Duo settles spam suit with FTC

The commission had filed suit against Matthew Olson and Jennifer LeRoy in November of last year, alleging that they triggered millions of unwanted emails to Americans claiming mortgage opportunities, a device for improving gas mileage and other products and services.

The FTC brought suit against Olson and LeRoy after an investigation with U.S. attorneys, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Canadian consumer protection officials and three state attorneys general. The investigation concluded that the duo had hijacked customers computers to spam other PCs, according to the FTC.

The settlement bars them from further violations of the CAN-SPAM Act, a federal law that requires commercial emails contain opt-out options, a physical address and identification of spam advertisements.

A $45,000 judgment against them was suspended due to their inability to pay, according to the FTC.