Brisbane Spammer Looking At Hefty Fine
- Spammer targets internet dating site
- False profiles snare unwary consumers
- People charge $5 a time for SMS
The ACMA has been successful in its action against Scott Gregory Phillips being liable for breaching the Spam Act 2003 in relation to SMS messages that targeted internet dating website users.
Phillips is the eighth and final respondent taken to court by the ACMA in relation to the premium mobile service known as Safedivert
Justice Logan found that Phillips had been involved in the Safedivert scheme which utilised false dating profiles posing as people seeking legitimate relationships. These profiles would then contact other dating site members, requesting their mobile phone numbers under the guise of wishing to meet in person. Shortly after supplying these details the recipients would receive an SMS inviting them to use a secure SMS chat gateway at a cost of $5 per message.
Phillips was found to have been involved with other persons in the establishment and running of the Safedivert service, which resulted in Australians paying millions of dollars to the elaborate scheme.
In 2009, the ACMA obtained orders and injunctions against four other Brisbane men as well as three companies, one of them based in Hong Kong, for their part in the scheme. To date, the penalties against these seven other respondents total $22.25 million.
