AOL Sues Groups Under Va. Anti-Phishing Law

On Monday, America Online (AOL) filed lawsuits in a Va. federal court seeking $18 million in damages from three international organizations that allegedly “spoofed” unknowing AOL users into sending out sensitive information, the Associated Press reports via Yahoo News.

The three groups that are being sued reputedly employed e-mails disguised as legitimate messages from AOL to trick users into disclosing information, according to the AP.

The suit is based on a Virginia anti-phishing act that is the first of its kind, the AP reports.  It alleges that 30 phishers violated the anti-phishing law, and the company is prosecuting them because AOL is based in Dulles, Va., according to the AP.

The phishers have not yet been identified, but they are accused of creating faux AOL sites to impersonate the company’s staff when sending out phishing e-mails, the AP reports.

A Spokesperson for AOL, Nicholas Graham, told the AP it is unclear how many AOL users were affected by the phishing attempts, but it’s presumed that some exposed passwords, screen names and other financial information.

The phishers are believed to be part of an international Internet crime ring that spans the U.S., Germany and Romania, according to the AP.

For related coverage, read How to Foil a Phish and Foiling Phishing.

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