AOL Employee Arrested in Spam Scheme 428
LostCluster writes "The AP, Reuters, and AOL's own CNN/Money are all reporting that AOL employee Jason Smathers has been arrested and accused of taking a list of 92 million screennames from the internal AOL system, and selling it to another man, who allegedly used it 'to promote his own Internet gambling business and also sold the list to other spammers for $52,000'. Not surprisingly, Smathers has been fired."
AOL's New Slogan (Score:5, Funny)
I'm surprised... (Score:5, Funny)
Welcome! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:AOL's New Slogan (Score:5, Funny)
what about: "hungry? we've more spam!"
Fair Punishment (Score:5, Funny)
Fired? Hell... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:AOL's New Slogan (Score:2, Funny)
AOL (Score:5, Funny)
In response to this 99% of AOL members surveyed who recieved the e-mail clicked on the link and frittered many dollars away at the casino making spam profitable and so continuing the downward spiral of e-mail.
One user replied saying : "I trust AOL so much when it comes to spam, they always send me the top dollar stuff like penis enlargement pills and always ask me to change my password on non secure sites and ask for my credit card as my account has been hacked. They care so much"
Yeah the only problem is. (Score:5, Funny)
Welcome!
"You've got Bail!"
Re:Now do the same over at MSN/Hotmail (Score:2, Funny)
Thanks alot, buddy. And it was spam free until you posted it here.
You've got a male! (Score:1, Funny)
ObSimpsons Quote (Score:4, Funny)
Ah but it Never happen. (Score:5, Funny)
Mr. Burns (Score:3, Funny)
*taps fingers expectantly*
Excellent...
Re:Just Submitted (Score:3, Funny)
Re:What about those screennames? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:huh? (Score:4, Funny)
a company that can't fire people at will is a company that will be burdened by excessive, redundant and unnecessary employees, and will cease to be efficient or make money
hey, leave those poor public servants alone!
Hilarious (Score:0, Funny)
Mr. Burns ... (Score:3, Funny)
Hmmmmm, mmmmm! "SMATHERS!!!! YOU FIRED!"
Smithers
Emmm, "That's Smithers, Mr. Burns"
Mr. Burns
Hmmm. "Smithers - Smathers, whatever your reeaaaal name is, hmmmm - GET OUT."
Smithers
"But Mr. Burns!"
Mr. Burns
"OUT, OUT, OUT, I say - and no dilly-dallying, scoot, scoot."
Updates (Score:2, Funny)
Huh!!
've been thinking all these days that only OS updates cost big money
What spam do you want to get today !?
Re:Fired? (Score:4, Funny)
Only if can aim well, and have a strong arm.
Re:i've confirmed this. (Score:2, Funny)
I wonder if there could be a market for these.
Ebay auction #5723895739
one hotmail account. Fewer than 2 spams per month. starting bid $100.
Re:Now do the same over at MSN/Hotmail (Score:2, Funny)
New Dictionary Term (Score:5, Funny)
"Man, I just got this new Hotmail account, but in less than an hour, it's been smathered!"
Re:AOL has to tell California customers (Score:5, Funny)
All AOL has to do is give the list to a spammer and ask him to mass-mail the required information.
Re:I hate the "double standard" arguement (Score:1, Funny)
It's a lot like goatse. You click on goatse and go "Oh, my eyes!!" I click on goatse and get an erection. We just see things differently.
Most people are... (Score:1, Funny)
[X] evil.
Oh now that's the last straw (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Fired? Hell... (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Security? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:AOL's New Slogan (Score:3, Funny)
Re:RICO AOL out of business (Score:3, Funny)
I call for parity: 920 million minutes of community service for AOL's management and the two idiots. .
AS AN ARTIFICIAL REEF off the Florida (or New Jersey) coast.
He used an AOL laptop (Score:3, Funny)
It's clear from reading them that this guy was not one of the brighter people at AOL.
Re:Oh now that's the last straw (Score:5, Funny)
Re:AOL's New Slogan (Score:3, Funny)
Begging?
Nah, that was a predator's comment, with a bit of poetic license.
Re:Yeah the only problem is. (Score:3, Funny)
"You've got Male!"
Re:Security? (Score:3, Funny)
I'm talking about what that might have been not necessarily how they pinned the culprit down afterwards.
As for ground to a halt, I suggest otherwise. There is not a database on earth than could do a join on several tables (in this case screen IDs to account holders) without incurring a significant hit that could be detected. All it takes is for database responsiveness to be inexplicably twice as worse (although still responsive) for a few hours to attract the attention of admins. Every large company does metrics as a matter of course and it would stand out like a sore thumb. Attention means looking at audits etc. to see who is doing what. Attention begets alarm when it becomes obvious who is doing what. Alarm begets FBI. FBI begets arrests.
Re:i've confirmed this. (Score:3, Funny)
I mean, come on, how random is that?