EarthLink Sues 100 Accused of Spamming

EarthLink Inc. filed a federal lawsuit against 100 people, mostly in Alabama and Canada, blaming them for millions of unwanted commercial e-mail messages, or spam.

EarthLink, the third-largest Internet service provider, accuses the Alabama individuals of using stolen credit cards, identity theft and banking fraud to fund Internet accounts and send out more than 250 million pieces of e-mail.

EarthLink, which said it suffered $5 million in damages from the Alabama ring alone, has yet to identify individuals -- the Alabama defendants are listed as John Does 1-25.

The lawsuit also accuses an additional 25 John Does in Vancouver, British Columbia, of running a scheme in which spammers pose as Internet service providers to collect personal and financial information from unsuspecting subscribers. An additional 50 defendants in the case remain unidentified.