Atlanta, September 27, 2006 – EarthLink’s (NASDAQ: ELNK) investigation into the
source of millions of phisher site spam e-mails has helped law enforcement break
up an alleged identity theft ring. A federal grand jury in New Haven,
Connecticut returned an indictment on September 20th charging six individuals
identity theft, conspiracy and fraud in connection with e-mail and access
devices. The indictment was unsealed today.
“Phisher sites are a dangerous and fast-growing type of identity theft.
Searching for the origins of these hoaxes and providing evidence to law
enforcement are part of EarthLink’s ongoing effort to put spammers out of
business and protect the integrity of the Internet,” said Lindsey Wegrzyn,
EarthLink’s Operations Security Enforcement Advisor. “We applaud the actions of
Connecticut's U.S. Attorney’s Office in bringing the perpetrators of online
fraud to justice.”
The indictment charges Michael Dolan of North Miami Beach, Florida; Charlie
Blount, Jr, of Branford, Connecticut; Keith Riedel of Winter Haven, Florida;
Richard D’Andrea of West Haven, Connecticut; Thomas Taylor, Jr., of West Haven,
and Daniel Mascia of West Haven, with various counts of conspiracy, fraud in
connection with access devices, fraud in connection with electronic mail and
aggravated identity theft. Blount, D’Andrea and Taylor entered guilty pleas.
The charges follow a year-long investigation by EarthLink’s abuse team. In May
of 2005, EarthLink’s abuse team began identifying phisher site e-mails on its
network that used a variety of methods including fake “greeting card” e-mails,
bogus prize-winning announcements and account cancellation messages to trick
consumers into providing credit card numbers and other personal information.
EarthLink’s abuse team shut down the accounts sending the fraudulent e-mails,
and captured evidence about the e-mails’ origins for law enforcement.
Phisher site e-mails typically instruct consumers to click on a link to what
looks like a real corporate Website and input personally identifying
information. Then the fake or “phisher” Website tricks consumers and steals
their passwords, e-mail addresses, credit card numbers and other personal
information. The phisher site spam ring manipulated the practice by generating
different types of e-mail messages in order to appeal to users and lure them to
the phisher sites.
EarthLink is committed to pursuing spammers through working with law enforcement
and taking spammers to court. Since 1996, the company has sued hundreds of
spammers and won more than $200 million in judgments, including two criminal
convictions against spammers who received prison sentences for their offenses.
About EarthLink
“EarthLink. We revolve around you™.” As the nation's next generation Internet
service provider, Atlanta-based EarthLink has earned an award-winning reputation
for outstanding customer service and its suite of online products and services.
Serving over five million subscribers, EarthLink offers what every user should
expect from their Internet experience: high-quality connectivity, minimal online
intrusions and customizable features. Whether it's dial-up, high-speed, voice,
web hosting, wireless or "EarthLink Extras" like home networking or security,
EarthLink connects people to the power and possibilities of the Internet. Learn
more about EarthLink by calling (800) EARTHLINK or visiting EarthLink's Web site
at
www.EarthLink.net.
