The men, one aged 20 and the other 26 years old, are alleged to have broken the law by sending out 1.6 billion spam e-mails between September and December 2006. South Korean authorities in Seoul claim that the duo, both computer programmers, obtained personal and financial information from 12,000 victims which they then sold to other firms.
"South Korea is admired around the world for its impressive internet infrastructure, but with the widespread adoption of broadband net connections comes the danger of spam, spyware and malware," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "Spammers are battering inboxes in their attempt to make fast money, sell fake goods, and - in the worst cases - steal identities."
