Ex-AOL Worker Pleads Guilty in Spam Case (92 million screen names sold)

[htuttle]

NEW YORK - A 24-year-old former American Online software engineer pleaded guilty Friday to stealing 92 million screen names and e-mail addresses and selling them to spammers, setting off an avalanche of up to seven billion unsolicited e-mails.

(snip)

Federal prosecutor David Siegal said Smathers had engaged in the interstate transportation of stolen property and had violated a new federal "can-spam" law meant to diminish unsolicited e-mail messages about everything from Viagra to mortgages.

In December, the judge said he had dropped his own AOL membership because he received too much spam. (Ed. Note: Doh!)

(snip)

The stolen list of 92 million AOL addresses included multiple addresses used by each of AOL's estimated 30 million customers. It is believed to be still circulating among spammers


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=738&e=1&u=/ap/20050204/ap_on_hi_te/aol_spamming

Friends don't let friends use AOL

[Historic NY]

1. I would love to bill him for the inconvenience....of clearing out that

crap we got on a daily basis. AOL now has a good spam trap, and it works.

[Ian David]

3. AOL's spam-trap still has holes

I had my email configured to reject mail from anyone not already in my address book.

That failed.

Plus, AOL has a list of companies pre-cleared to spam its users. AOL's software still allowed spammers to forge headers and disguise themselves as pre-cleared "corporate partners."

These were just some of the many, MANY reasons I dumped AOL.

[ashmanonar]

2. well, i see the problem.

aol sucks. that's all there is to it.

[Ian David]

4. Does anyone have his email address?