Patent ID: 7548956
Filing Date: 2009-06-16
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method of controlling the usage of a communications account, the method comprising: accessing communications account characteristics that indicate the communications account is being operated by a spammer and that indicate the communications account is not being operated by a spammer, wherein accessing the communications account characteristics includes accessing information indicative of characteristics which include one or more of the following: determining an aggregate measure that indicates a likelihood that the communications account is being used by a spammer based on the characteristics that indicate the communications account is being operated by a spammer and characteristics that indicate the communications account is not being operated by a spammer, wherein the characteristics that indicate the communications account is being operated by a spammer and the characteristics that indicate the communications account is not being operated by a spammer offset each other when used to determine the aggregate measure; determining whether the communications account is being operated by a spammer based on comparing the aggregate measure to at least one threshold measure to determine whether the aggregate measure indicates that the communications account is being operated by a spammer; and preventing outgoing communications from leaving the communications account in response to the determination that the communications account is being operated by a spammer based on the aggregate measure, wherein the communications account is located at a client terminal or is located at a communications server associated with the client terminal.