Reporting SPAM To Spam

Aaron Turpen

The number of unsolicited emails I receive seems to increase by the day. This is apparently a part of the job when youre doing business online. After all, I have over a dozen email accounts for various things and each of them will get on someones UCE or SPAM list eventually. The question is what to do with this SPAM once its been received.

Most people already know the conventional wisdom:
Dont respond to SPAM, if the return email address does actually work, the sender is more than likely to ad you to his or her good emails list and send you even more stuff.
If there is an opt-out link in the email, click it and try to unsubscribe. Beware that this can sometimes be a more elaborate version of the above ruse, but at least you tried.
Use filters on commonalities in the SPAM you receive to automatically trash or move potential SPAM to another folder and out of sight until youre ready to wade into them. Common words and phrases like MAKE MONEY or !!! and especially viagra should be flagged as potential SPAM. I recommend setting up filters based on SPAM you already receive. Dont bother with email addresses (they change all the time), just focus on subject lines and/or message bodies.

Now Im going to show you another way to report this SPAM and possibly get the SPAMmer shut down by his or her ISP for sending it. If enough complaints are made, most ISPs will shut down the offender for fear of losing their own connections to the Internet. Loss of a connection or the addition of their network to blockades or blacklists means the ISP will lose money as customers realize they cant send email to certain places and are not allowed access to some websites.

The SPAMmer will probably just move on to another ISP and set up shop again, but for the time being, youve shut down their operation and caused an interruption. Youve also hit them where it hurts: it costs money to move your operation on the fly and the SPAMmer has also lost hits to the website they were advertising. All of this ads up to dollars lost and dollars are what make the SPAMmer do what he or she is doing.

So who do you report your SPAM to and how do you go about it? The most respected anti-SPAM operation on the Internet today is SpamCop. Started by a college student who got tired of seeing his inbox fill with unsolicited email every day, it has grown to be a respected and powerful cornerstone on the Internet. Thousands of ISPs subscribe to the blacklists that SpamCop publishes and updates regularly - which contain IP addresses and website addresses for known SPAMmers and the ISPs who allow them to operate. These lists are used to filter incoming email and sometimes to block users from visiting certain areas of the Internet.

For regular users, signing up at SpamCop is free. For those with a high volume of email or who wish to subscribe to the blacklists SpamCop offers, there is a cost involved. Youll be surprised how small it is, though!

The first thing youll need to do is sign onto the SpamCop site and open an account. Obviously, for a site like this, keeping your information safe is a priority. Signup is quick and painless. Once youve signed up, youll receive an email with a website link and email address personalized for you. Using these two tools, you can report SPAM that you receive. There are also options for filtering your incoming email using SpamCops built-in filters for about $5 a year.

Now on to reporting your SPAM to the SpamCop system: when you receive an email that qualifies as Unsolicited Commercial Email (check SpamCops rules, theyre fairly strict about what qualifies), you will need to report it. I generally collect all of them throughout the day and then report them all at once by forwarding them through my email to my personal SpamCop reporting address. You can do them one-at-a-time as well, though. Just forward the email (hit your Forward button) or send it as an attachment (Outlook: Message Forward As Attachment most other email clients are similar). Either way, youll need to send it to your personal SpamCop reporting address. I suggest putting that into your contacts list as SpamCop or something similar for easy use.

Once youve forwarded the email, youll receive an auto-response from the SpamCop system asking you to follow a special link, which will take you to a page that contains a bunch of information about the email you reported. Included in that information are checkboxes for the ISPs the email traveled through and the originator of the email (if known). Usually, the checked boxes by default are all you need to use and you can leave the other boxes unchecked. Press the Send Spam Report(s) Now button and youre finished. The report is added to the database and, if enough people complain about the same email or the same source of that email, that source will be added to the blacklist.

From an ISPs perspective, each complaint (without your contact information or email) is sent to the administrator or administrator account on the particular server in question. This person gets an email from SpamCop indicating a complaint has been made and gives them a chance to follow a link to the website and try to defend themselves. Before a site is added to the blacklist, a SpamCop reviewer will look these reports over and decide whether the complaints are faulty (based on the emails sent to the system) or the ISP should be banned. Once on the blacklist, it is very difficult to be removed. Most are on the list for at least six months.

