From hungary-online-owner Sun Nov 26 09:39:52 1995 Received: from localhost (daemon@localhost) (fnord) by nando.yak.net (8.6.5/8.6.5) id JAA12137 for hungary-online-out31415; Sun, 26 Nov 1995 09:39:52 -0800 Received: from localhost (daemon@localhost) (fnord) by nando.yak.net (8.6.5/8.6.5) id JAA12127; Sun, 26 Nov 1995 09:39:38 -0800 Received: from merrilld@gusun.acc.georgetown.edu () via =-=-=-=-=-= for hungary-online@hungary.yak.net (12125) Received: from gusun.acc.georgetown.edu (gusun.acc.georgetown.edu [141.161.1.7]) (fnord) by nando (8.6.5/8.6.5) with SMTP id JAA12122 for ; Sun, 26 Nov 1995 09:39:28 -0800 Received: by gusun.acc.georgetown.edu; (5.x/1.1.8.2/6Jan9518:19pm) id AA17610; Sun, 26 Nov 1995 12:33:21 -0500 Date: Sun, 26 Nov 1995 12:33:20 -0500 (EST) From: Douglas Merrill To: hungary-online@hungary.yak.net Subject: (HOL) Junk E-Mail (Was Re: Send Me a List) Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: owner-Hungary-Online@hungary.yak.net Precedence: bulk Reply-To: Hungary-Online@hungary.yak.net Jozsef Hollosi answered: > Zoli Fekete wrote: > > > > Nice piece, Steven! Let me add just a little - in light of the recent > > explosion of unethical net-abuse (scattershot bulk posts, excessive > > multiposting and the like), it can't be emphasized enough: off-topic > > marketing drivel agressively bulshitted all over the place is not only > > getting deleted, but destroys much of the hoped for costumer basis (not to > > mention generating enormous ill will against the bad-faith list > > targeters). > > Well, I wish it were so simple! > Even if you could convince most of the reasonable companies not to do it, > there will be a steady flow of greedy newcomers: they have no reputation > to lose, they have no real chance to succeed in any business, so why not > just send out a half million messages to sell a thousand T-shirts? > $20,000 cashed, account closed, deal done. Next week new account, > new P.O. box, and change the T-shirts to "immigration info". > > I wish I knew the solution, but I don't. All I know that you cannot > fight with reason against unreasonable people. > > Regards, > Jozsef Jozsef, If the T-shirts in your example are never delivered, there is definitely a solution, certainly within the United States, and in many other countries as well. Taking money for products that are not delivered or for services that are not performed is fraud. If the money is received in a P.O. Box, it might well be federal mail fraud, and if the solicitation is placed via telephone lines across state borders, the scheme could easily qualify as federal wire fraud as well. Clearly this does not cover all forms of junk e-mail, but the very worst of the practitioners (the con artists) could be subject to criminal prosecution. And as long as there are cops on the net, they might as well do something useful, right? regards, Doug Merrill ############# # This message to Hungary-Online@hungary.yak.net # was from Douglas Merrill # # To unsubscribe, # send "unsubscribe" to # An announcement-only subscription (less volume) is available # at # Send mail to for more information, # or to if you need human assistance. #############