Online Swindlers, Called 'Phishers,' Lure Unwary:
"EarthLink, the big Internet access provider, went hunting for phishers.

It started a campaign to track down people who were sending e-mail messages that pretended to be from EarthLink but were actually fraudulent attempts to steal customers' passwords, credit card numbers and other information. What it found was that of the dozen or so people it could clearly identify as engaged in the practice known as phishing, more than half were under 18."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/24/technology/24PHIS.html?pagewanted=all&position=