International spam mastermind fined £116,000

A man accused of being the mastermind of the world's largest known "spam gang" has been fined $A210,000 (£116,000) by an Australian court after admitting his involvement in the international network that could send 10 billion e-mails a day. Lance Atkinson, a New Zealander who lives on Australia's Gold Coast, was also banned from sending unsolicited commercial e-mails for the next seven years by Australia's Federal Court in Brisbane. Mr Atkinson's network which he ran with his brother Shane, who was based in New Zealand, included operations in the US, Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Russia and Canada. It was responsible for e-mails estimated to account for as much as one third of the world's junk mail. The brothers recruited spammers who sent billions of e-mails a day marketing penis enhancement treatments, weight loss pills and prescription drugs. The Australian Communications and Media Authority pursued Mr Atkinson under Australia's anti-spamming laws after tracing more than 100,000 spam e-mail complaints from Australian residents back to him.

Source: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6964722.ece