New Zealand authorities are taking action against an
international
email spam ring located in the country.
Three men have been accused of being part of a spam ring that
sent out billions of emails selling items such as unlicensed
prescription drugs, "male enhancement" products and weight-loss
pills.
New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs alleges that
company director Shane Atkinson, his brother Lance Atkinson, and
associate Roland Smits sent over two million spam emails to New
Zealand addresses between September and December 2007.
Lance Atkinson is also being pursued by US authorities after
being the subject of a US Federal Trade Commission complaint in a
US District Court. That complaint names several US citizens
allegedly involved in a spam ring.
In New Zealand, sending out spam is not a criminal offence and
carries no prison term. The New Zealand Department of Internal
Affairs is therefore using civil law to bring a case for
compensation against the trio.
The case, filed in New Zealand's High Court, claims the three
men made over £1m from their global operation.
The civil trial is expected to take place some time next
year.
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