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First U.S. Spim Arrest Made
By Chris Richardson
Staff Writer
Article Date: 2005-02-22
Spimming, or the act of spamming someone using instant messaging clients, is beginning to make its way to the forefront as method carrying out false ad campaigns.
As spimming continues to grow, the attempt to stifle the types of users increase also. In fact, the United States just made its first arrest of a known spimmer, Anthony Greco. Alledgely, Greco used the IM client available to MySpace.com members to send an estimated 1.5 million spim messages containing ads for mortgages and pornography.
Greco then attempted to "blackmail" MySpace by threatening to increase his attack by revealing his spim methods unless MySpace offered him the rights to allow him to send these messages, which would've legitimized his spim attack.
Unwilling to bow to the teen's pressure, MySpace set up a sting operation where they flew Greco out to Los Angeles from New York to give him the impression a deal was going to be finalized. Greco was arrested when he arrived in LA.
According to CNet.com,
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Hoffstadt confirmed the arrest was the first criminal case brought against an individual sending spam over IM. But he warned there may well be more to come.
"We're just beginning to get the tip of the iceberg. This could be a new wave as online communities start up," he said in a statement.
About the Author:
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest search news.
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