Techdirt notes that infamous spammer Alan Ralsky is rumored to have been busted and is now behind bars. Furthermore, the talk is he may sing, meaning more arrests could follow.

The chatter is running on this thread at news.admin.net-abuse.email (via Google Groups), as is the skepticism.

It is known that Ralsky was knocked off his spam king perch months ago (after a previous FBI raid), nevertheless, a DOJ press release would help a lot right now.

Skepticism abounded. Maybe for good reason. InfoWorld says Ralsky may not have been arrested afterall.

Brian McWilliams, author of Spam Kings and the Spam Kings Blog, is moving on.

I for one hope you found something enjoyable to do, Brian. Best wishes to you.

Regards,

Michael

I am fully supportive of ways to extract the financial incentives out of spam. The money is what drives spammers, and if you take the reward out of the equation, the spam should stop. People are trying to do this, but some of the measures are going to get them in trouble. Vigilant action may satisfy individual desires for contribution to the fight, but I hope people think about the consequences while they are at it.

Just want to send a quick thanks to Ethan Preston of eplaw.us for his contributions on the legal issues regarding spam, and Grant Barrett of Double-Tongued Word Wrester for his interesting insights on the world of communication. These fellows got free copies of Spam Kings: The Real Story behind the High-Rolling Hucksters Pushing Porn, Pills, and %*@)# Enlargements to boot, so I guess that is thanks in itself.

Brian McWilliams has put together a book suitable for shelving next to The DaVinci Code and the Bat Book, with Spam Kings – The Real Story Behind the High-Rolling Hucksters Pushing Porn, Pills, and @*#?% Enlargements.

Detailing the exploits of the biggest spammers of the late nineties and new millennium, Spam Kings follows their trail down to the lunch menu, with the underworld’s anti-spam fighters of the day taking the order. The book details the comings and goings of the likes of Sanford Wallace, an early spam king who claimed constitutional authority to send UCE, up to the present day powerhouses such as Ron Scelson and Scott Richter, whose wealth and influence keeps the heat off of them. But the real story is about two individuals, Susan Gunn, of NANAE fame, and David Hawke, who continues to elude the massive AOL lawsuit judgments against him.

The antagonist and protagonist’s paths cross often, but they never seem to directly butt heads. What makes the saga so interesting is that their actions affect each other’s lives in profound ways, exemplifying the intensely close knit nature of the spammer and anti-spam communities that surround them, and sometimes, their disloyalties. Furthermore, the lines between spammer and “anti” sometimes blur beyond natural reason, reflecting the deep knowledge of systems and processes each side attains during their trials and tribulations, and the monetary value of that knowledge in the open (if not seedy) market.

What I found most appealing during the read was the relevancy of events that take place throughout, and the meticulous references to the news of the day. I found myself wondering where I was, how much spam I was getting, and whether I could remember receiving any scurrilous product pitches from the characters within. I am now checking old email archives, just for posterity.

The book also contains an excellent glossary of technical and business terms used throughout, as well as a detailed reference section.

Clearly a publication for both the technology/history buff, as well as the everyday email user still wondering where the heck all those Viagra ads in their inboxes really comes from.

Brian McWilliams, author of Spam Kings, recently noted one of his colleagues, Frederic Aoun, had a interesting, if not so serious solution to the spam problem. Bust up the spammers’ customers along with the spammers. Well, that is already happening, in an indirect way of course, to those very customers right now.

In The price of buying from spammers, Brian mentions a private conversation with Aoun where he discussed the idea, and points out that it was less a call to action than idle chatter. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t be surprised if some politician takes it the wrong way (much scarier if they actually succeeded though).

Brian also points out that spammers are already selling those customer lists, and in addition to email addresses, the scrolls often include names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, IP addresses, and even prescription drug purchase histories. Just to scare you a little more, I will speculate that credit card numbers are part of some of those lists too.

Spamroll said in Spamalot Not Too Entertaining that once your email was input into some web form or another, that it was not safe. Now you have an expert saying the same.

If you think Brian is just trying to sell his book, think again. He is not the only one pointing this out. For further reading on how bad the issue is, check out Shocker: Spammers Don’t Protect Privacy Of Buyers, over at Techdirt. Or you can check out One More Reason To Hire Your Own Script Kiddie, where you find that taking less that diligent care in your legitimate ecommerce activities can put you in the spam seat.