11 Apr 2005
$24 million spammer sentenced to 9 years in jail, Sophos reports
A US court has sentenced Jeremy Jaynes, 30, to 9 years in jail
for sending emails with fraudulent and untraceable routing
information.
Jaynes used bulk spam email to market fake products such as a
"Fedex refund processor" for $39.95. This product was supposedly
capable of helping people working from home earn $75 an hour. In
one month alone, Jaynes received orders for the product totalling
almost $400,000.
Jaynes, who sometimes used the pseudonym Gaven Stubberfield, is
said to have built up a fortune of $24 million selling products via
spam.
"This sentence sends out a strong message to other spammers that
their activities are not going to be tolerated by the US
authorities," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "Those involved in spamming would
be sensible to take heed of Jaynes's predicament, and close down
their spam operations. It's likely that Jeremy Jaynes's nine year
sentence will keep a few spammers awake at night wondering if the
rewards are really worth it."
Sophos recommends companies protect themselves with a consolidated solution which can defend against the
threats of both spam and viruses.
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