US bloke makes a living suing spammers - Someone has to do it | TechEye

Apparently you can quit your job and make a living suing spammers

According to the Seattle Pi, Daniel Balsam chucked his job as a marketing executive to turn Van Helsing on the vampire spammers.

His career started eight years ago when he got one too many e-mail pitches to enlarge his breasts.

He set up a website called Danhatesspam.com, went to law school and is making a decent living suing companies who flood his e-mail inbox with offers of cheap drugs, free sex and unbelievable vacations.

Balsam, who is based in San Francisco, has filed many lawsuits, including dozens before he graduated law school in 2008, against e-mail marketers.

Apparently Balsam settles enough lawsuits and collects enough from judgements to make a living. In fact he has made $1 million out of companies accused of sending illegal spam.

The spammers claim that he is one of many who make dosh from exploiting anti-spam laws. They moan that he files lawsuits against out-of-state companies that would rather pay a small settlement than expend the resources to fight the legal claims.

Bennet Kelley, a defense lawyer, has been identified as Balsam's arch nemesis. He even created a website critical of Balsam's tactics and has sued Balsam twice for allegedly violating confidentiality terms in settlement agreements.

Balsam uses the small claims court and the spammers will often pay up to avoid the hassle.

Balsam said he has more than 40 small claims victories and several more in higher courts, mostly alleging the receipt of misleading advertising.

He has been sued himself. Tagged.com sued him for threatening to violate terms of an earlier settlement by telling the company he was planning to post terms of the agreement on his website.

Valueclick also complained that he breached settlement agreements by exposing confidential terms.

via techeye.net