Real punishment: Russian Viagra spammer murdered
We all know how annoying can spam be. Although there are highly sophiscated tools nowadays, which can reduce the amount of spam in your mailbox to the minimum, it’s still at least unpleasent to see all those “penis enlargement” mails. But people working in this “business” aren’t safe anymore: Alexey Tolstokozhev (btw, in Russian his name means ‘Thick Skin’), a Russian spammer, was found murdered in his luxury house near Moscow. He has been shot several times with one bullet stuck in his head. According to authorities, this last head shot is a clear mark of russian hit men (known as “killers” in Russia). Tolstokozhev was a famous spammer who sent millions of e-mail promoting viagra, cialis, penis enlargement pills and other medications.
Links in these e-mails usually led to some pharmacy shop, which paid Tolstokozhev a share of its revenue. This is a well known affiliate scheme employed by spammers worldwide. Tolstokozhev is estimated to be responsible for up to 30% percent of all viagra and penis enlargement related spam. In order to send millions and millions of unsolicited letters, Tolstokozhev employed a network of infected computers (so-called “botnet”), which he rented from hackers. How profitable is spam? Well, the authorities say that Tolstokozhev has likely made more than $2 million in 2007 alone. (in comparison: average russian monthly salary is $400). This is a second murder of a spammer in Russia. Another russian spammer, Vardan Kushnir, was assassinated in 2005. Didn’t your momma tell you that sending spam is bad?
Note: thanks for your support, we made it to the front page of Digg and Slashdot!
Source: Alex Loonov
Comments(99)
lol
LOL!!!
N00b got his come come uppance!
–Saiyanfury
Well it’s nice to hear about hit men who is against SPAM…
I dont know if this is sad or not.
But thanks hitmen, you did a great job.
Das bedanya, Volkov!
Now that’s what I call spam protection.
spamming is probly part of an organized crime, and he is cheating his boss and they had him removed lol
Wow those hitmen must have done something to annoy people, one minute they’re taking out big time mafia bosses.
Next their taking out Internet geeks
Poor guys
30% less SPAM
But I would like a different solution than killing the f…… spammers 
Makes m3 happy to see 1 less spammer
OWNED!
GG Killer.
@Tim: looool
i just have the feeling that this isn’t going to end those 30% of spam, maybe someone close to him will take is job
The hitman must have been angry because the penis enlargement pills didn’t work on him.
SPAMMMMMMMMMM THIS IS SPAM
Well Iam happy Iam not From Russia
but from Slovenia muahahah noobs
Never piss off Russians, especially with Spam.
(yes, I’m a Russian
)
I wondered why my mail reduced, I thought it was the postal strike
all hail to spam killers.
where can i apply to be enlisted in the “killers” clan?
“but isn’t this a gang war between the American spammers and the Russian ones?” says the conspiracy theorist in me
i mean if they can make 2mil$ in one year… hire botnets they could hire a “competition killer” too. right?
How is getting shot several times one of those in the head the job of a hitman? shouldn’t a hitman be using a pianowire and silentkill him?
He was probably killed by mafia, so they can take lucrative earnings from the spam business. I wouldn’t expect spam lowering anytime soon…
=12
Ha! Thats pretty damn funny if you ask me and I’m glad he got shot in the head, serves him right considering he was making millions by pissing people off. All the average people around him probably bust their ass to feed there family.
Wierd, but I don’t feel any sorry for the guy…
Mabye it was Garcian Smith from Capcoms Killer 7
pwnd!
probably unsatisfied “penis enlargment” customer.
Seems a bit of a stiff punishment,
hahahah
POW right in the kisser! i hope these “spam killers” are on a frenzy! ;D
bam bam
Kill them all!
But i didnt know that so big money are around spam :/
lolers!
This is not funny russian is a 3º world contry with only stupid people this is a money thing the guy didnt want to give money to the russian mob , they kill him , russia is one of the worst contrys in the world , wanna kill somebody kill all the people in jail
so now i know why there’s been much less spam in my mailbox lately…
“Что посеешь, то и пожнёшь.” Do svidaniya, mudder facker.
Spam ham is good, Spam mail is bad.
They’re probably on AD-Aware’s payroll. It’ll save time updating runtimes.
either that or some rich russian dude turned on his seventy-billion dollar customised laptop and got an e-bomb so decided to avenge his email account.
that’ll teach won’t it.
I wish there were more hitmen with this much sense.
Прощай Толстокожьев! Kill’em all!
@32 That’s how to say it
My Volkov reference was to the Russian hitman Dimitrij Volkov in No One Lives Forever.
$2 million in 2007! I think i found my new job, not in Russia though
@ 19 bossnanova
He was probably killed by mafia, so they can take lucrative earnings from the spam business. I wouldn’t expect spam lowering anytime soon…
This is the most sensible answer I’ve read.
I said many times… I will some day find and punish the man who sends out all this spam…
I guess someone is doing the job for me.
Teaches the f**ker good.
A big “THANK YOU” and bottle of vodka goes for the “killers” for a great job. Thaks!
This is the best news I’ve gotten in a while… it warms my heart when I read articles like this. It’s like the pressure of the world is being lifted from my shoulders
And I’d love to find those hitmen… so I could shake their hands and say “Thank you SO much”. They should get paid for providing a service to the general public. They’ve literally made millions of people happy.