There are some other great resources on the SpamCop site you might also be interested in - especially if youre an email list administrator, newsletter publisher, or other bulk-mail-related business. If you are serious about slowing down or culling the amount of SPAM proliferating around the Internet, if you are tired of receiving SPAM and want to do something about it, or even if you just wish you had somewhere to send it other than just your computers trash bin, I would suggest joining SpamCop. Heres another hint to do something about the junk mail you receive in your postal mailbox as well: open all of them and take the ones that include a return envelope (postage paid) and stuff all of their crap back into that and send it back to them theyre paying the postage! Try it; itll make you feel better.

=====
Aaron Turpen is the proprieter of Aaronz WebWorkz, a provider of online services to small business including Web Development, Hosting, and Consultation. Aaronz WebWorkz publishes a free newsletter featuring articles for the small business owner/manager. www.AaronzWebWorkz.com

Using the power of NON-spam email

If you own a local retail store or local service business where customers come into your office or shop, you're going to love this report. I'm going to show you how to maximize your current customer base and improve sales by using NON-spam email.

Your business doesn't need a website to do what I'm going to show you here. This method is so simple, but overlooked by most local business owners, that when I explain this simple system to you, you'll be kicking yourself that you didn't think of it sooner. Best of all, you can start using this system TODAY.

If you're running a local business of any kind:

* cleaners
* pet supply shop
* hair salon
* grocery store
* lawn service
* window washer
* ice cream shop
* dentist
* personal trainer, etc...

...you should be using email RIGHT NOW to increase your profits.

Let's say you own a local hair salon, for example. Obviously no one is going to go on the Internet looking for a hair stylist. People will not type the words "hair salons" in a search engine to find a local hair salon. So what you should do is maximize the income potential of every local customer that does frequent your establishment.

Here's what you do: When a customer is paying for their service and they come to your register, make sure you collect their contact information. You want to get their first name, last name and email address logged into your database. I'm sure next to your cash register you have a computer where you could easily enter this information. If you don't have a computer next to your cash register...GET ONE!

Or you could simply write down this information on a sheet of paper to be transferred to your database later on. If the concept of a database seems to complex, just enter the information about each customer in a simple text file. The text file should look like this:

"EMAIL","FIRST NAME","LAST NAME" "EMAIL","FIRST NAME","LAST NAME" .
.
.
"EMAIL","FIRST NAME","LAST NAME"

That's it! If someone asks you what you need this information for, tell them it's for your "preferred customer list" to tell them about specials being offered at your establishment before the general public hears about them.

Don't say "mailing list." No one wants to be on some old, impersonal, stuffy "mailing list." But a "preferred customer list" sounds more valuable. Which would you rather be on? I think it's pretty obvious.

Do this for EVERY customer that comes through and leaves your doors. What you'll notice is that after doing this for a month, you should have a few hundred or a few thousand email addresses of customers. Now that you have their email address and name, you can contact these people as often as you like by email for FREE. Instead of sending postcards, letters or paying someone to call past customers about new products/services or specials that you offer.

You can simply send them a small email notice FREE!

This is NOT spamming. These people have given you permission to email them. After all, they voluntarily gave you their email address. They have used the products or services of your shop. They love what you sell. Yes, they will be happy to hear from you by email. They will consider this EXCELLENT customer service interaction.

So what you do next is whenever you have a new product, service or special you want to announce - first hit your "preferred customer" list with and email announcement. This should help you generate some quick cash for your business.

Christopher Sewell enjoys showing beginners how to build a successful business online. Want MORE valuable tips on how to build a successful online business, or tips on how your local retail store can use the Internet to increase profits - download Chris's FREE 24-page training guide today at http//www.beginnersguidetoecommerce.com/

Spam Hysteria

Let me start this article by stating I am vehemently opposed to spam and that it is the worst possible way to get your message out. Various groups have been trying to stop spam since it was first used on the internet. However, how can we stop or outlaw something which has never been clearly defined.

I have been unable to find a universally accepted, fits-all definition of spam. There are many ideas about spam and just what it really is. In my opinion it is receiving unsolicited email (email which you have not opted to receive). Even this definition must be applied judiciously and with a certain amount of common sense.

