The FTC's operation began in 2000, when it sent 1,000 spammers letters to warn them that a particular e-mail chain letter scheme they were involved in was illegal. Chain letters that promise money or other value to the recipient in exchange . . .
The FTC's operation began in 2000, when it sent 1,000 spammers letters to warn them that a particular e-mail chain letter scheme they were involved in was illegal. Chain letters that promise money or other value to the recipient in exchange for a small payment violate federal law, said Eileen Harrington, the FTC's associate director for marketing practices. In 2001, the agency searched its own junk e-mail database, comprised of about 8.3 million messages forwarded by consumers, and found more than 2,000 people still involved in the chain mail scam.

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