Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly files an emergency order to shut down one of the world’s largest spam rings.
The emergency court order obtained by Mr. Reilly aimed to shut down dozens of web sites operated by spammers in the Boston area. Messages sent by the gang included enticements to purchase counterfeit drugs, pirated software, and various adult material.
A lawsuit filed today by the state named Leo Kuvayev as the ringleader of the elaborate spam operation. Six other persons with ties to Boston were also named. The court order shut down numerous websites linked to Mr. Kuvayev, as well as two Internet companies.
Said AG Reilly of the spammers: “This type of spam is more than just an annoyance to consumers. It poses a real danger to people who may be fooled into buying counterfeit versions of prescription drugs or unwittingly open email links to sexually explicit websites.”
The two companies named in the suit were 2K Services, Ltd, and Ecash Pay, Ltd. All of the persons named in the lawsuit worked for one company or the other at some point. Both companies list the same post office box as their address.
While the exact number of spam messages sent won’t be known, the AG office estimates hundreds of millions were sent to recipients in and outside of Massachusetts. Mr. Reilly’s office enlisted the help of Microsoft in the investigation.
Microsoft established trap e-mail accounts and collected more than 45,000 messages in a three week period last summer. Investigators used the messages to track down Mr. Kuvayev.
One violation alleged by the AG’s office will be the violation of the federal CAN-SPAM act. This law didn’t ban spam, but it did encumber the sender with the requirement that unsolicited commercial e-mail be accurate and contain functional instructions on opting out of receiving those messages.
The spam ring also violated the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act, due to their efforts to hide the true identities of those responsible for the mass mailings.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
