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AOL Reels In Big Phishes
John Stith
Staff Writer
2006-02-28
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America Online (AOL) filed suits in its home state of Virginia utilizing the first anti-phishing law in the country. The suits targets three international groups, charging they stole information from AOL users by sending malicious email in the guise of an "official" email from the company.
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Three separate suits were filed in federal court in Alexandria, Va. on Monday, claiming $18 million in damages. The suits charge 30 phishermen broke the anti-phishing laws passed by Virginia last year. Because AOL is based in Dulles, they were able to file charges under the new law. AOL also cites both the Lanham Act protecting trademarks and the Federal Computer Fraud & Abuse Act, an anti-spam law.
"Phishing scams have grown more sophisticated and more dangerous to consumers," said Curtis Lu, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. "At AOL, we are using every legal and technical means at our disposal to drive phishers from the AOL service, not only to protect our members, but to make the Internet a better, safer place for all consumers.
"The phishers targeted in our lawsuits spoof a variety of prominent internet brands, including AOL. We are going to continue to play our part in protecting the sanctity and integrity of the email experience of the web - and today's actions are a part of our ongoing, successful, and comprehensive antispam and anti-identity theft work."
The phishing networks mentioned in the suit cover the United States, Germany and Romania and were responsible for stealing financial information as well as screen names and passwords.
This isn't the first time companies have gone after spammers. AOL had been involved in about three dozen cases so far and has made a modest profit, winning into the tens of million of dollars.
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About the Author:
John is a staff writer for SecurityProNews covering cyber security.
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