Florida Spammer Receives 6.5 Billion Pounds Fine

According to media reports, an US-based ISP has been awarded the amount of 6.5 billion pounds in a judgement against a Florida man who sent millions of unsolicited spam emails.

Robert W. Kramer, owner of CIS Internet Services in Iowa, USA filed a lawsuit against Florida-based James McCalla claiming that more than 280 million illegal spam messages were sent to CIS email accounts, advertising mortgages, debt consolidation services, pornographic and gambling websites.

The judgement handed down by US District Judge Charles R. Wolle on 23 December 2005, also prohibits McCalla from accessing the internet for three years.”This judgement against a spammer is undoubtedly the biggest we have ever heard of,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos.

“Spam is not just a nuisance for individual computer users who find their inboxes clogged up with unwanted mail, but for ISPs who are hit in the pocket by having to pay for the bandwidth to deliver and store hundreds of millions of messages.”Kramer said that he thought it was unlikely that he would ever see any of the judgement money.

“I’m pleased with Judge Wolle’s ruling,” Robert W. Kramer said in a statement. “It’s a victory for every email user and every responsible ISP. It’s proof our courts and Congress are committed to protecting the public.”Sophos recommends companies protect themselves with a consolidated solution which can defend businesses from the threats of both spam and viruses.