Save up to $300/year on phone bills
February 21, 2005 12:10 PM PST
U.S. makes first arrest for spim
- Related Stories
-
Consortium forms IM threat center
December 7, 2004 -
New round of spam suits from AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo
October 28, 2004 -
Brightmail partners to fight instant spam
June 8, 2004 -
Experts downplay 'spim' threat
April 1, 2004 -
Adware ploy dupes IMers with bin Laden 'news'
February 11, 2004
Anthony Greco, 18, was lured from New York to Los Angeles under the pretence of a business meeting. He was arrested upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport last Wednesday.
Greco allegedly sent 1.5 million messages advertising pornography and mortgages. According to reports, the recipients of the messages were all members of the MySpace.com online networking service.
In a further twist upon the scam, Greco had allegedly threatened to share his methods for spamming members of the group if MySpace.com didn't sign an exclusive marketing deal that would have legitimized the messages he was sending via the service.
Greco believed he was flying to Los Angeles to cement that agreement with MySpace President Tom Anderson.
MySpace.com launched IM for its members in December 2003. Reports claim Greco began spamming members using the service in autumn 2004.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Hoffstadt confirmed the arrest was the first criminal case brought against an individual sending spam over IM. But he warned there may well be more to come.
"We're just beginning to get the tip of the iceberg. This could be a new wave as online communities start up," he said in a statement.
Experts have warned in recent years that spim will be the next area of development for those looking to further exploit access to users' desktops and bombard them with unwanted messages, but its growth has been slow.
The immediacy of instant messaging and its growing popularity with businesses and home users means spam via the medium could theoretically become even more obtrusive than email spam.
Will Sturgeon of Silicon.com reported from London.
See more CNET content tagged:
spim,
spamming,
arrest,
MySpace,
IM
You arrest one SPAMMER/SPIMMER and another one pops up.
You arrest one SPAMMER/SPIMMER and another one pops up.
*Sends a bagillion Rubber Ducky Condom advertisements out*
~The Law
"Go To Jail,
Do Not Pass Go
Do Not Collect 200 Dollars"
How gay? Its true no one wants to be spammed but doesn't mean you go off lockin people up for it.
and i think if people dont like spim.. theres always the "block" button..
to send people spam/spim is basically like putting junk mail into their real life, home letter box, although theres a sign that clearly says "no junk mail please"
So this ASS SPIM's a million plus people. No big deal as far as you are concerned. But I don't want to read his ****. I will quit Myspace because I am getting this spam - so myspace starts to charge for their now FREE services. So BFD as far as you are concerned. Fine! Send me a friggin check to cover the cost of my cable modem and I will gladly read all the crap you want to send me. Until then - if I want to read it I will ask for it. Otherwise keep that **** to yourself or people that sign up for it. I don't want it. I didn't ask for it and based on those 2 FACTS it is SPAM - regardless of the method of transmission.
Geez
OK - I am off my soapbox!
Peace!
Me
*Sends a bagillion Rubber Ducky Condom advertisements out*
~The Law
"Go To Jail,
Do Not Pass Go
Do Not Collect 200 Dollars"
How gay? Its true no one wants to be spammed but doesn't mean you go off lockin people up for it.
and i think if people dont like spim.. theres always the "block" button..
to send people spam/spim is basically like putting junk mail into their real life, home letter box, although theres a sign that clearly says "no junk mail please"
So this ASS SPIM's a million plus people. No big deal as far as you are concerned. But I don't want to read his ****. I will quit Myspace because I am getting this spam - so myspace starts to charge for their now FREE services. So BFD as far as you are concerned. Fine! Send me a friggin check to cover the cost of my cable modem and I will gladly read all the crap you want to send me. Until then - if I want to read it I will ask for it. Otherwise keep that **** to yourself or people that sign up for it. I don't want it. I didn't ask for it and based on those 2 FACTS it is SPAM - regardless of the method of transmission.
Geez
OK - I am off my soapbox!
Peace!
Me
English Bastards!
(Sarcasm)
English Bastards!
(Sarcasm)
Are you using mom and dads internet connection? Don't you realize that for every message of his that you read you are spending (if you pay for your own connection) a couple of pennies to read his crap? Would you rather spend those pennies cleaning the environment or helping the ozone rather than reading about ******** that you could care less about!
Me
Are you using mom and dads internet connection? Don't you realize that for every message of his that you read you are spending (if you pay for your own connection) a couple of pennies to read his crap? Would you rather spend those pennies cleaning the environment or helping the ozone rather than reading about ******** that you could care less about!
Me
With that saidt...this guy, in effect, was soliciting unwanted advertisements of pornography to under-age children. That alone should be enough to put this guy away.
What I think the governemnt should look at as crimes... (even though 17 year olds looking at porn is a everyday thing I don't make the laws)
~If their was nudity on the advertisement and it was sent to Minors
~Black-Mailing myspace
Even if he did start advertising the 'porn' at 17 would it matter? It's not illegal to advertise porn at the age of 17 as long as you don't see the actual porn. My guess is like most porn advertisements they had censors and such luring you to the link? It's not really illegal for a 17 year old to look at a women censored is it?
Okay, the kids a moron for threatening myspace enough said.
( PS. I'm not taking his back just speaking my mind, and by the way I love myspace.com )
With that saidt...this guy, in effect, was soliciting unwanted advertisements of pornography to under-age children. That alone should be enough to put this guy away.
What I think the governemnt should look at as crimes... (even though 17 year olds looking at porn is a everyday thing I don't make the laws)
~If their was nudity on the advertisement and it was sent to Minors
~Black-Mailing myspace
Even if he did start advertising the 'porn' at 17 would it matter? It's not illegal to advertise porn at the age of 17 as long as you don't see the actual porn. My guess is like most porn advertisements they had censors and such luring you to the link? It's not really illegal for a 17 year old to look at a women censored is it?
Okay, the kids a moron for threatening myspace enough said.
( PS. I'm not taking his back just speaking my mind, and by the way I love myspace.com )
The problem is that the technology allows someone to send out mass e-mail messages without a mechanism to demand payment. In a sense, it is like stealing because they don't pay the costs associated with their advertising. They force it on someone else. If that changes, then spam can be legal; after all, once they have to pay to do it, fewer people will be doing it.
The problem is that the technology allows someone to send out mass e-mail messages without a mechanism to demand payment. In a sense, it is like stealing because they don't pay the costs associated with their advertising. They force it on someone else. If that changes, then spam can be legal; after all, once they have to pay to do it, fewer people will be doing it.
good work and keep it up!! :D
good work and keep it up!! :D