Full story at:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/11/dsquared.htm

For Release: November 6, 2003
FTC Obtains Order Barring Pop-up Spam Scam, Urges Consumers to Take Steps to
Protect Themselves

Ads Tout Software to Stop Annoying Pop-Ups - Like The Ones They're Sending;
Defendants Allegedly Exploited Microsoft Windows Messenger Service to
Contact Consumers

At the Federal Trade Commission's request, a U.S. district court has issued
a temporary restraining order against an operation that barraged numerous
consumers' computers with repeated Windows Messenger Service pop up ads -
most of which advertised software that would block future pop-ups. The
defendants repeatedly sent messages to consumers - as frequently as every 10
minutes - instructing consumers to visit Web sites that state that the
barrage of pop ups could be stopped by purchasing software at a cost of $25
to $30. By using the Windows Messenger Service, the defendants caused their
pop ups to appear on consumers' computer screens even when consumers were
not browsing the Internet. According to the FTC, consumers can stop the
pop-ups by changing the default setting on their Windows operating system.
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The complaint announced today was filed against the following defendants,
all of whom are based in San Diego, California: D Squared Solutions, LLC (D
Squared); and Anish Dhingra and Jeffrey Davis, both individually and as
officers of D Squared.
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