Spam drops by 20% after Russia takes down one man

[Emil]

There are now about 20 percent fewer spam e-mails hitting your inbox, thanks to efforts from the Russian government. Russian authorities this week cracked down on suspected spam kingpin Igor A. Gusev, according to The New York Times.

Moscow police said the 31-year-old, who by now has fled the country, was a central figure in the operations of SpamIt.com, a website that paid spammers to promote online pharmacies. SpamIt.com suddenly stopped operating on September 27 and Gusev's house was raided this week. His illegal spam network helped earn his partner company $120 million. With less financial incentive to send their junk mail, spammers reduced their activity by an estimated 50 billion messages a day.

Gusev and SpamIt.com had both been operating openly in Moscow for several years until Russia decided enough was enough. There are still 200 billion unwanted e-mails sent off every day, but cutting the world's spam by one fifth is a great start. Unfortunately, taking history into account, we wouldn't be surprised if that number went back up in a few weeks; the SpamIt.com website will simply be replaced.

In the meantime, Russia has opened a criminal case against Gusev for flooding the Internet with advertisements for Viagra, operating a pharmacy without a license, and operating a business without registration. This is unprecedented in Russia, since the country is known as a haven for spammers, but Western partners are pressuring the country to clamp down on abuse of the Internet.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/40897-spam-drops-by-20-after-russia-takes-down-one-man.html

 

[zinzan8]

I hate spam. But I don't know what the answer is.

 

[Ahmed90]

lol 20% ? xD nice

this is the power of the internet

but what i really cant understand that how any body would trust and buy medicals / drugs from a online pharmacy by email with cheap products ?

 

[Zecias]

i lold at the title and picture.
this is where viruses originated, people create viruses that don't harm yur computer, just use yur email to spam other people and they make money that way.

 

[gwailo247]

If they just arrest four more guys we'll be free of spam.

 

[frodough]

zinzan8 said:
I hate spam. But I don't know what the answer is.

you are probably not from US, cuz ppl here love spams there are potential sumo wrestlers everywhere...

 

[TomSEA]

That's incredible that just one guy is responsible for 20% of ALL SPAM.

 

[TeamworkGuy2]

There is now real way to stop the majority of spam if other countries do not do their part.
I am happy to see a country like Russia working on the spam problem.

 

[Neojt]

Well why dont they go after the companies that pay spammers instead

Spammers do it for the money if all the companies that promote spam get major fines then maybe they'll stop hiring spammers

"Moscow police said the 31-year-old, who by now has fled the country," If they didnt get him hes probably going to start over somewhere else too

 

[pyari]

yes I realize that my inbox is somekinda free of spam emails. thx to them but we all know 1 stop 10 more is burn and the situation is same.

 

[customcarvin]

What a coincidence, I was just thinking to myself yesterday how the internets seem 20% snappier.. Now I know it's because we don't have all that spam bottle-necking ...... (^_-) lol

YAY!! Now I only have check the spam&delete box 16 times a day instead of 20! Good riddance, spam sucks! I cant understand how these companys would actually make money off of spamming, I mean has anyone here, or anyone you know ever clicked on one of these "save money on viagra" links, or something similar? Honestly? I wonder how much they pay guys like Mr. Gusev to do this dirty work, and i wonder how many real bites they get from suckers that buy this junk. I can't imagine they make much bank. People can't seriously be that stupid, can they?

 

[shortie]

Hmmm never rly had a problem with spam but good for the russians !

 

[fritz123]

wow i didnt know know russia loves spam so much. haha

i kinda good to know that i'll be getting 20% less viagra emails. lol. this wont last for long though. i dont think that only one person runs the whole operation. he's gotta have other workers right?

all out war on spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmm

 

[treeski]

It's a shame he got away. I'm glad Russia is actually responding to pressure from the West.

 

[cardriverx]

I dont know what you just said, but I agree!

 

[Recipe7]

gwailo247 said:
If they just arrest four more guys we'll be free of spam.

Haha.

They really need to arrest the Nigerian scammers tho... ugh. I don't know anyone who doesn't know about them =x

 

[Afroaggie]

20% of 200000000 is.... Holy moley 40000000 spam emails a day that is more than I think I could send in a lifetime.

 

[zenpanda]

It's about time. Stopping spammers benefits everyone, except for the spammers and their partners. I hope other countries realize that spam is not just a nuisance but also a serious security threat, spreading malware and computer viruses... and a financial drain on companies and individuals who have to spend money to combat it.

 

[pyari]

customcarvin said:
I cant understand how these companys would actually make money off of spamming, I mean has anyone here, or anyone you know ever clicked on one of these "save money on viagra" links, or something similar? Honestly?

there is million of millions innocent user out there I suppose those are the victims. In my learning phase(14 yrs earlier) I don't know nothing but know I have to click on where hands pointer appear. now I know little bit but still I'm learning phase. The time is change and they know how to fool the user. user is smart but spammer is smarter then user.

 

[Scshadow]

We may never see the end of spam. But here is to one small victory.

 

[thedrelle]

one man gets taken down, 5 take his place.

I just dont get why some people feel the need to flood one's inbox with trite and shallow nonesense.

 

[DryIce]

Yes! Russia 1, spammers, um, still 200 billion.

 

[whiteandnerdy]

20% less spam means less spam samiches, darn!

i don't get much spam but but i can see why it would be a pain. but why people click on those things, ill never understand.

 

[Xero07]

Thank goodness, spam angers me. Really any spam center that operates openly should be stopped.

 

[sMILEY4ever]

DryIce said:
Yes! Russia 1, spammers, um, still 200 billion.

I lold.
Anyways, Russia is a haven for cybercrime.