The scourge of the Internet - Phishing – is set to be punishable by law in the state of Georgia. If the bill under consideration by the senate becomes a law, offenders located in Georgia can face up to one and twenty years in jail and be liable for a fine between $1,000 and $500,000. ISP and corporate houses are exempt if their networks are used to propagate phishing scams by botnets.
I’m sure the bill was proposed with the intention of bringing perpetrators to book, but the Internet is a vast ocean that hides many secrets. Phishing scams are organized from far-off countries like Russia and Romania, and more often than not, the crooks keep shifting base to avoid detection. Even if suspicious activity is detected from foreign origins, by the time the law enforcers of the affected countries join forces to take suitable action, the operation is wound up.
And with botnets being used to relay phishing emails most of the time, the question remains – will anyone ever be prosecuted under this law?
