Internet retailer Cyebye.com has agreed to stop using misleading “from” lines in the headers of e-mails sent to customers, the New York attorney general’s office said yesterday.
E.B.A. Wholesale Corp., Brooklyn, NY, operated the Web site and sent e-mails to 10,000 customers in May 2003 that displayed the name “Amazon.com” in the “from” line, the attorney general’s office said. The retailer did so without Amazon’s permission, and its promotion was unrelated to Amazon, according to the attorney general.
As part of the New York settlement, Cyebye agreed to cease the use of third-party names in marketing without permission and provide the attorney general with records confirming its compliance. Cyebye, also agreed to pay a $10,000 penalty and keep records of all its commercial e-mail messages for the next two years. Cyebye also agreed to pay Amazon an unspecified amount of money
The problem with faked headers is not relegated to Cyebye. Amazon said it filed 11 lawsuits against e-mail marketers this week claiming they misrepresented e-mail addresses to make it appear that the messages were sent by Amazon.
