California Attorney General Bill Lockyer and the Federal Trade Commission have filed a lawsuit against an alleged spam operation that bombarded internet users with illegal emails touting mortgage services and travel deals.
The California-based operation allegedly sent out spam advertising items such as auto warranties, pharmaceutical products, and mortage services.
Lockyer and the FTC claim that the emails violated the federal Can-Spam Act by not providing receipients with an opt-out mechanism, not including a valid postal address, and not identifying the emails as ads.
Defendants named in the suit include Rick Yang and Peonie Pui Ting Chen of Los Angeles. They operated under the corporate names of Optin Global and Vision Media Limited.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, claims that during the past year, consumers had forwarded to the FTC more than 1,870,000 spam messages that advertise web sites linked to the defendants.
Lockyer on Wednesday asked a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order to shut down the operation.
"Spam ranks as one of the major consumer and business protection problems of our generation," Lockyer said in a statement.
As reported in SC Magazine earlier this month, Florida's Attorney General has also filed a lawsuit against two men alleged to have bombarded internet users with illegal emails touting mortgage services and travel deals.
