Skip to main content

Congress recognizes the work of mortgage brokers: June 7 proclaimed National Mortgage Broker Day

Sep 28, 2005

Major ISPs sue mortgage spammersMortgagePress.comCAN-SPAM Act Four major U.S. Internet service providers are suing more than 220 alleged spammers, including mortgage spammers, responsible for sending out millions of pieces of unsolicited commercial e-mail. Among the six lawsuits, filed in early March by America Online Inc., EarthLink Inc., Microsoft Corporation and Yahoo! Inc., are three complaints against mortgage spammers. The defendants are accused of using illegal tactics, such as deceptive subject lines and the sale of e-mail addresses. The lawsuits are among the first filed under the U.S. law Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM), which went into effect in January of 2004. AOL filed a complaint against "John Doe 1 through 40," citing the transmission of messages to AOL members that allegedly sell a variety of products, including mortgages. The EarthLink complaint groups together John Does 26 through 35 as the "mortgage lead spammers." EarthLink accuses the defendants of hiding their identities with falsified headers and fake "from" lines, among other tactics. Yahoo! filed its complaint against a group it calls the "head operation," after defendants Erick Head, Matthew Head and Barry Head, alleged that the group sent 94 million e-mail messages to Yahoo! mail users. The spam included mortgage solicitations. The companies said that they are confident they can use the expanded law enforcement tools available under CAN-SPAM to identify the unnamed defendants and shut them down. The plaintiffs also think they will be able to use the CAN-SPAM law to bring the defendants operating outside the United States into U.S. court, thereby destroying the myth that offshore spammers are untouchable. CAN-SPAM co-sponsors Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) praised the four Internet service providers for filing the lawsuits. Wyden believes the days of unrestrained spamming are over, and the integrity of the Internet will finally be restored after the impact of these lawsuits takes effect.
About the author
Published
Sep 28, 2005
Rocket Pro And Vetted VA Join Forces

What started as a Facebook group now educates 100K+ veterans monthly — Vetted VA and Rocket Pro working to bring ethics, clarity to a broken system

Jun 17, 2025
MBA Urges Shift To Single Credit Report Model, Citing Cost Savings And Efficiency

MBA says tri-merge credit checks cost lenders up to $100 per loan, doubling since pre-COVID, as industry pushes for a cheaper, single-report model

Jun 16, 2025
Fairway Acquires Hallmark Home Mortgage Through Asset Purchase

Hallmark to become new Fairway division, gets access to Fairway's Fairway's product portfolio, tech, and support resources

Jun 13, 2025
Trigger Leads Bill Clears Senate

Final push now left to House; reconciled bill needed next

Housing Market Outlook: Brighter Days To Come

NAR Chief Economist Yun calls lower mortgage rates ‘magic bullet’ to boost home sales

Jun 11, 2025
Redfin Shareholders Say Yes To Acquisition By Rocket

Nearly 99% of Redfin shareholders vote to approve merger, though fewer vote yes to compensation for company’s execs

Jun 10, 2025