Spam King gives up spamming

Anti-spam experts believe Scott Richter, the man dubbed the Spam King, has stopped sending junk email.

According to anti-spam campaign group Spamhaus, Richter has been removed from ROKSO - an authoritative list of the world's most notorious spammers - after he decided to go straight earlier this year.

Once the second biggest spammer in the world, Richter, who currently faces lawsuits with Microsoft and the New York State Attorney, is said to be turning his efforts to legitimate opt-in bulk mailing.

Steve Linford, director of Spamhaus, said: "It's looking like he's made a real turnaround. The legitimate business is working for him. The good thing is that it shows it can be done. That would worry some spammers and prompt them to change to the legitimate side.

"The way laws are going, spam will become illegal, in which case anything he'd invested would be wasted. With a confirmed opt-in model, everyone wins including the bulk mailer."

Linford added that a number of other organisations had seen a significant drop in junk email at the same time Richter was reported to have stopped spamming.