For example, a dear friend could forward an email which you find offensive. Should you be in a bad mood, you could report your friend for spam (and also the originator of the email your friend forwarded, even though it was not the originator's intent for you to receive this unsolicited email). In this situation the originator (who is innocent of wrongdoing) and your friend will most likely lose their ISP and web host provider simply because you are having a bad day. Is this fair?

More and more ezine publishers and article writers are being accused of spam and forced to fight their ISPs and web host providers. Many of these spam complaints are totally unfounded. In some cases it is because a person forgot they subscribed to the ezine and when they receive it they say they have been spammed. In other cases the person has written an article which was published in an ezine accused of spamming. Here all the advertisers and the article writers are accused of spam and lose their ISPs and web host providers.

These advertisers and article writers did not commit the offense of spamming. They were accused by association. Most articles written for the internet are free for publication, which means anyone can use them as long as the articles and resource boxes remain intact. Unless the writer is being paid for the article, there is no way of knowing when, how or by whom the article will be published.

The truly unfair method currently used to fight spam considers everyone accused of spam to be automatically guilty. The great majority of ISPs and web host providers shut you down without a second thought when you are accused of spam.

You are not given a chance to prove your innocence. Guilty or not, you are shut down. For most of those trying to make a profit on the internet, this is a sword hanging over their heads. Every time they write an article for publication or send out an ezine they are taking the chance of being unfairly accused of spamming.

No ezine publisher or writer in their right mind would ever consider the use of spam. Their livelihood depends on their ezines and articles, so why would they use something which would destroy that source of income?

Those who use spam as the method of getting their advertisements out should be stopped. But not by taking all the innocent people down with them.

True spam is usually fairly easy to spot. There is a bogus return address consisting of nonsensical numbers and letters, either no way is provided to remove yourself from the list or a bogus address is provided as a means of removing yourself from the list, there is a footer in the message which contains a supposed act of the United States Congress defining spam, or other such obvious items.

99.9% of the ezines I have read have a clear and easy way to unsubscribe. Should you use the link and find you have not been unsubscribed, it is possible you subscribed using another email address which is being forwarded to your current address. The ezine publisher cannot unsubscribe you without the original address from which you subscribed.

If you are really upset by spam, why not concentrate on those who are truly guilty of spamming, and not the innocents. Use your efforts to punish the guilty instead of indiscriminately crying spam every time a piece of email hits your inbox.

As an ezine publisher I get a great deal of spam in my inboxes. Rather than waste my precious time trying to track spammers down or reporting them to Spam Cop, I use my delete button. It is efficient and deadly. The spam is gone as soon as I hit delete.

One of the truly great characteristics of the internet is its use for the free exchange of information. This freedom is being seriously challenged by those who believe in the indiscriminate use of Spam Cop or other such anti-spam organizations.

I can't speak for you, but I get a great deal of information, education and entertainment from the many ezines to which I subscribe. It would be a severe loss if they all quit publishing because of the fear of false spam accusals shutting them down.

In conclusion, spam should be stopped. However, it must be stopped with common sense and discrimination, not with a vigilante mentality. Being accused of spamming is one of the rare instances in current human history where you are considered guilty until proven innocent.

Whatever happened to the concept of innocent until proven guilty?

Should anyone out there in cyberspace have a universally acceptable definition of spam and a means of fairly and judiciously enforcing it, I am extremely interested in your viewpoints.

Robert Taylor
Subscribe to the Key To Success And Wealth ezine. All new subscribers receive a fantastic ebook valued at $38.50. Subscribe by mailto:subscribe@keytosuccessandwealth.com Please place first name in body of email. Send comments to mailto:info@incomesolved.com

SPAM Laws of 2001A.T.Rendon

For a law to take effect on the U.S. federal level, both the House and the Senate must pass the bill and then the President of the United States must sign the bill into law.

Last year we almost got a SPAM law on the books when House legislators approved their version of the SPAM bill, H. R. 3113, the "The Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2000", with a vote of 427-1.

However, it never came close to becoming law because the Senate never even voted on it.

This year, there are already several attempts being made to place SPAM under the law.

The most recognized is known as bill HR 95, which is a re-introduction of H. R. 3113 from last year and is named: "To protect individuals, families, and Internet service providers from unsolicited and unwanted electronic mail." http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.00095:

A SUMMARY AS OF:
1/3/2001--Introduced.

"Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2001 - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide criminal penalties for intentionally initiating the transmission of any unsolicited commercial electronic mail message (message) to a protected computer in the United States with the knowledge that any domain name or other initiator identifying information contained in or accompanying such message is false or inaccurate.

Prohibits any person from sending such a message unless the message contains a valid e-mail address, conspicuously displayed, to which a recipient may send notice of a desire not to receive further messages.

Makes it unlawful for a person to initiate the transmission of such a message in violation of a policy regarding unsolicited commercial e-mail messages that complies with specified requirements, including requirements for notice and public availability of such policy and for an opportunity for subscribers to opt not receive such messages.

Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to notify violators under this Act, to prohibit further initiation of such messages, and to require the initiator to delete the names and e-mail addresses of the recipients and providers from all mailing lists.

Provides a right of action by a recipient or provider against e-mail initiators who violate the above requirements. "

As bill HR 95 stands right now, it is not expected to pass vote in the House for two reasons, even though the language of the bill is exactly the same as that passed last year in a vote of 427-1:

First, because of the language that allows for a one-time email to be sent so long as a valid return email address is provided by the sender and the sender removes anyone the so requests to be removed from that mailing list.

Although this is the same exact language that was included in the bill that passed the House last year, many SPAM fanatics are raising objections to its' inclusion in the bill this year.

Second, is the language in the last paragraph that would allow a "right of action by a recipient or provider", the problem being that the law would allow Internet Service Providers, ISP's, to file for monetary damages against spammers to the tune of $500 per email sent or $50,000 per mailing incident.

Opponents argue that ISP's would be filing against anyone that might be accused of SPAM, guilty or not, in hopes of reaping big financial gains.

Considering how SPAM compalints are often handled these days with innocent people having their services terminated or web site shut down without even having allegations of SPAM investigated, perhaps there is reason for such fears of abuse.

A search of both the Senate, http://www.senate.gov/ and the House, http://thomas.loc.gov/ found only the following under The keyword "Spam":

Two other bills introduced in the House are:

1. Wireless Telephone Spam Protection Act - H.R.113 : http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c107:1:./temp/~c107WLOF59::

2. Anti-Spamming Act of 2001 - H.R. 1017: This Act may be cited as the `Anti-Spamming Act of 2001' http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c107:2:./temp/~c107WLOF59::

Rep. Gene Green, from the 29th District in Texas and is the sponsor of HR 95, so if you wish to make any suggestions or comments on the proposed Spam Law, he can be reached by any of the following:

HON. GENE GREEN
2335 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-1688
Fax: (202) 225-9903

HON. GENE GREEN
256 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. E., Suite 29 Houston, TX 77060
(281) 999-5879
Fax: (281) 999-5716

If you would like to send him an email, you may do so by visiting his official web site at: http://www.house.gov/green/ and filling out the supplied form.

A.T.Rendon is an entrepreneur and published writer. Subscribe to FREE Business Classifieds Newsletter & receive FREE online access to our Password Protected "FREE Submit To Over 1 MILLION FREE Ad Sites!" mailto:subscribe_fbcn9@emailexchange.org Visit us at: http://emailexchange.org/?articles

What Happens To The Spammer?

Sometimes it's difficult to understand why spamming is considered
one of the most vile sins on the internet. After all, what harm
does an extra email or two cause? And even if the spammer is
reported or caught, who cares? I mean, what happens to a spammer
anyway?

We've all heard people say, "well, why not just hit the delete
key?" I used to take the time to try and explain the problem to
these people, but I've since realized that there is a brand of
ignorance which cannot be penetrated by reason or logic. Now I
just nod and smile, and change the subject.

Spam would not be so bad if it was just one or two emails now and
then. Unfortunately, it's not just one person sending an
unsolicited advertisement once a month - it's hundreds or even
thousands. And the emails are virtually always regarding some
scam, a useless product or, very often, some pornographic or
money making scheme. I've received tens of thousands of spam
emails over the years, and not once has any of them ever been of
value.

I don't understand why spammers don't get the message that their
emails are unwanted. Why do they keep sending out their useless
advertisements? Do people actually purchase anything from them?
Do these people really make money?

Okay, so what happens to spammers anyway?

Your amateur spammer must feel very much like a criminal does.
You see, they must hide their identities in any number of devious
ways to prevent their ISP and web hosts from shutting them down.
New laws are being passed which make these people into real
criminals, making it even more important that they remain hidden.

