Seeker of Truth
05-07-2003, 08:12 PM
EarthLink Wins $16 Million in Spam Case
Judge rules against absent defendant, who sent e-mail by millions.
Paul Roberts, IDG News Service
Wednesday, May 07, 2003
A district court in Atlanta has awarded EarthLink $16 million in damages against a New York state man that it alleged used illegal means to send out more than 825 million unsolicited e-mail messages, commonly referred to as spam.
The court also permanently banned the defendant from spamming and from a host of related activities. These include distributing mass e-mail software and selling e-mail addresses, according to Pete Wellborn, legal counsel for EarthLink and the company's lead litigator in the case.
In a statement issued Wednesday morning, EarthLink said that a ring led by Howard Carmack obtained Internet accounts by means of stolen credit cards, identity theft, and bank fraud, and then used those accounts to send out reams of spam.
Carmack could not be reached for comment.
Carmack used the accounts of family members, including a brother, and of third parties to mask his activities. He sent out now-familiar spam messages promoting work-at-home and get-rich-quick schemes and cable television descramblers, according to Wellborn.
"This was the worst of the worst of the worst of what you see in spam," the attorney says.
More @ PCworld.com (http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,110627,00.asp)
Judge rules against absent defendant, who sent e-mail by millions.
Paul Roberts, IDG News Service
Wednesday, May 07, 2003
A district court in Atlanta has awarded EarthLink $16 million in damages against a New York state man that it alleged used illegal means to send out more than 825 million unsolicited e-mail messages, commonly referred to as spam.
The court also permanently banned the defendant from spamming and from a host of related activities. These include distributing mass e-mail software and selling e-mail addresses, according to Pete Wellborn, legal counsel for EarthLink and the company's lead litigator in the case.
In a statement issued Wednesday morning, EarthLink said that a ring led by Howard Carmack obtained Internet accounts by means of stolen credit cards, identity theft, and bank fraud, and then used those accounts to send out reams of spam.
Carmack could not be reached for comment.
Carmack used the accounts of family members, including a brother, and of third parties to mask his activities. He sent out now-familiar spam messages promoting work-at-home and get-rich-quick schemes and cable television descramblers, according to Wellborn.
"This was the worst of the worst of the worst of what you see in spam," the attorney says.
More @ PCworld.com (http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,110627,00.asp)