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AG Tom Reilly stops major spam ring
Posted on May 11, 2005

Attorney General Reilly's Consumer Protection and Antitrust Division (CPAD) today filed a lawsuit against Leo Kuvayev and six other individuals with Massachusetts ties accused of running an elaborate spam operation.

Also today, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Ralph D. Gants granted AG Reilly's request for an emergency court order that effectively shuts down multiple websites linked to Kuvayev and the other defendants as well as two Internet companies.

The defendants named in suit include Kuvayev -- the ring-leader, Vladislav Khokholkov, Anna Orlova, Pavel Tkachuk, Michelle Marco, Dennis Nartikoev, Pavel Yashin and two companies: 2K Services, Ltd., and eCash Pay, Ltd.

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.

AG Reilly's investigation, coupled with information provided by Microsoft, found that Kuvayev and the defendants regularly and rapidly shifted domain names and websites to different Internet addresses. By following the domain names through several of these shifts, uncovering more domain names linked to identical websites, and obtaining registration information from website hosting companies, investigators were able to determine the identity of Kuvayev and others and link them to websites selling counterfeit prescription drugs, pirated software, mortgage loan offers, counterfeit Rolex watches, and pornography.

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.

AG Tom Reilly alleges in his complaint that:

-- Kuvayev and his associates sent un-labeled and misleading sexually explicit emails in violation of the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act; and the federal CAN-SPAM Act;

-- Kuvayev and his associates sent "masked" email messages with false sender addresses and bogus subject lines, in violation of the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act and the CAN-SPAM Act;

-- Kuvayev and his associates used these emails and affiliated websites to advertise, sell and distribute a variety of unapproved counterfeit prescription drugs, like counterfeit Vioxx, Zoloft, Paxil, Lipitor, and Viagra, in violation of state law and the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act.

-- Kuvayev and his associates used illegal emails and affiliated websites to advertise, sell and distribute a variety of counterfeit software such as Microsoft Office, Microsoft XP and Adobe Acrobat.

-- Kuvayev and his associates used illegal emails and affiliated websites to offer misleading mortgage quotes to consumers in violation of state laws that require mortgage brokers be licensed with the state and that regulate mortgage broker advertising.

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.

UPDATE

Vladislav Khokholkov, reached by phone in Russia, confirmed that he worked for 2K Services five years ago, but denied that he was involved in sending spam. He claimed that the company was defunct.

"That's very strange, because I don't know where they get their information," he said of the lawsuit. "As far as I know those companies don't even exist anymore. ... I for sure exist, but I don't send e-mails."

SOURCE: Theo Emery, AP




by sabarokareshNO@SPAMyahoo.ca on Thursday May 12, @12:56PM
The home in Mas. is his mother's address. In 2001, when I knew Leo, he had an apartment and an office in Montreal, Canada. His main partner at the time had already been deported to Russia. The guy will do anything for money, including.

That partner dealt heavily in trafficking of Child Pornography, and while I was working at 2k Services, even considered doing it through the office (I didn't find out about that until after I'd quit).

He also runs online casinos with his own software that's got quite a record on Casino Meister.

His partner runs top100.org (including all the other domains on the same software) which is where a lot of child pornography gets trafficked.

I used to work for Leo Kuvayev at 2k Services/ECash Services. I am grateful I quit years ago to move onto better jobs. I hope he and his partners end up behind bars. They have no ethics.

SOURCE: Slashdot




by Sentry21 on Thursday May 12, @01:14PM
Some more related info, for those who are interested.

I used to work for Leo, but I got out before things went from bad to worse. Other coworkers and friends, as well as my roommate, weren't so lucky.

Aside from the flash designers that he was paying under the table and the animal pornography and child pornography that he's gotten into distributing (the story didn't mention that though, I guess it's unrelated), he was just a really shady character. He was good friends with Alan Ralsky (who, at one point, both had and used my roommate's cellphone number several times), and he was all for doing whatever he could to make money. Truly, to those who believe in the capitalist ideal, he was an icon for all.

Leo is a Russia-born American citizen; the address in Mass. is his mother's address, but Leo has relocated to Russia (the article says he might be, but I can confirm this). Aside from the big screw-ups that the article mentions, he's also done such wonderful things as trying to dock people's pay so their salaries match other employees, and he fired me because the secretary, with whom he was having an affair, told him that I'd said I was going to quit (which I didn't).

I don't feel so bad now that I 'worked' for him for a few months, fudged my hours upwards by around 50-70%, and then went on vacation after I'd made a few grand off of him. Oh well.

SOURCE: Slashdot