Amazon.com and Microsoft join forces against scammers

The firms are working together to identify the architects of these schemes and to test possible technical solutions that would make it more difficult to deliver fraudulent and deceptive e-mail to consumers.

Microsoft and Amazon.com have jointly sued a Canadian spamming operation allegedly responsible for sending millions of deceptive e-mail messages. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in Seattle, alleges that Ontario-based Gold Disk Canada, its operator Barry Head and his two sons, Eric and Matthew, mounted illegal and deceptive spamming campaigns that misused Microsoft's MSN Hotmail services and forged the name of Amazon.com.

Amazon.com also announced that it had filed another three lawsuits against unidentified defendants allegedly involved in phishing schemes designed to defraud Amazon.com customers. Such schemes involve copycat web sites that appear official but exist only to fish for the financial details of visitors. Generally, visitors are driven to the site by spoofed e-mails.

Microsoft also revealed that it has sued against Leo Radvinsky and his Chicago-based businesses Activsoft and Cybertania, along with several additional unidentified defendants against whom Amazon.com filed suit in August 2003.

The lawsuit alleges that Radvinsky sent millions of illegal and deceptive e-mail messages to MSN Hotmail customers, including messages that were falsely labelled as coming from Amazon.com.

"The best way to stop spammers and phishers is to hit them hard in the pocketbook," said Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire. "I am pleased to see Microsoft and Amazon.com team up and use our laws as they were intended. They pose a powerful legal threat and will send a strong message that there will be a high cost to pay for those who flood our mail boxes with irritating, offensive and fraudulent junk mail."