1) When an ISP or web host begins receiving dozens of spam reports
on someone using their services, they will typically cancel first
and ask questions later. Thus, your average spammer is constantly
losing his hosting services and always searching for another ISP.
He has to - he keeps getting kicked out when his misdeeds is
discovered.

2) Spammers, if they can be identified, can be sued. This is
fairly rare, as it is difficult to prove actual damage, but you
can sue them and win. And if you are an ISP or host, you can
definitely get them to dig into their pockets for the resources
they wasted.

3) If a spammer annoys the wrong person, he could find himself
harassed. For example, people have been known to send back email
bombs, perform denial of service attacks or simply get phone
lines canceled.

4) If a spammer gets his domain added to any of the various
"black holes", then he may find that he cannot send email at all.

5) Depending upon how vile the material, the law can come down
upon a spammer. This is especially true with scams and
pornography of the most degraded kind.

6) Most spammers do not realize there is always a way to find out
where the email came from. It does not matter how well they
attempt to cover their tracks - they do need to make it possible
to order something and thus they can be tracked - even if it
means physically visiting their business with a search warrant.

I hope that helps clarify what happens to the spammer in the
short or long run. Spam does cause damage, and spammers,
especially the largest and worst offenders, should be prosecuted
to the fullest extent of the law.

Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets
at http://www.internet-tips.net - Visit our website any time to
read over 1,000 complete FREE articles about how to improve your
internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.

Wham! Bam! Thank You Spam!

Once upon a time, e-mail messages flowed freely through
Once upon a time, e-mail messages flowed freely through cyberspace and the congenial smell of e-mails was everywhere.

I remember racing to my inbox each day with a wild anticipation that I was about to be informed of new and enlightening events, along with notes from friends.

Maybe, the collection would also include an order or two to quell my monetary wishes, as well as, containing some of my favorite newsletters.

Ah! Those were the salad days...when my inbox was a welcome sight each morning.

Oh, of course there was that occasional sales pitch, but that was just to keep me alert.

But alas, those were days of yore.

Today we are drowning in a deepening cascade of rubbish, as a result of unsolicited e-mails irritatingly referred to as "Spam."

"Spam" is a term contrived in a parody a few years back by an English group of comedians (Monty Python's Flying Circus), describing a food product (Spam) exploited in a humorous manner.

While this form of e-mail sludge(Spam) is far from a laughing matter, the irrational reaction to it by some is itself fraught with calamity.

If we were simply confronted with this daily deluge of these unwanted emails, that would be annoying enough.

However, what is now occurring is far worse! In fact, its really scary.

Part of this chaos springs from the fact that there in no clear cut definition to everyone of just what comprises this thing we term SPAM!

Further, nothing explains, nor excuses the destructively paranoid reactions of some to this proliferation of spam plaguing us now.

On one hand there are the saintly IP's, installing what is loosely described as "Anti-Spam" software, which I must admit does accomplish two things.

Those being the purging of many needed emails, while taking no notice of, most of the porn and sludge.

Yet the real damage comes from the growing number of self-appointed crusaders ('e-mail nazi') that inhabit the Internet.

They take it upon themselves to police the net vowing to squash any unsuspecting spammer.

These "Not in my inbox" nerds, suffering from delusions of importance, mistakenly harass the IP's of honest marketers and purveyors of newsletters.

In fact, many a website has been shut down as the result of a false accusation of spamming.

Often, the accusation is all it takes today, due to the hysteria prevalent on the Web, along with the growing fixations of many hosting companies.

These spiteful actions have indeed caused devastating financial harm and damage to the reputations of many well known and blameless Internet pioneers.

A few states have enacted legislation against spam, but they still can't define it. The U.S. congress has also mentioned some sort of a bill, but are bogged down with, things more important. Such as, which luxuries to pass new taxes on like food, cars, etc..

Once congress settles on a definition of this phenomenon and passes a new law, you can count on the spammers to really come out of the woodwork along with their lawyers.

They could sue for obesity to inboxes!

As for me, I long for the days when I can once again utter, "Don't you just love the smell of email in the air!"

Joe Myna is webmaster at http://www.anezbiz.com "The Virtual Warehouse Of Info Products." Also, http://www.ahowto.com "The Virtual Bookshelf Of How-To Courses." Mr. Myna who began marketing on the Internet in 1996 is also the author of many best-selling marketing and How-To eBooks.

