Commentary: Yahoo! Awarded $610 Million Against Spammers


Yahoo! Inc announced that the company has been awarded a $610 million default judgment against spammers responsible for a fake lottery email scheme. The case began in 2008 and the verdict was read on December 5, 2011.

Photo Credit: E-Commerce Facts




According to Yahoo!, the order was handed down by a federal district court judge in New York. The judge found the defendants violated the CAN-SPAM Act.

Yahoo explained about the scam:

“This type of lottery scam is a hoax designed to trick unsuspecting email users into revealing valuable personal data such as passwords, credit card information, and social security numbers. The perpetrators typically use the stolen information to access recipients' bank accounts and credit cards, to apply for unauthorized credit cards or loans, or to fraudulently create documents bearing the victims' personal identification and then use or sell it in a wide variety of credit and identity scams. Some of the "winners" are also deceived into sending the defendants money for processing and mailing charges.”


Winning the Case: So What?

If this case is going to be made into a movie, “Yahoo” must be the name of the protagonist. Yahoo must appear as the person that saved the people who have been fooled by their own kind. The title of the movie would be “Rescuer from Spammers”.

Yahoo made this case a milestone for users and spammers. Users now give their trust back to Yahoo. Users will feel that Yahoo is doing all the ways and means to protect them from spammers. On the other hand, spammers become extra-cautious. They now minimize (if not stop) using Yahoo, with fear of getting sued.

The case gave justice to both Yahoo and its users. Yahoo, whose name has been used by the defendants, and the involved users receive what is due them.  Yahoo did not mention ways on how the company will share the news (and the cash) to the users who have been corrupted by the spammers.


What’s next for Yahoo?

Christian Dowell, legal director, Global Brand Protection, stated on the press release:

“Yahoo! takes the protection if its users and its brand very seriously. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that users continue to trust Yahoo! as the leading U.S. email provider.”

Dowell used the word “seriously”. How serious is serious?

"The anti-spam program of Yahoo revolves around three main features: live spam-free, stop virus cold and avoid phishing. To sell the three stuffs, Yahoo states on its website: “Yahoo! Mail includes top-notch, award-winning protection to help keep you safe online. Our free and premium tools fight against spam, viruses, phishing, and more. And with our constantly evolving security, you're always one step ahead of intruders. Find out more.”


It is the action of Yahoo that matters here. Not the programs since almost all companies claim to have a program that protects them and their users from spammers. It is the effort in looking for these spammers and file them a legal suit. It is the effort to fight for those who have received the fake emails. This must be a very great Christmas gift of Yahoo to its users. And the Christmas lesson for spammers? Continue spamming if you have $610 millions in the bank.
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