International Spam Ring Shut Down

Slashdot features a New York Times story about the imminent shutdown of an international spam ring with ties to Australia, New Zealand, China, India and the U.S. Using the CAN-SPAM Act of 2004, finances of the members in the U.S. are being frozen while the FBI pursues criminal charges.

The group, using several names but was known among spam-fighting organizations as HerbalKing, sent billions of unsolicited messages to Internet users of the last 20 months, promoting replica watches and an assortment of pharmaceuticals, including weight-loss drugs and herbal pills that supposedly provide enhancement of male anatomy. Officials and investigators say this spam operation was perhaps the most extensive encountered.

“They were sending extraordinary amounts of spam,” said Jon Leibowitz, an F.T.C. commissioner. “We are hoping at some level that this will help make a small dent in the amount of spam coming into consumers’ in-boxes.”

For full article, see the New York Times, as well as a press release from the Federal Trade Commission.