Drop in spam email after Russian crackdown
You may not have noticed but the world supply of Viagra ads and other email spam has dropped by an estimated one-fifth since last month. On Tuesday, Moscow police officials announced a criminal investigation of a suspected spam kingpin, Igor Gusev, who is believed to have fled the country.
The police said Gusev, 31, was a central figure in the operations of SpamIt.com, which paid spammers to promote online pharmacies. SpamIt.com suddenly stopped operating on Sept 27. With less financial incentive to send their junk mail, spammers curtailed their activity by an estimated 50 billion messages a day.
It was unclear why the site was closed until Tuesday, when Moscow police officials searched Gusev's apartment and office in Moscow, according a Moscow police officer. Why, after years of ignoring spammers, the Russian authorities have now acted has left online security experts puzzled.
