News
AG Reilly shuts down 250 websites tied to Internet spam gang
Posted on May 23, 2005

A sophisticated group of spammers will be out of business for a while longer under a court order issued today.

An estimated 250 illegal websites operated by a sophisticated ring of spammers using unsolicited, deceptive emails to lure consumers into buying unapproved counterfeit drugs, pirated software and pornography no longer exist in cyberspace, Attorney General Tom Reilly announced today.

The demise of the websites is a direct result of a May 11 lawsuit AG Reilly filed accusing Leo Kuvayev and six individuals with Massachusetts ties of running an elaborate spam operation in violation of state and federal consumer protection laws.

Attorneys from AG Reilly's Consumer Protection and Antitrust Division also sought and obtained an emergency court order effectively shutting down hundreds of websites operated by members of the "Internet Spam Gang." Today, attorneys from AG Reilly's Office were back in court arguing to keep the operators of this complicated web of Internet sites out of cyberspace.

"Annoying email is one thing, but these spammers were peddling unapproved, counterfeit drugs to the public and sending messages with blind links to sexually explicit websites," AG Reilly said.

The court order, granted today by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Ralph D. Gants, puts Kuvayev, the other defendants, and two Internet companies out of business indefinitely. Kuvayev, the ring-leader, lists a Newton address as his residence, and he and his associates use a Boston post office box address for their business operations.

The defendants named in AG Reilly's suit include Kuvayev, Vladislav Khokholkov, Anna Orlova, Pavel Tkachuk, Michelle Marco, Dennis Nartikoev, Pavel Yashin and two companies: 2K Services, Ltd., and Ecash Pay, Ltd. All of these individuals, according to the complaint, have worked in some capacity for either 2K Services or eCash Pay, which are unincorporated and list the same Massachusetts post office box address as their place of business.

According to AG Reilly's complaint, Kuvayev's scheme involves a complicated web of Internet sites and domain names selling a variety of illegal products including counterfeit drugs, pirated software, pornography, mortgage loans and phony designer watches.

Through the use of trap email accounts, set up for the express purpose of determining the names and identity of spammers, Microsoft officials collected more than 45,000 spam messages believed to be from the Internet Spam Gang between June 12 and July 4, 2004.

The Internet Spam Gang's operations have been tracked to Russia and other countries overseas, with domain names registered in Monaco, Australia and France, and computer servers located in China, Korea, Brazil and Taiwan.

Assistant Attorneys General Thuy Wagner and Scott Schafer of AG Reilly's Consumer Protection and Antitrust Division are handling this case with assistance from Eric Funk in AG Reilly's Investigations Division and paralegal Kasey Lindsey.

RELATED: AG Tom Reilly stops major spam ring
SOURCE: Massachusetts Attorney General's Office