[pchelpers] News:FTC Stops Smut Peddlers’ Devious Spamming Scheme

For Release: January 31, 2006
 Defendants Sent Sexually Explicit Material Through Hijacked Computers

Three sly spammers have been ordered to stop sending unsolicited 
pornographic e-mails under a federal judge’s temporary restraining order 
sought by the Federal Trade Commission, which charged them with sending 
deceptive, unwanted e-mails promoting sexually oriented Web sites, and 
routing them through other people’s computers without their knowledge or 
consent.
Since at least April 2005, according to the Commission, the defendants 
have relayed commercial e-mails through home computers infected with 
viruses and other “malware” that allows distant parties to control them. 
The e-mails had racy images like those on the Web sites they promoted.

Persons who control infected computers (spam zombies) group them as 
“botnets,” which they rent or sell for bulk e-mailing. Botnets, which 
allow bulk e-mailers to conceal the source of their spam and evade spam 
filters, are used as “relays” or “proxies” that make it appear as if 
spam came from the zombies and not the source. According to the FTC, the 
defendants shopped Web sites frequented by spammers, seeking vendors who 
can provide networks of thousands of zombies.

More here:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/01/dugger.htm

Personal note: In past weeks, I noted with concern that junk mail of 
this type began to arrive via my public email address. Then recently it 
all stopped. Perhaps this article explains why.

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