Security News > 2023 > August > 'Millions' of spammy emails with no opt-out? That'll cost you $650K, Experian

Experian has agreed to cough up $650,000 after being accused of spamming people with no opt-out button.

According to the Feds [PDF], California-based Experian Consumer Services, also known as ConsumerInfo.com, spammed folks with marketing offers after they signed up for free accounts to limit third-party access to their credit reports.

These subsequent marketing emails, which number in the millions, we're told, promoted additional Experian services and included detailed information about the users' lives.

Some of them asked people to confirm a car that Experian had linked to the user's account was their vehicle; others offered a service to boost their credit score; and some promised free scans of the dark web to determine if any of their personal info had been leaked.

The one thing they didn't do - and this is where Experian allegedly ran afoul of the law - was provide an easy way for people to opt-out.

In addition to paying the $650,000, er, business fee, Experian has to obey a court-issued order [PDF] prohibiting the corporation from sending future spam emails that do not give folks an opt-out mechanism and otherwise violating CAN-SPAM. "Signing up for a membership doesn't mean you're signing up for unwanted email, especially when all you're trying to do is freeze your credit to protect your identity," said Samuel Levine of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/08/22/experian_doj_ftc/