MySpace Brings Phishing and Spam Suit against Sanford Wallace

Wallace implemented a phishing scheme to falsely gain access

[herb]

MySpace alleges in the suit that beginning in October 2006 Wallace implemented a phishing scheme to falsely gain access to MySpace user profiles. Wallace created profiles, groups, and forums on MySpace to direct users through deceptive means to websites owned and/or operated by Wallace. Wallace also spammed thousands of users with unwanted advertisements that promoted his websites. MySpace press release [home.businesswire.com]

Wallace created 11,000 fake profiles using automated software programs in violation of MySpace's terms of use agreement, the company said in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. According to the LA Times

MySpace sues 'Spam King' over fake profiles [latimes.com]

In 2006, Wallace was forced to pay more than $4 million in a lawsuit brought by the FTC for the actions of Smartbot .net.

[edited by: engine at 5:03 pm (utc) on Mar. 27, 2007]
[edit reason] added link [/edit]

[Demaestro]

I hate spammers more then MySpace so I am going to call this a good thing.

[walkman]

>> Wallace created 11,000 fake profiles using automated software programs

so this is how myspace adds 250k "users" a day?

[maximillianos]

Fake profiles on Myspace has long been known as a strategy for getting traffic... I'd be curious to see the stats on how many of their profiles are real people too...

[koan]

Wallace: once a sociopath, always a sociopath.

[arieng]

I met Sanford at a seminar back in 2001, when he was trying to legitimize his "spam king" status with <snip>. I've never seen a guy dripping with that much gold.

[edited by: lawman at 9:12 pm (utc) on Mar. 27, 2007]

[deft_spyder]

I have a "character" on myspace I created as a test to see how marketing could work, and it has 60k+ friends. And I barely put in any effort.

I have been approached by people who want to pay me to send bullitens for them, it's interesting. No amount worth my time yet, but interesting none the less.

[arieng]

Oops. Figured since the URL was since abandoned I'd get away with it. Suffice to say, Sanford claimed he was going 'legit' with a referral service that was actually pretty brilliant. I guess its no fun if you can't break the rules.

[sandpetra]

Spammers are the scum of the earth. A few thousand people in the world spoil it for everyone else.

[incrediBILL]

Good old SPAMford Wallace, still a buffoon after all these years.

[Crush]

I won't lay into him. I like spammers in general but hate email spam.

[harrymunker]

Maybe he has a split personality only split 11000 times :-)

[Agama]

I hope they send him to Guantanamo for good, or, at least he should be castrated so we wouldn't be talking about second generation spammers in some few years.

85% of the emails that hit my mailbox daily are spam! :)