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SpamfordOne of the most famous spammers on the Internet.
Date of Birth: 01.01.1968
Country:  USA |
Content:
- The Rise of Spamford: Sanford Wallace's Odyssey in Spamming
- Faxing to Spamming: The Genesis of Cyber Promotions
- Spamford: The Master of Circumvention
- The Legal Experiment and its Demise
- Back to the Shadows: DJing and Malicious Software
- FTC Crackdowns: Lawsuits and Bans
- MySpace and Facebook: New Targets
- Federal Charges and the End of an Era
The Rise of Spamford: Sanford Wallace's Odyssey in Spamming
Sanford Wallace, the notorious spam king, earned the monikers "Spamford" and "Spamford the King" for his prolific spamming operations.
Faxing to Spamming: The Genesis of Cyber Promotions
Wallace's illegal activities began not with spam but "junk" faxing. In 1995, he founded Cyber Promotions (or "Cyberpromo"), which became a prominent spammer due to its innovative marketing efforts. Despite its success, Cyberpromo's operations remained illegal.
Spamford: The Master of Circumvention
By the late '90s, Cyber Promotions had become a global source of spam. Wallace's persistence and pro-spam advocacy earned him the nickname "Spamford." CyberPromo pioneered techniques like fake return addresses, forwarding, and multiple addresses to bypass spam filters.
The Legal Experiment and its Demise
In April 1998, Wallace retired from the spam industry. Cyber Promotions was transformed into GTMI, a legitimate opt-in email marketing company. However, the venture failed due to financial problems and skepticism surrounding Wallace's transition.
Back to the Shadows: DJing and Malicious Software
Wallace reemerged as a DJ in New Hampshire under the alias "DJ MasterWeb." He also operated a nightclub briefly but closed it in 2004. Despite his claims, Wallace's entanglement with online scams continued. In 2001, he was linked to "passthison.com," which used pop-ups commonly associated with porn websites. Wallace also collaborated with "SmartBotPRO.NET," an illicit "opt-in" email service.
FTC Crackdowns: Lawsuits and Bans
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued Wallace and his company in 2004 for installing spyware on users' computers and offering to "heroically" remove it for a fee. In 2005, Wallace agreed to cease distributing such software pending the proceedings. Eventually, he was permanently banned from distributing software without user consent.
MySpace and Facebook: New Targets
In 2006, the FTC sued Wallace again for similar charges with SmartBOT. He was ordered to pay a hefty fine of $5,089,550.48. In 2007, MySpace sued Wallace for creating 11,000 fake profiles to spam and phish. He was banned from using MySpace's services.
Wallace targeted Facebook next, posting advertisements on users' "walls." In June 2009, he filed for bankruptcy.
Federal Charges and the End of an Era
On August 4, 2011, Wallace faced federal charges related to his electronic crimes. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $100,000 bail. The outcome of these charges marked the end of an era for Spamford the King.
