Spam Dancing
Is it just me, or has the spam exploded lately? Thanks to the benevolent outsourcing program offered through my ISP, I enjoy the rather robust spam-attacking capabilities of the good people at Yahoo Mail. Or at least I used to enjoy their capabilities. Something subtle has shifted in the powers that be, and spam emails that used to go straight to my “bulk email” folder are once again greeting me at the front door, so to speak.
So far, the emails have consisted of the usual suspects — ads for offshore sources of Viagra, incredible stock tips, hot Asian cats (well, they used a word for “cats”), warnings that I’m harboring several viruses capable of destroying the entire world, and the obligatory letter from the legal representative of the deposed (yet somehow inordinately wealthy) prince of Namibia. All, of course, spelled in that ridiculous mispelled typing style designed to fool automatic spam-scanners and Internet newcomers alike.
Nice to know that the more things change, the more they stay the same. At least they stopped trying to spoof my Ebay password.
I’m even getting the occasional spam at my work. Up until now, my work email servers were so secure that I was halfway convinced that the email administrator had made a deal with the Mob. Now I’m getting at least one per day (although, oddly enough, they’re all claiming to be hot tips on unclaimed Enron funds. Having they taken Skilling’s net access away yet?)
So what gives? Why this sudden ineffectiveness in all my favorite spam-fighting tools? Did some high-volume spammer sell his soul to the devil in exchange for Computer Associates latest algorithms? Did Al Gore invent a new kind of spam? Did someone at Yahoo forget to update their signature file?
At least I’m holding them at bay on this blog. Yes, I’m sure those will be famous last words.
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I received one of the generic Viagra ads (well, actually I’ve received a dozen or more) and I thought I should at least open it and look at it….It had the subject line: “Message From God!!” I really thought He would have something um….More Important to say to me if He went to all the trouble to email me.
I’ve been receiving constant emails from what look like ordinary people with goofy subject lines, and they turn out to be some hot stock tip. Yahoo has yet to properly process any of my mikey-likey account. Everything still shows up in the bulk folder, even though the “spam guard” is on. Their explanation and work around is not even worth the effort for something that is supposed to be automated.
I just don’t “get” spam. Does it actually work as advertising? Do people take the hot stock tips and send in money? Judging by the volume of spam I recieve, people respond to spam - but are there really that many dumb computer owners out there? And, another thing, why not just put a regular old subject like, “Hey, want a stock tip?” instead of “xmj$q&r loves Jonie”? The spam detectors are onto the weird stuff, but it seems they couldn’t really grab the everyday, common words quite so easily since they are, well, commonly used everyday.
So, what gives?
Unfortunately, Jan, there are that many “dumb computer owners out there.” That is why I still get email from friends that tell me to send a certain email, and Microsoft will pay me 250 dollars.
I shouldn’t say dumb, I guess, since they are friends. 
More like, naive. A lot of the stock tips I get actually come from normal names, but my spam detector still catches most of the.
no, no, I was talking about the dumb computer owners that respond to email solicitations, not the friends that pass along emails. That’s a whole ‘nother subject!
I guess I was just trying to say that the people that are gullible enough to send emails such as those I stated, are the same people gullible enough to click on “get money fast” or “earn your college degree in months instead of years.” Another problem is that a lot of these spam emails are sent out by spambots. They gather email addresses through the net. In the spam, it will usually include a link to unsubscribe. If you were to do that, it is actually telling the spambot that it is an active email account, and you will continue to receive it from them. A lot of people have yet to understand the concept of how spam works. A lot of people are also desperate for money, love, and such, and figure maybe that particular spam is the real deal.
They should be teaching internet awareness in highschool. We can save the next generation.
Speaking of spam, I’d like to take a foray into junk mail.
What does it mean when I get sent a sample of men’s deodorant? I’ve been trying to think of what my purchasing trends have been to get me, with my address, on a list of men… but I’m coming up blank here. The biggest drop of my name in the marketing database recently should be that I’m the mother who gave birth within the last two years. Or perhaps the fact that I subscribe to Women’s Health. Not Men’s Health - hubby gets that, in his name. But this guy stuff was directed to me, specifically, with our new address.
Oh well.
Hmmm. Amka, I think some companies just purchase bulk mailing lists and address things out to whoever is on the list they bought.
A few years back, when the Gillette Sensor first came out, everyone was receiving one in the mail. I received one. My sisters did, BEFORE they were married. This was the Sensor that was directed to men, mind you.
Amka - my guess is that they don’t recognize your name (as male or female)so they just go ahead and send it. My name is Jan, which is a male name in Europe. I am sometimes sent things addressed to Mr. Jan Lastname.
From one spam hater to another, I thought you would enjoy the post I found at http://unretouchedphoto.com/ Check out the June 12th post~If it wasn’t such a problem–it would be hilarious!
Diane (by way of Mikey Likey!)
She is not a happy camper, Diane. That was funny.
GMail (Google’s free email) does a great job of spam filtering. My Yahoo e-mail is pretty much unused at this point because of the spam.