Microsoft Aids Florida Anti-Spam Lawsuits

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. said on Monday it has aided Florida's attorney general in anti-spam lawsuits against two Tampa residents, who the state says are responsible for sending tens of thousands of spam messages.

Microsoft, which has been engaged in a three-year fight against virus writers, hackers, spammers and Internet scam artists, said in a statement that Scott Filary and Donald Townsend of Tampa, Florida, were responsible for "running a bogus e-mail and Internet operation responsible for sending more than 65,000 illegal spam messages during the past year."

Filary and Townsend could not immediately be reached for comment.

Florida's top prosecutor, Charlie Crist, said the investigation against the two was conducted with Microsoft's help.

Microsoft says spam, or unsolicited email advertisements touting everything from home refinancing to miracle health cures, could hurt users of its Windows operating system, which runs more than 90 percent of the world's personal computers.

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