Security news
Security news3 August 2007
Pharmacy spam king Rizler hit with 30 year jail sentence Illegal internet store sold $24 million in prescription drugs
Christopher Smith, nicknamed "Rizler", was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Experts at IT security and control firm Sophos have welcomed news that a notorious spammer who made millions of dollars selling medications online has been sent to jail.
27-year-old Christopher Smith, who used the nickname "Rizler", was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors had argued for a stiff sentence after Smith made a death threat against a witness's children.
In May 2005, federal authorities raided Smith's home and his company Xpress Pharmacy, seizing his passport and $4.2 million in assets, including a $1.1 million house and luxury vehicles worth $1.8 million. At the same time the FBI closed down his 85-employee company. Investigators concluded that Smith had been selling medicines to customers without proper prescriptions and selling drugs without a license. Smith appeared in a federal court after the raid, but four days later fled to the Dominican Republic.
As Sophos reported two years ago, Smith was eventually arrested at Minneapolis St Paul International airport after stepping off a flight from the Caribbean.
"If anyone is in any doubt about the riches that criminal spammers can make for themselves, then they should read the story of Christopher 'Rizler' Smith," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Pharmacy spammers are amongst the lowest of the low when it comes to internet crime - not only deluging people with millions of unwanted emails, but also potentially putting lives at risk through dangerous medications. The authorities should be applauded for finally bringing this spam king to justice."
Last week, Sophos published its Security Threat Report July 2007, examining the latest trends in malware, hacking and spam. One of the topics examined was the increasing number of organized cybercrime gangs being caught by the authorities.
- Read much more about Christopher Smith, and his spamming activities in the Minneapolis Star Tribune
- Download "Sophos Security Threat Report July 2007"
- Download a podcast on the Sophos Security Threat Report July 2007 now
Sophos continues to recommend companies protect their desktops and servers with automatically updated protection against viruses, hackers, spyware, and spam.
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About Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises all over the world to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Sophos's network access control, endpoint, web and email solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, Sophos protects over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with its reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognized for its high level of customer satisfaction and powerful yet easy-to-use solutions, Sophos has received many industry awards, as well as positive reviews and certifications.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com
