In an announcement, the Los Angeles office of the FBI said that Jeffrey Brett Goodin, 45, posed as an AOL billing representative and sent thousands of fake e-mails to AOL customers asking them to confirm their account passwords and personal billing information. The e-mails urged them to do so or lose service, and referred them to one of several fraudulent Internet Web sites where they could enter their information. Goodin allegedly controlled those Web sites, according to the FBI.

The information was later used to make unauthorized credit card and debit card purchases, according to the FBI.

Goodin was charged with operating a sophisticated 'phishing' scheme, where accounts are created online and used to deceive people into believing that they are providing their information to a legitimate business. He was charged with wire fraud and the unauthorized use of an access device, in this case a credit card, and faces a maximum of 30 years in federal prison if convicted.

The Electronic Crimes Task Force, which includes the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, investigated the case and assistance was received from the Ontario, Calif., police department.

An FBI spokesman could not be reached for comment Friday morning.