Never heard of Ryan Pitylak? He has been in your e-mail box

BY HOWARD WITT - CHICAGO TRIBUNE Aug 3, 2004

AUSTIN, Texas - For a young man who has repeatedly reached into the personal e-mail boxes of uncountable numbers of Americans, Ryan Pitylak is awfully bashful.

His name never appears as the sender in any of these e-mails, and he has taken great pains to set up hundreds of shell companies, such as Federated Continuum, Northern Alternative and Visionary Advanced, that conceal his identity.

But if you have recently received a customized e-mail offer to refinance your mortgage, buy health insurance, install a burglar alarm or extend your auto warranty, Pitylak is one of the people seeking your acquaintance. And if you responded to any of the offers he sent, you instantly made him wealthier: His companies earn up to $7 for every reply.

Times Dispatch