsuit against a spam ring accused of sending hundreds of millions of junk e-mails each month. Nine defendants were named in the lawsuit - seven individuals and two companies.
Microsoft says the seven spammers operated out of Russia and Boston, using domain names registered in Monaco, Australia and France and servers in China, Korea, Brazil and Taiwan.
Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith praised Reilly for his spam enforcement efforts. "We applaud Attorney General Reilly for his strong leadership and sustained anti-spam efforts because spam is not just annoying, in this case, it's illegal," said Smith.
In order to help stop such spam rings, Microsoft sets up specific "trap" Hotmail e-mail accounts that it monitors for incoming spam. When the account received 45,000 messages from the Massachusetts spam ring, the company turned over the evidence to Reilly.
The recent legal maneuverings are the latest in a string of lawsuits attempting to put pressure on spam kingpins. Microsoft has already helped bring spammers to justice in Washington, New York, Texas, Florida and California. Microsoft also previously worked with Reilly to file the first lawsuit under CAN-SPAM, the bill making spam a federal crime.
This is the best news I have had in recent memory. My hat is off to Microsoft! Keep up the good work. Maybe if we all pull together we can eliminate the internet scum. I wish that there were more that we as individuals and business' could do to help effect a solution to this problem (and the adware problem).
Microsoft, If you are monitoring this -- Keep up the good work!!!!!
Score: 0
Havent got any real spam for long time now. Which is weird. I used to get a lot of it, like year or year and half ago.
Score: 0
Normally I am not too kind to Microsoft, but this is one instance when I am behind their efforts 100%! Go get 'em!
Score: 0
Sweeeeeeeet.
Score: 0
How about bust pirated software?
I cannot believe if Microsoft cannot stop it, as many user still use the windows update and other update.
Microsoft can utilize this to add tools to check the genuine of the windows and then if the windows/ office is illegal stop it.so user cannot use it anymore.
Score: 0
This is already in place with SP2. Also why MS has been "rewarding" individuals whom have illegal copies from vendors, to get a free copy of XP Pro. They only have to turn in the vendor to get the free copy. Then, soon MS Update site will encompass Office and other updates. Again, it will verify the authenticity of their software.
It is great to see spammers getting what is coming to them. This may only be the tip of the iceberg, but others will think twice.
Score: 0
Can-Spam! I'd Say.
Score: 0
hooray
Score: 0