Security & Privacy

A couple of recent judgements against spammers, ranging from prison time to hefty fines, have shows that the courts can get in spammers’ faces, but it’s unlikely that these decisions will stop spam. One group recently fined more than $15 million was pursued less for their spamming activities than for their fraud:

The spam network, using the Canadian Healthcare brand name and other labels, marketed a male-enhancement pill, prescription drugs, and a weight-loss pill, the FTC said. The e-mail messages falsely claimed that the medications came from a U.S.-licensed pharmacy that dispenses U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration-approved generic drugs.

One of the spammers faces potential prison time, but, again, not for spamming, but for “conspiracy to traffic counterfeit goods.”

These fines and even jail time won’t stop spam; it’s too cheap, and, oddly enough, it’s effective. If even 1/10 of a percent of people spammed end up buying a product, and a spammer can send billions of spams, they’ll eventually have the marketing equivalent of something thrown against a wall and part of it sticking.

Since we can’t stop spam, the best way to deal with it is to use efficient spam-filtering software, such as Intego Personal Antispam. Sorting the good e-mail from the bad, Personal Antispam helps you manage the spam you get, making e-mail much more friendly.