An Auckland based company has been ordered to pay $120,000 for sending over half a million spam messages via email and text message.
The civil case against Image Marketing Group (IMG) was taken by the Department of Internal Affairs under the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act and heard by Justice Mary Peters at the Auckland High Court (complete High Court Decision available here).
The Department of Internal Affairs took action against the company after receiving about 500 complaints from the public. IMG admitted that the messages sent to these people were spam.
Tony Demetriou, Team Leader Electronic Messaging Compliance says the result is an excellent outcome.
“IMG must now stop sending any further spam to New Zealand electronic addresses. This is a clear win for consumer who are sick and tired of receiving unwanted messages via email or texts.“
As part of a pre-trial settlement, IMG admitted breaching the Act. The penalties imposed were recommended to the Court by both the Department of Internal Affairs and IMG, and included a discount for IMG`s admissions and co-operation.
For more information you can read the full Press Release, or visit the Department of Internal Affairs` anti-spam webpage.