Spam has continued to increase according to SPAMfighter statistics, since the arrest on May 30, 2007 of the nicknamed ‘Spam King’, Robert Soloway.
According to a report by the Associated Press, Soloway, who has been nicknamed ‘Spam King’ by U.S. Investigators, was arrested May 30 on 35 charges including mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and aggrevated identity theft. The Spam King can look at over 20 years in prison if he is convicted.
The arrest of the ‘spam king’ has not decreased the amount of spam being sent, as many believed it might. Previously, SPAMfighter noticed a ratio of around 80% – 85% spam to legitimate e-mails. However, in the last month, this ratio has increased and is now up around 90% of all e-mails are spam. These statistics are collected from the SPAMfighter community consisting of over 3.4 million members in 216 countries.
The ‘Spam King’ made a living by advertising his business to tens of millions of e-mail recipients since 2003. His business offered software that would either send out e-mail advertisements to 20 million e-mail addresses, or allow customers of his product to receive software allowing them to send up to 80 million e-mails. The price of this product was $495 USD. Soloway claims that all e-mail addresses on his list were people who agreed to receive e-mails from him and his clients. However, prosecutors say that people were unable to opt-out of his e-mails.
Furthermore, when a client would request a refund, Soloway would go as far as to tell customers that he would go to collections agencies and ruin their credit. Soloway is currently in jail awaiting his hearing, which is scheduled for August 6, 2007. He has been denied bail.
