Russian Man Accused of Running Online Pharmacy Promoter Claims Innocence
The Russian man accused of running a website responsible for a large percentage of the world’s online pharmacy spam has claimed his innocence, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Igor Gusev, 31, is the subject of an ongoing investigation by Russian authorities who believe he was responsible for paying spammers to advertise online pharmacies that sold erectile dysfunction medication and other prescription drugs.
Gusev has fled Russian territory but responded to the charges against him on a Russian website. “I am not the biggest spammer because I do not do spam. I hope that the professionalism of the investigation will try to establish the facts,” he said, according to the news source.
Gusev also indicated that a business rival may be responsible for the investigation.
“SpamIt”, the website Gusev is alleged to have run, was shut down by Russian authorities on September 27. According to the source, the site’s shutdown resulted in a decrease of approximately 50 billion spam e-mails each day, representing as much as one-fifth of the total spam traffic on the internet.