Spammer Fined nearly $200,000 By Australian Court

A judge in Brisbane, Australia has fined a man accused of being one of the world’s biggest spammers nearly $200,000. The fine was levied against Lance Atkinson after the court found him in violation of the Australian Spam Act of 2003. The Australian Communications and Media Authority filed charges against him after fielding over 100,000 complaints from consumers about his spamming.

Atkinson is the ringleader of what is believed to be the world’s largest spam ring. His operation, doing business under the names HerbalKing and Canadian Healthcare sent billions of spam messages advertising fake or black market male enhancement products, weight loss pills, and other drugs. When unwitting customers placed orders at their sites they raked in affiliate fees as their credit card info was stolen. Medical experts have warned that the drugs being sold could cause serious harm if taken since they are made in India and not tested for quality or safety. Earlier this month in the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission slapped Atkinson with a $15 million fine for violations of the CAN-SPAM Act  but they have little hope of collecting unless he enters the U.S.

Atkinson, who failed to appear in court, was also banned from sending any kind of commercial email for 7 years. It will be interesting to see how they plan to enforce that!