After determining the spam was originating from South Florida, EarthLink’s fraud and abuse team contacted the FBI. Federal agents tracked the emails, issued a search warrant, and field agents arrested Jared Cosgrave and Mohammed Haque.
“Spammers who set up PeoplePC accounts for the sole purpose of sending spam will be dealt with harshly,” Lindsey Wegrzyn, EarthLink’s operations security enforcement advisor, said. “EarthLink is committed to cracking down on any abuse of our networks. We commend the South Florida Attorney General’s office and Miami FBI for helping to shut down this spamming operation.”
U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta charged the pair with fraud and violating the Can-Spam Act. Both have pleaded guilty.
EarthLink began its investigation last November when it discovered thousands of emails with the subject lines “I’m finally back home” and “I just got back in town.” Other spam promoted herbal supplements.
“Catching spammers who sent thousands of email messages using a PeoplePC account is key to helping our 1.4 million members have a hassle-free Internet experience.” PeoplePC’s Group Vice President and General Manager David Rowland said.
