- 14 Mar 2002
- 15,312
- 8,462
- 749
:box:
10 million servings of spam a day
=> http://www.jsonline.com/bym/tech/news/may03/141677.asp
10 million servings of spam a day
A bulk e-mail marketer since 1998, Catts, a former car salesman and professional bull rider has transformed a room of his modest house into an impressive command center. There, 16 computers operate around the clock, employing special software to spew up to 10 million e-mail advertisements a day around the globe. A small number of people respond to that advertising bombardment, an average of 50 each day, Catts says. But his fees add up to more than $700,000 a year, minus the $40,000 or so he spends annually on software and for address lists. [...]
Catts is now among 180 of the world's largest spammers listed on the ROKSO list (Registry of Known Spam Operators). Those spammers, says Spamhaus founder Steve Linford, account for 90% of all unsolicited e-mail now sent. "These are 180 hardcore individuals," Linford says. "We call them professional spammers, but many of them have criminal records for all kinds of stuff. It takes a certain type of person. You pretty much need to be a lowlife. Sending unsolicited bulk e-mail isn't an ethical thing to do. All of the people who receive this stuff are complaining because there's no way to stop it." [...]
Catts says he's been threatened by the anti-spammers, who once surreptitiously recorded his telephone calls and posted the taped conversations on the Internet. More than 70 times in the past six years, he says, anti-spammer complaints have resulted in Catts' being terminated from his Internet service providers. He is now forced to find Internet access overseas.
=> http://www.jsonline.com/bym/tech/news/may03/141677.asp
