Commerce Commission takes a closer look at spam

An international bid to stem the tide of spam, and spam-borne scams, is in its second day today, with New Zealand doing its bit.

The Commerce Commission, as part of a month-long crackdown by members of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network, assigned an analyst the task yesterday and today of sifting through hundreds of spam emails to find where they originated and whether they contained misrepresentations.

"They can range from Nigerian letters, phishing, lotteries and get-rich-quick schemes through to body enhancing-type products - penis enlargement, say - and miracle cures," said the commission's fair trading branch director, Deborah Battell.

Battell said dodgy local emailers would be given a "further look", which could lead to prosecutions, and overseas ones, expected to be the majority, would be referred to the appropriate authorities.

She said such campaigns had in the past led to investigations and prosecutions.