New Zealand Spammer Fined

A major international spammer has been caught and fined.

The man responsible for an international spam operation has been fined after being caught by authorities in New Zealand.

Lance Atkinson, aged 26 from Queensland, was ordered to pay fines totalling $92,715 (£35,788).

He is thought to have been responsible for the sending of billions of emails during the duration of the operation.

At the request of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), his assets have been frozen stateside and he also faces charges in the country.

According to the FTC, Mr Atkinson was in charge of a network of 35,000 computers, which between them sent 10 million spam emails a day.

In related news, Symantec warned internet users that spam volumes may have increased over the Christmas season.