'Generic Viagra' Spam Lands Man in Deep Trouble
Date: January 29, 2006
A man reportedly hawking 'generic Viagra' on the net ended up paying a heavy fine to the service provider. The US federal court asked the man to pay more than $5 million to American Online Inc. for misusing their web service by sending millions of junk e-mails, related to Viagra.
Christopher William Smith of Prior Lake Minnesota, who operated under the name Rizzler, was considered one of the worst spammers in recent times. He was sending millions of emails offering fake Viagra and other medications that promise to enlarge the man's sexual organ. Smith is cooling his heels in jail, waiting trial for criminal charges, as he had violated the federal drug law by operating an illegal online pharmacy.
The US District Judge Claude Hilton ordered Smith to pay a penalty of $5.3 million in damages and $287,000 in legal fees to AOL. American Online filed a civil law suit against Smith, taking a 2004 federal law, Can-Spam Act into consideration.
Nicholas Graham, the spokesman of AOL, which is a subsidiary of Times Warner Inc., says that Smith's case would be a trendsetter in enforcing the Can-Spam Act. It would discourage people from spamming and illegal hawking on the net.
Source: Associated Press |
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