Pop! goes the weasel

A federal judge has awarded MySpace $230 million in a case against a notorious spammer, reports The Associated Press.

The complaint was filed against "Spam King" Sanford Wallace and partner Walter Rines, which hijacked MySpace profiles by obtaining passwords through phishing schemes. The pair failed to appear in court, compelling the judge to rule in MySpace's favor.

MySpace-based phishing scams often appear as messages from trusted friends, enticing them to click on a link which solicits free ringtones, purses or other items. Under the CAN-SPAM Act, each violation is worth $100 in damages. 730,000 such messages were sent by the offenders.

$230 million is currently the largest judgment on the books for a spam case. MySpace may not reasonably expect to collect on it, but the sheer size of the fine is expected to make novice spammers second-guess their business models.

This is not the first time Rines and Wallace have had their wrists slapped over unethical online practices. In 2005, Rines stood accused of bundling inoperative P2P software with spyware. 2005 was also the year Wallace agreed to abandon spyware tactics, months after the FTC levied its first attack against him.

Another MySpace case against a third spam operator is currently pending.