Joe Myna is webmaster at www.anezbiz.com and involved in direct marketing for over 30 years. Mr. Myna first went online in 1996. Mr. Myna is author of "Internet Profits - The Quick Way" Download now at http://www.anezbiz.com/Quick.exe

Spammer in the Slammer: Jeremy Jaynes Sentenced to Nine Years

 Trust, Inc.Will other spammers take heed? Dont count on it.Jeremy Jaynes was on top of the world. By age 28, he owned a million-dollar home, a high-class restaurant, a chain of gyms and countless other toys. Yet those were only the spoils of his main line of business, which was swindling innocent people out of their money through email scams. From an unassuming house serving as his companys headquarters in Raleigh, NC, Jaynes sent an estimated ten million messages a day pitching products most recipients didn't want, amassing an estimated $24 million fortune in the process. Using aliases such as Jeremy James and Gaven Stubberfield, Jaynes spammed his way up to the 8 position on Spamhaus Register Of Known Spam Operations (ROKSO) and grossed as much as $750,000 a month, allowing him to live like a king.However, Jaynes ran head-on into an information superhighway road block when a Virginia judge sentenced him to nine years in prison for his November 2004 conviction on felony charges of using false IP addresses to send mass email advertisements (some just call it spamming). The conviction was a landmark decision, as Jaynes became the first person in the United States convicted of felony spam charges. Though his operation was based in North Carolina, Jaynes was tried in Virginia because it is home to a large number of the routers that control much of North America's Internet traffic (its also the home of AOL and a government building or two). He shouldve Used the Privacy SoftwareDuring the trial, prosecutors focused on three of Jaynes most egregious scams: software that promised to protect users' private information; a service for choosing penny stocks to invest in; and a work-from-home "FedEx refund processor" opportunity that promised $75-an-hour work but did little more than give buyers access to a website of delinquent FedEx accounts. Sound familiar? Anyone with an e-mail address has received countless messages originating from Jaynes operation. (If youre still waiting on your privacy software to show up, its probably safe to stop checking the mailbox.)Jaynes got lists of millions of email addresses through a stolen database of America Online customers. He also illegally obtained e-mail addresses of eBay users. While the prosecutors still don't know how Jaynes got access to the lists, the Associated Press reported that the AOL names matched a list of 92 million addresses that an AOL software engineer has been charged with stealing.When Jaynes operation was raided, investigators found that the house from which he ran his operation was wired with 16 T-1 lines (a large office building can get by on a single T-1 line for all its users). Investigators also entered into evidence to-do lists handwritten by Jaynes. Take a look at Jeremy Jayne's meticulously detailed lists at:* www.ciphertrust.com/images/jaynes_notes1.JPG* www.ciphertrust.com/images/jaynes_notes2.JPG* www.ciphertrust.com/images/jaynes_notes3.JPGGood Work if You Can Get (Away With) ItThe economics of spamming makes Jaynes decision to build a career of it understandable, though not noble. Spammers work on the law of averages, which would seem like an odd strategy considering that the average response rate for a spam message is just one-tenth of one percent. However, once you do the math even this miniscule response rate can make one very wealthy very quickly. If a spammer sends one million messages pushing a product width a $40 profit, a response rate of 0.1 percent works out to 1000 customers, or $40,000 per million messages sent. Since each message costs only fractions of a penny to send, and Jaynes was sending literally billions of messages a year, its easy to see how he pulled in $400,000 to $750,000 a month, while spending perhaps $50,000 on bandwidth and other overhead. Spammers have financial motivation to come up with innovative ways to avoid detection, and they have begun to join forces. But as spammers become savvier, the public is fighting back. Law enforcement has begun to crack down on internet criminals, like Jaynes, and corporations are taking measures to defend their inboxes using anti spam hardware. Law enforcement, coupled with the effectiveness of today's anti-spam systems, is introducing hesitation, uncertainty and fear for many would be spammers. As profitability decreases and risk of prosecution increases, many spammers will be forced to simply pack up and move on.
Dr. Paul Judge is a noted scholar and entrepreneur. He is Chief Technology Officer at CipherTrust, the industry's largest provider of enterprise email security. The companys flagship product, IronMail provides a best of breed enterprise anti spam solution designed to stop spam, phishing attacks and other email-based threats. Learn more by visiting www.ciphertrust.com/products/spam_and_fraud_protection today.
 

