04/09/2002

Reported by Darin Watkins, KING 5 News

Tired unwanted e-mail, faxes, or recorded telemarketing messages? A Seattle man found a way to fight back and earned $500 in the process.

It all began when Ben Schroeter started working from home. He got a recorded message from a telemarketer. But Schroeter knew it was illegal.

“You can't be nice to them, you can't tell them where to go, its really an infuriating thing,” says Schroeter.

Schroeter fired off an angry letter and in return received a check for $500.

“I call them spaminators, ‘cause they’re like terminators to terminate the spam mail,” says Tiziana Morgan, who works at Seattle small claims court.

The most powerful weapon in fighting spam is small claims court, where a form and $21 can get you a date with the judge.

“If you like playing detective at all, its pretty entertaining,” says Ben Livingstone, who has made going after spam a hobby. Unsolicited fax ads are worth $500. So are recorded phone solicitations. Illegal spam e-mail is worth $1,000.

Resource Links

Ben Livingstone's Web site

Now he's hoping more people will join his cause.

“If we can get a number of people, 10, 20, 100 in Washington state that are willing to exercise that right of action, then the problem's going to go away pretty quickly,” says Livingstone.

“Until we start going after these people as citizens and standing up for our rights, they're going to keep on doing it,” says Schroeter.