AOL Takes Fight Against Identity Theft To Court, Files Lawsuits
Against Three Major Phishing Gangs
AOL Becomes First Major ISP to Use Virginia's New Anti-Phishing
State
Law
DULLES, VA - Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - To help battle the rising
tide of email phishing scams, devious email hoaxes, and complex
identity theft on the Internet, AOL has filed three civil lawsuits
against several major phishing gangs today, as part of AOL's
wide-ranging efforts to protect the email safety and security of
AOL's members.
The lawsuits are the first by a major ISP to cite Virginia's
first-in-the-nation anti-phishing statute, adopted in July 2005.
The lawsuits also cite applicable Federal laws, including the
Federal Lanham Act (trademark law), and the Federal Computer Fraud
& Abuse Act (antispam). AOL is seeking total damage awards of
$18 million.
Laptop Battery AOL's lawsuits allege that these phishing gangs - some believed
to operate from abroad - victimized AOL and CompuServe members
through emails that attempted to trick and lure them to fake
Websites of legitimate online companies, for the purpose of fooling
them into giving up their personal identifying information, such as
AOL screen names, passwords, and credit card information.
Identity Theft Is Committed By A Variety of Criminals Many identity thefts are committed by opportunists or petty criminals, and organized crime gangs worldwide are also becoming increasingly involved. scale cases of credit fraud and identity theft that involve hacking into major online databases. In Moscow, for example, there are an estimated 6, 000 criminal gangs, and most are believed to be involved in identity theft at some level.
Thinkpad "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."
mail theft, dumpster diving, phishing scams and how to prevent identity fraud at Identity.privacymatters.com
Microsoft The AOL Anti-Phishing Lawsuits
Texas has filed a lawsuit against two men believed to be part of the world's largest spam operations. The state's attorney general Greg Abbott announced that the civil lawsuit had been filed in federal court in Austin against Ryan Samuel Pitylak, a University of Texas student, and Mark Stephen Trotter of California.
Laptop Computers The three lawsuits, filed in Alexandria, Virginia's U.S. Court
for the Eastern District of Virginia, target aggressive and complex
identity thieves who sent official-looking emails to AOL members in
an attempt to trick and lure them to websites that mimicked the
appearance and feel of official AOL or CompuServe websites. (See
sample screen shots at links below.) Once directed to one of these
fake websites, AOL and CompuServe members were encouraged to enter
their screen names, passwords, billing and other financial
information. These phishers could then use this information to
traffic in stolen identities, to compromise credit cards and
personal identities of innocent internet users - and then interfere
with their online experience, and for some - to steal their
identities and assets. According to the lawsuits, these phishing
groups used vast resources and creativity to intricately design
hundreds and hundreds of fake websites to mislead consumers. AOL
has stored tens of thousands of examples of phish emails
transmitted by these gangs.
Find out more. $29.99 (US) The best defense against cyber criminals and online con artists is here! icSpyware Suite provides daily protection from Spyware, phishing scams and identity theft! Spyware shadows and records every keystroke looking for your private data! Phishing scams work behind the scenes without your knowledge to steal your financial information! I.D. theft is becoming one of the fastest growing crimes today!
Laptop Computer The Serious and Ongoing Threat of Phishing
Even as the Internet improves our lives, electronic threats from spam, borne viruses, fraud, identity theft, and other phishing scams are becoming more pervasive.
Desktop Computer Phishing is a growing online threat as scammers adapt and refine
their fraudulent efforts to trick consumers into giving up personal
information. The IRS, for example, is warning of widespread
phishing emails as tax filing deadlines near. The Anti-Phishing
Working Group (www.apwg.org) found almost 50,000 phishing websites
created last year - and more than 7,000 in December alone (see
chart). A 2005 survey of personal computers by AOL and the National
Cyber Security Alliance found that 1 of every 4 home computer users
are hit by phishing attacks each month.
Notebooks AOL: At the Forefront of Protecting Internet Users &
Fighting Internet Miscreants
Lenovo AOL has fought the scourge of spamming and phishing on a number
of fronts - from lawsuits to advanced technology to certified mail
programs. Every day, for example, AOL blocks an average 1.5 billion
spam emails from reaching member inboxes, thereby catching most
phishing emails. AOL also blocks 80% of all incoming email from the
internet as spam at the gateway. Even with spam complaints down on
the AOL service by more than 75% since its peak in late 2003,
antispam filters blocked over 500 billion spam emails from reaching
members in 2005, as announced in December. AOL has also launched a
program that blocks delivery of emails with web links to known
phishing sites. Web links in emails from unknown senders are
disabled by default, to add another layer of protection for
members. AOL also blocks access to known phishing sites for members
who use either the AOL software or the AOL Explorer browser to
access the Web. In Fall 2005, AOL announced partnerships with
leading anti-phishing companies MarkMonitor and Cyveillance, and an
expanded agreement with existing partner Cyota, to provide AOL
members multiple layers of invisible protection against phishing
attacks.
Hard Drive And, in October 2005, AOL and Yahoo! announced plans to
implement a Goodmail Systems program known as 'CertifiedEmail' to
make it even more difficult for phishers and spammers to deceive
consumers into believing their emails are legitimate.
Travelstar * * Editor's Note: Please find thumbnail sketches of the three
lawsuits
http://corp.aol.com/press/phish_summary.shtml;
please find screenshots of some of the phishing attacks, scams,
and hoaxes AOL is fighting against
http://corp.aol.com/press/phish_screenshots.shtml; please find
PDF copies of the three filed legal complaints
http://corp.aol.com/press/phish_complaints.shtml; and please
find a one page overview chart of AOL's antiphishing activities
to date http://corp.aol.com/press/phish_overview.shtml.
Gateway
About America Online, Inc.
Laptop Parts America Online, Inc. and its subsidiaries operate a leading
network of Web brands and the largest Internet access subscription
service in the United States. Brands include the AOL(r) service,
the AOL.com(r) website, and the AIM(r), MapQuest(r), Moviefone(r),
Netscape(r), CompuServe(r) and ICQ(r) services. America Online
offers a range of digital services including the TotalTalk(r) voice
service. The
company also has operations in
Canada and Europe. America Online, Inc. is based in Dulles,
Virginia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc.
(NYSE: TWX)
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