Spammer in the Slammer: Jeremy Jaynes Sentenced to Nine Years

 Trust, Inc.Will other spammers take heed? Dont count on it.Jeremy Jaynes was on top of the world. By age 28, he owned a million-dollar home, a high-class restaurant, a chain of gyms and countless other toys. Yet those were only the spoils of his main line of business, which was swindling innocent people out of their money through email scams. From an unassuming house serving as his companys headquarters in Raleigh, NC, Jaynes sent an estimated ten million messages a day pitching products most recipients didn't want, amassing an estimated $24 million fortune in the process. Using aliases such as Jeremy James and Gaven Stubberfield, Jaynes spammed his way up to the 8 position on Spamhaus Register Of Known Spam Operations (ROKSO) and grossed as much as $750,000 a month, allowing him to live like a king.However, Jaynes ran head-on into an information superhighway road block when a Virginia judge sentenced him to nine years in prison for his November 2004 conviction on felony charges of using false IP addresses to send mass email advertisements (some just call it spamming). The conviction was a landmark decision, as Jaynes became the first person in the United States convicted of felony spam charges. Though his operation was based in North Carolina, Jaynes was tried in Virginia because it is home to a large number of the routers that control much of North America's Internet traffic (its also the home of AOL and a government building or two). He shouldve Used the Privacy SoftwareDuring the trial, prosecutors focused on three of Jaynes most egregious scams: software that promised to protect users' private information; a service for choosing penny stocks to invest in; and a work-from-home "FedEx refund processor" opportunity that promised $75-an-hour work but did little more than give buyers access to a website of delinquent FedEx accounts. Sound familiar? Anyone with an e-mail address has received countless messages originating from Jaynes operation. (If youre still waiting on your privacy software to show up, its probably safe to stop checking the mailbox.)Jaynes got lists of millions of email addresses through a stolen database of America Online customers. He also illegally obtained e-mail addresses of eBay users. While the prosecutors still don't know how Jaynes got access to the lists, the Associated Press reported that the AOL names matched a list of 92 million addresses that an AOL software engineer has been charged with stealing.When Jaynes operation was raided, investigators found that the house from which he ran his operation was wired with 16 T-1 lines (a large office building can get by on a single T-1 line for all its users). Investigators also entered into evidence to-do lists handwritten by Jaynes. Take a look at Jeremy Jayne's meticulously detailed lists at:* www.ciphertrust.com/images/jaynes_notes1.JPG* www.ciphertrust.com/images/jaynes_notes2.JPG* www.ciphertrust.com/images/jaynes_notes3.JPGGood Work if You Can Get (Away With) ItThe economics of spamming makes Jaynes decision to build a career of it understandable, though not noble. Spammers work on the law of averages, which would seem like an odd strategy considering that the average response rate for a spam message is just one-tenth of one percent. However, once you do the math even this miniscule response rate can make one very wealthy very quickly. If a spammer sends one million messages pushing a product width a $40 profit, a response rate of 0.1 percent works out to 1000 customers, or $40,000 per million messages sent. Since each message costs only fractions of a penny to send, and Jaynes was sending literally billions of messages a year, its easy to see how he pulled in $400,000 to $750,000 a month, while spending perhaps $50,000 on bandwidth and other overhead. Spammers have financial motivation to come up with innovative ways to avoid detection, and they have begun to join forces. But as spammers become savvier, the public is fighting back. Law enforcement has begun to crack down on internet criminals, like Jaynes, and corporations are taking measures to defend their inboxes using anti spam hardware. Law enforcement, coupled with the effectiveness of today's anti-spam systems, is introducing hesitation, uncertainty and fear for many would be spammers. As profitability decreases and risk of prosecution increases, many spammers will be forced to simply pack up and move on.
Dr. Paul Judge is a noted scholar and entrepreneur. He is Chief Technology Officer at CipherTrust, the industry's largest provider of enterprise email security. The companys flagship product, IronMail provides a best of breed enterprise anti spam solution designed to stop spam, phishing attacks and other email-based threats. Learn more by visiting www.ciphertrust.com/products/spam_and_fraud_protection today.