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Spam King Ordered to Pay Facebook $711M

Sanford Wallace may face jail time

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 30, 2009 4:53 AM CDT

(Newser) – "Spam king" Sanford Wallace has been slapped with a $711 million judgment for spamming Facebook users. A California judge found that Wallace, who used phishing techniques to access Facebook accounts, violated a law against sending "false and misleading" marketing emails. The judge permanently banned Wallace from accessing Facebook and recommended he be prosecuted for criminal contempt, CNET reports.

Wallace, who filed for bankruptcy in June, may face jail time for violating a restraining order issued during the case. "While we don't expect to receive the vast majority of the award, we hope that this will act as a continued deterrent against these criminals," a Facebook lawyer wrote in a company blog post.

In this May 8, 1997 file photo, Sanford Wallace poses with his computer and cans of Spam processed meat in Dresher, Pa., in this 1997 file photo. (AP Photo/Dan Loh)

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Facebook Virus Gang Living in Luxury

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

spam • Facebook • phishing • cybercrime • Sanford Wallace

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

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More Newser Stories

Facebook Virus Gang Living in Luxury

Koobface Gang not bothering to hide their identities, location

Facebook Slammed by Massive Porn Attack

Graphic, violent images flood news feeds

Spammers Actually Deliver What You Order

Researchers surprised credit cards weren't abused

Beware of Links Promising Photos of Dead bin Laden

Unless, you know, it's a link to a Newser story on the topic

Fake Soldiers Scam Facebook Users

Military warns women to beware of impersonators looking for love

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Newser By Users

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