[ale] first "spammer" gets arrested?

[ChangingLINKS.com]

Wow. Are you one of those people that get all bent out of shape because of 
spam - or is your personal issue with the fraud?

I have always been more offended by the spam haters more than the spammers - 
and never understood why they get sooooooo incredibly upset about spam. Seems 
kinda like throwing a temper-tantrum when an insect bites. At least with 
insect bites there is physical health as a possible concern. Share your pain. 

Did a spammer send you too much email - or did you suffer identity theft?
In other words, what happened to you that was so bad - that it makes you have 
such fantasies?

Drew



On Wednesday 14 May 2003 10:20 pm, George Johnson wrote:
> I love hearing about one of these jerks getting busted.  Personally I
> would like to get my hands on one myself but then again I would get
> arrested too for what I would do and he would not need a dentist ever
> again.
>
> gj
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ale-admin at ale.org [mailto:ale-admin at ale.org] On Behalf Of
> ChangingLINKS.com
> Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2003 12:22 PM
> To: ale at ale.org
> Subject: [ale] first "spammer" gets arrested?
>
> seen on http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/2206311
> Side note: Personally, I am not thinking that this case has much to do
> with
> spam. Spam was just the media used for fraud. For the past few days ale
> members have been looking for a claim of damages related to "bandwidth
> use."
> Below, Earthlink claims a loss of $1 million in bandwidth use.
>
> --  May 14, 2003
> 'Buffalo Spammer' Arrested
> By Ryan Naraine
>
> Howard Carmack, the notorious 'Buffalo Spammer' accused of sending more
> than
> 825 million unsolicited e-mails from illegal EarthLink (Quote, Company
> Info)
> accounts, has been arrested and arraigned in New York on four felony and
> two
> misdemeanor counts.
>
> New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer heralded the case as the first
> criminal prosecution of a spammer under New York's six-month-old
> identity-theft statute. "Spammers who forge documents and steal the
> identity
> of others to create their e-mail traffic will be prosecuted," Spitzer
> said at
> a press conference.
>
> Spitzer lauded the cooperation of Earthlink in aiding the year-long
> investigation the resulted in the arrest of Carmack outside his upstate
> New
> York home.
>
> The arrest of Carmack came just a week after the Atlanta-based ISP won a
> $16
> million judgment against a spam ring he allegedly operated.
>
> Carmack is accused of stealing credit cards and identities to
> fraudulently buy
> 343 Earhtnlink accounts to send shady and unwanted e-mail for such
> things as
> herbal therapy. Prosecutors said they do not yet know how he acquired
> the
> credit card information. He is also accused of banking fraud and other
> illegal activities arising from his spam operation, which authorities
> believe
> he operated on his own.
> Spitzer said Carmack's spam cost Earthlink at least $1 million in
> bandwidth
> charges, although prosecutors believe he made little money from his
> endeavors.
>
> "He is a predicate felon and he's somebody we believe could face jail
> time if
> convicted," Spitzer said.
>
> EarthLink VP of law and public policy Dave Baker applauded the decision
> by the
> N.Y. attorney general's office to arrest Carmack. "Howard Carmack's
> arrest
> demonstrates that spamming has both civil and criminal consequences.
> Simply
> put, spammers who brazenly disregard the law will wind up in jail,"
> Baker
> said in a statement.
>
> After a year-long investigation, EarthLink filed suit against Carmack,
> alleging that his crew sent out millions of e-mails that included
> advertisements for computer virus scripts, get-rich-quick and "work at
> home"
> schemes, software for bulk mailing and lists of addresses to be used by
> other
> spammers.
>
> He was accused of assuming the identities of his own family members and
> innocent third-parties to obscure his own identity.
>
> EarthLink has a history of anti-spam success stories, including an
> injunction
> in 1997 against Sanford Wallace, then known as "most prolific spammer."
>
> Brian Morrissey contributed to this story.
>
>
> Wishing you Happiness, Joy and Laughter,
> Drew Brown
> http://www.ChangingLINKS.com
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>
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-- 
Wishing you Happiness, Joy and Laughter,
Drew Brown
http://www.ChangingLINKS.com
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