Subject: SPAM using the IETF's name

From: Fred Baker <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 15:52:26 +1000

We have been advised that a spammer has used the IETF's name in seeking
applicants for job opportunities. The use, both of the list and of the
name, was not authorized. I have sent the spammer a note requiring them to
cease and desist.

Treat it as you will. If, of course, your procmail filter didn't already
treat it that way. Mine appears to have...

Fred Baker
IETF Chair

>Subject: Career opportunities for IETF Members
...
>We received your name from IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force, 
>and we wanted to let you know about exciting job opportunities...

---

From: Paul Hoffman / IMC <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 18:52:11 -0800

>>and we wanted to let you know about exciting job opportunities...

California residents who received the original spam message to which Fred 
refers:

If you're interested in possibly doing something legal about this spammer, 
please send me your contact info (and don't throw out the message). I'm 
considering going through the courts on this one. The spammer is in 
California, and was very non-apologetic when I spoke to them on the phone 
yesterday. (As you can imagine, I was incredibly pissed about them claiming 
to have "received" my name from the IETF...).

I'm not sure that I will go through with this, given the time involved with 
a lawsuit, but it might be a good test case.

--Paul Hoffman, Director
--Internet Mail Consortium

---

From: Paul Hoffman / IMC <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 18:52:11 -0800

--Paul Hoffman, Director

---

From: Steve Coya <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 10:31:25 -0500

Folks,

Thanks to rapid action by the ISP, this problem has been addressed
and resolved. I was informed that:

"This is a long-term customer with no prior abuse history.

Their network person verified the source and put a stop to it.  Their
technical folks are very anti-spam and were very unhappy that their
company was a source of spam.

I was told that the person responsible would be disciplined.  

I asked them to verify that there was no further spam waiting to be 
sent when the connection came back up, and when I had that assurance,
I turned the circuit back on.  

At this point I would be willing to bet that everyone at Howard Online 
including the janitor knows that spam is a Very Bad Thing."

---

From: Steve Coya <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 10:31:25 -0500

Folks,

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From: Paul Hoffman / IMC <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 20:04:50 -0800

Good work, Fred, and thank you! The person I talked to yesterday 
(apparently I was the first to call) wasn't at all concerned about it.

FWIW, even though he was in their division looking for networking folks, he 
had never heard of the IETF....

--Paul Hoffman, Director

---

From: Paul Hoffman / IMC <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 20:04:50 -0800

--Paul Hoffman, Director