Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s (D-CA) "Reduce Spam" bill includes a provision that rewards folks who provide information leading to the successful prosecution of a spammer.
She’s behind the times, which is surprising for a representative from California. Such rewards make up the backbone of a burgeoning career field – professional spammer bounty hunter.
Like his more traditional bounty hunter brethren, Bill Sudonim is licensed to carry a gun, but he is more likely to do so on a client call than during his actual activities.
"It’s a prop," he said. "People that hire me really hate spam. When they see the gun they think I’m going to live out the Clint Eastwood fantasies we’ve all had after we’ve emptied out our e-mailbox for the third time in a single day."
In cases where Sudonim has to go into the spammers’ lair, he usually relies more on guile than brute force, especially to gain entry. "I have a Jolt Cola deliveryman’s uniform," he said. "Me touting a handtruck with 12 cases of Jolt has gotten me into more spammers’ inner sanctums than 50 search warrants would."
Why not just let the Feds handle these cases? "When you go through the government, you have to wait for it to do its investigation," Sudonim said. "Then you get your 20% of whatever they collect, if they collect it. Where’s the motivation in that?"
Sudonim bases his fee on a CPM – charge per prevented message -- basis. When he tracks down someone who has really been abusing e-mail’s bulk capacities, his line of work can become quite lucrative – provided local authorities understand how to deal with such cases.
"A few years ago, before spammer prosecution got really big, I nabbed a guy in Reston, VA who was sending out 5 million pieces of spam a day – really obnoxious stuff," Sudonim said. "But the local police didn’t understand the nature of the crime and ended up untying him. The cops didn’t impound his computers, not even for a minute!"
Has he experienced any drawbacks since he started? "I move around the country a lot for the job, so I set up a special e-mail account for all the frequent-flier programs I’m in." He paused. "The Nigerian scammers just got hold of that address. I don’t usually go for that vigilante stuff, but when I earn enough points for an upgrade to first class, I’m shipping out to Lagos."
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California Gubernatorial Campaign Update
I am pleased to report that my write-in candidacy for governor of California [Loose Cannon: If Elected, I Solemnly Swear, Direct Newsline, August 18, 2003] has just struck its first quid-pro-quo deal.
One reader, an executive from an alternative energy firm, has offered to deliver nearly 4 dozen votes. In return, his firm will be entitled to contract rights for all of the hot air and natural gas emitted from California politicians for the remainder of the decade.
To respond to the opinions in this column, please contact rlevey@primediabusiness.com.
