Spam in The Crosshairs: Dozens Charged in Push Against Spam

[Brad Isaac]

Frankly I am sick of waking up in the morning, turning on my Pocket PC to check email and finding some 25 spam messages in my Pocket Inbox Now I know I am not alone in my frustration. That is why this New York Times article gives me a bit of hope. According to the Old Grey Lady, Federal authorities have quietly arrested a couple dozen alleged spammers and scammers. They believe if they catch and prosecute the top 10 to 30 spammers in the country the rest will take heed and stop too.
"Federal and state law enforcement agencies have quietly arrested or charged dozens of people with crimes related to junk e-mail, identity theft and other online scams in recent weeks, according to several people involved in the actions.
The cases, which have been brought by law enforcement offices around the country, are expected to be announced by Attorney General John Ashcroft in a news conference in Washington on Thursday.
Federal authorities have stepped up their efforts to crack down on junk e-mail messages, or spam, since Congress passed a law last December criminalizing fraudulent and deceptive e-mail practices. The law subjects spammers to fines and jail terms of up to five years.
So far, the law has had little noticeable effect. Spam represents 65 percent of all e-mail, up from 58 percent when the law was passed, according to Symantec, a company that makes a widely used spam filter. "