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NEWS ABOUT: spam

US Surfers Get Biggest Bite of Spam

McAfee experiment reveals how quickly e-junk proliferates and other fun stuff

(Newser) - Internet users in the US get the most spam, security-software firm McAfee finds after a study. McAfee gave 50 people across 10 developed countries laptops and instructed them to sign up for as much stuff on the internet as possible, and to reply to every spam message. The resulting volume... More »

'Spam King' Owes MySpace $6M

Social networking site wins another multi-million suit against spammers

(Newser) - A Colorado company accused of spamming must pay MySpace $6 million in damages and legal fees after an arbitrator ruled for the social networking site, the AP reports. Media Breakaway and its CEO, aka the "Spam King," were accused of using hijacked or "phished" accounts to send... More »

In One Domain, Anyway, Man Still Conquers Machine

CAPTCHAs, where humans distill words from squiggles, hold line in spam war

(Newser) - Every web user has come across CAPTCHAs: wavy-lettered depiction of words you must retype as text. Most pay them no mind, but, Lev Grossman writes in Time, we should reflect upon completing one. They're one of the rare visible skirmishes in the largely invisible war between spammers and security programmers.... More »

Surfers Beware: Danger Could Lurk at .hk, .cn

Those domains most likely to house ill intent, security study finds

(Newser) - A study by antivirus software firm McAfee warns Web surfers to be cautious of sites on certain domains, the AP reports, with corner-cutting registration companies often skipping security precautions. The domains .hk, .cn and .info were found to be riskiest. More »

Yahoo Suit Targets Lottery Scammers

Company alleges fraudulent trademark use in case; success hardly certain

(Newser) - Yahoo is suing a group of unidentified spammers who’ve sent emails claiming to be from the "Yahoo International Lottery Organization," soliciting personal information and sometimes money from purported lottery winners. Yahoo is seeking damages for fraudulent use of its trademarks, but it might prove hard to identify... More »

MySpace Wins Record $234M From Spammers

Two spammers sent nearly 750,000 messages to site members

(Newser) - MySpace has been awarded $234 million from spammers in what's believed to be the largest such judgment ever, AP reports. A federal court ordered two notorious spammers to pay damages for sending hundreds of thousands of messages to MySpace members. The social networking site hailed the award as a “... More »

Spam, Curse of Web, Turns 30

First junk email sent three decades ago; it's as healthy as ever today

(Newser) - Spam turns 30 today, but don't break out the champagne just yet: The junk e-mail is as healthy as ever, frustrating tech experts desperate to blow out its candles. It all started on May 3, 1978, with a pitch for a new computer on a government-run precursor to the Internet.... More »

Gmail Spam Doubles, Duping Junk Blocker

Program touted to tell real email from spam 'defeated'

(Newser) - Spammers doubled junk mail from Gmail accounts last month and all but iced a touted spam-blocker, PC World reports. Gmail junk rose from 1.3% to 2.6% of all spam in February, overwhelming the company's CAPTCHA programs with spam from multiple accounts. "It's only a matter of time... More »

Coming Soon to Your Cell: Spam

Users pay for unwanted text messages; 'smishers' fish for info

(Newser) - To the dismay of customers and cellphone providers, spammers and even phishers have gone mobile. Researchers predict US consumers will get a record 1.5 billion spam text messages this year, while “smishing” texts try to con recipients into giving up sensitive financial information, reports the Washington Post. Most... More »

Europe Now Spam King

Continent passed North America as biggest junk mail producer in last three months

(Newser) - More spam is sent from Europe than any other continent, Ars Technica reports. Symantec systems’ latest “State of Spam” report said that European IP addresses are now responsible for 44% of all junk emails sent. Only three months ago, North America produced 15% more of the world’s spam... More »

Feds Indict 'Spam King'

Michigan man, 10 others face dozens of charges in stock fraud scheme

(Newser) - A federal grand jury has indicted a Michigan man and 10 others for spamming and stock fraud, Reuters reports. Alan Ralsky and his associates face 41 counts related to using spam to promote little-traded Chinese stocks, artificially driving up prices, and then making a killing by selling the stock. Ralsky... More »

E-Cards Spread Holiday Cheer, Viruses

Online greeting cards rising in popularity; paper still preferred

(Newser) - Online greeting cards are all the rage this holiday season. They're mostly free, and can feature funny, interactive subjects ranging from elf tossing to reindeer arm wrestling. E-cards are also delivered instantly, an advantage for the forgetful around Christmas. But traditional cards are still the preferred way to spread holiday... More »

Inventor Takes On Spam, Fatal Blood Cancer

Spam comes first, says Steven Kirsch of his short life expectancy

(Newser) - Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steven T. Kirsch will save his own life right after he’s done eliminating spam email, he says. Kirsch has a rare form of blood cancer with a 5-7 year life expectancy, but he says, “I just look at it as a problem…you have four... More »

Google: Spammers Throwing in Virtual Towel

But others say number of junk messages increasing

(Newser) - Emailers have been hitting the “Delete” button for years, but spammers may be just now taking the hint, Google says. The tech giant isn’t releasing specifics, but it insists that the number of junk emails sent out has leveled off and could even be dropping for the first... More »

Don't Take the Bait on Phishing Scams

MarketWatch 's tips for avoiding the lure of fraud e-mails

(Newser) - We've all learned to avoid the obvious e-mail scams—but sometimes it's just hard to tell.  MarketWatch gives you some tips from separating the chaff from the wheat:
  1. Know what a phishing scam is: an attempt to con you into supplying ID info, account numbers, names, passwords and so
... More »

NJ Spammer Draws 2 Years in Slammer

His email scam targeted 1.2M AOL subscribers

(Newser) - Todd Moeller, the 28-year-old New Jersey man who sent spam e-mails to 1.27 million America Online accounts, was sentenced yesterday in federal court to 27 months in prison. Moeller and a friend were nabbed after making a deal with a government informant to send the emails in August 2005;... More »

FTC Cracks Down on Diet Spammers

Uses new law to target companies behind junk emails

(Newser) - The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on spammers hawking weight loss and anti-aging products via 175K junk messages, Information Week reports, as the FTC chair announced the filing of civil complaints in Australia, Canada, and the United States. It's the first action brought by the agency under the Safe... More »

YouTube Becomes SpamYou

Invitation to view videos could contain malicious 'Storm worm'

(Newser) - Spammers are spreading their mischief via YouTube using a "Storm" worm virus, security experts warn. The virus exploits the site’s “invite your friends” email function, CNET reports, targeting Xbox owners and video-game fans by luring them with the promise of a popular prize: a free copy of... More »

Spam King Arrest Won't Stem Junk Mail Tide

Clients will just switch to new spammers, says Andy Greenberg. The solution: make it expensive

(Newser) - The vaunted arrest earlier this week of Robert Soloway, the "Spam King" from Seattle, won't do as much to stem the flood of  junk email as the feds want to think it will, says Andy Greenberg in Forbes. The clients who paid to use his 'zombie" computers to forward... More »

Feds Nab Top Spammer, Predict Junk Mail Drop

One of world's "top 10" spammers jailed; used "zombie" computers to send out millions of junk emails

(Newser) - The feds arrested one of the world's worst spammers yesterday—a guy so prolific they claimed net-users worldwide would notice a drop in junkmail as a result of his detention. Robert Alan Soloway used infected "zombie" computers to send out millions of messages, and continued to do so even... More »

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