... I don't get Viagra and Cialis spam anymore...

Quote:

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Although spam is the nightmare of every email user, you might be shocked and possibly saddened in knowing that a major player, in the dark area of the internet, has met his match in the form of a Russian hit-squad known as "The Killers". Alexey Tolstokozhev, his name meaning "Thick Skin", was found murdered today in his luxury apartment on the outskirts of Moscow. The victim was the cause of 30% of all medical-enlargement pills and viagra emails sent day-in, day-out to millions of email account holders.

When he was found, the police determined that he had been shot several times in the head. The last head-shot was apparently a clear mark of the gang which committed the horrid murder.

Tolstokozhev is an infamous spammer who has sent millions of viagra, medical-enlargement, cialis pills among many other medications on behalf of large pharmaceutical companies from which each click earns him a hefty profit. In order to do so, Tolstokozhev created a network of infected computers (a so-called "botnet") hired from professional hackers. So what exactly did he earn in his area of business, well authorities estimate that he earned in excess of $2 million in 2007 alone! (when compared to the average monthly income Russia, $400, you can instantly tell he was living the high-life).

This is not a first incident of a Russian spammer being assassinated, Vardan Kushnir was killed in 2005.

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[ http://www.joejoe.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=12064&st=0&#entry145610 ]

This sounds like an internet rumor...

If true, good riddance to spam, but Russia seems like the Wild West these days...

If its true then probably pharaceutical companies will find another guy who can do the spam for them. So it wont solve the spam. The network containing all the infected pc's was hired from professional hackers so your pc's are still in it and the information will be abused by other companies.

That said, IF it's true of course.

The problem with spam is that it actually works - at the cost of annoying millions of people. Spam enough people and you'll eventually get a buyer.

Sounds like "The Killers" were not happy with their Viagra results..

Alexey Tolstokozhev isn't known by the Spamhaus organization, so I would really think this might be a fake story. If he would really be responsible for 30%, I think they would know about him there..

Off course, I don't know the guy in person or anything, so perhaps he's dead and perhaps he was a spammer still,

Cheers