I think we’ve all pretty much hit a saturation level on advertising. Pushing it seems to worked in reverse for the last few years, creating an intolerance to all advertising.
I can’t stand tv anymore, watch a movie on abc and get less then 35 minutes an hour… 90% of the commericals are offensive and make-up and beauty products got to be the worst.
Now all we need is to get Gmail and other mailbox providers hire those killers on a regular basis.
sounds like the work of the Boondock Saints
sounds like the work of Agent 47
“Spam protection: Sum of 2 + 4 ?”
Future:
Spam protection = head shot
Is there any proof for this? You don’t link to a source or anything
Frank Castle did it.
Now spammers, next scene members. After that…US!!!
Another SPAM?
YES IT IS
THIS IS SPAM
SO WHAT NOW
WELL EXPECT EVEN MORE SPAM
FU{KING SPAMER
Wow. That’s pretty crazy…
Interesting post, Keep up the good work Martin!
the article should’ve been named “Crime and Punishment”
btw, why the hell my previous comment was deleted? wtf?
As only one person so far said, where is the proof of this? Google the name, all you will get is hits to either this website or others
that copy and pasted it. Immediately suspicious. Check SpamWiki and Spamhaus, no such listing for any spammer with that name. Check the list of known viagra spammers, he isnt on it. In fact, the only mentions on google at all are link backs to the story of his death. If hes so well known or notorious, he would at least be listed on Spamhaus’s known-list of spam operations.
damn! that guy must have never saw this coming….
LOL… PWNED!!!
I dont feel sorry at all.. this is want they deserve.
I bet the hitman nickname is SpamAssassin…
Have no idea who bring that news. No any INFO in major Russians newspapers and other sources.
musta been an inside feud among this shady crowd. prolly double cross or spammer failing to pay the russian mafia the regular “tax”
i doubt a russian hitman got fed up with all the viagra spam he’s receiving that he went looking for and took it out on the asswipe spammer. altho that’d be one funny story
agent 47 is back.
Best $100 I spent was hiring that hitman!
Small pen1s? Click >here
agent 47 FTW!!!
so maybe he just faked his death…..
Good job Mr. 47
Fuc*k it
#69
ROLF! online casino, gambling, viagra, sex sex PORN! SNUF FILMS!!
so that’s why i haven’t been getting viagra spam mails in the past few days
xD
“A shot the head is a trademark of Russian hitmen”
WTF???
Are they gonna shoot him in the ass?
AHAHAHA SpamAssasin xD
Justice is served
As some said before. His is not even known for this, but there could be a small possibility.. anyway – as someone else said, probably someone behind it trying to take over the operation.
ah well…. you live and learn…except in this case!
spammers piss me so much that i can’t even feel sorry for him..
so who’s gonna spam us now with viagra?:((
“According to authorities, this last head shot is a clear mark of russian hit men (known as “killers” in Russia)”
Because in America and other places, hit men are known as Dog Catchers. =D
spam wont stop.. it was just “taken over” by the mob
In Russia spammers are rarely killed… Russian spam killers have gone soft.
The Middle East rules at killing spammers. Just think of 9/11.
However, God is the ultimate nemesis of spammers. Just think about how many spammers were killed in Indonesia by that tsunami (spammers are rich, they were there on vacation).
On a serious note now, is there another source that can corroborate this news?
huge lol @ #79
And justice for all…….
I think they watched eastern promises and were influenced heavily by vigo mortenson. I am waiting for the hearing to ban all media in Russia now.
Just remember, consesual incest between brothers will not result in an inbred child.
So if you must sleep with a relative, make it your brother.
@86
Your dad and his sister shd have thot of that.
even better would be to only have your brother perform acts on you…without any reciprocation.
Wow since when did they lower the maturity level of this forum to 5 years and under?
@CaptainHack
Its been like this for a while now. We mostly just grin and move on.
I once snorted cocaine off the head of my brother’s manhood because he made me do it.
It seems to be fake…
In Soviet Russia, spam mails you!
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics shall rise again.
The world will once again fear our awesome might.
SonnyCorleone (good name by the way) very true. I am waiting for the cue of a good fart or poop reference. Interestingly enough, this does not surprise me at all. Russia is a brutal place, and the mob probably did play a role in this. In Sacramento, I once arrested a kid w(working store security) with cell phone scrambler, receipt maker, and boot leg movies. A week later it was in the paper he was beaten almost to death at a bar in north sac area (prominent russian gang area where I once got stabbed playing pool). Russians don’t mess around.
u guys, u won’t believe it. I just took the biggest crap
I’m alive
this is how we take care of things in countries where real men still live
I sleep well at night knowing that in this day and age where most people feel they can be flat out rude and inconsiderate without repercussion; there are people like myself that say no you can not and do something about it.
Nearly everyone posted above has got the moral of this story wrong. There is no way that this guy was killed by someone who didn’t like his spam. Instead he was making huge amounts of money for himself, for the botnets and for the pharmacy.
He either got killed for cutting out his partners, or for failing to pay protection. In either case I feel confident that someone else will move in to make money off Viagra SPAM.