Persistent Spammers

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

I seem to be getting a lot of spammers contacting me repeatedly with email that begin something like, "Hi, we haven't heard back from you yet ...".

What is the point in them continually sending these emails to people who are obviously ignoring them? Do they just do it to annoy us?

[engine]

Some of these are devised to initiate a response, and thereby adding the respondent to the refreshed spam database.

I doubt annoyance enters their conscience.

[mack]

It's probably automated as well. The first a real person will get involved is if the from email address receives a reply.

Mack.

[lucy24]

I doubt annoyance enters their conscience.

What is this "conscience" of which you speak?

Remember when spam subject lines always began with "Re:" to make you think it was an ongoing discussion that you'd already entered into?

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Some still do! ;)

[incrediBILL]

You're not obviously ignoring them because you actually read the email!

They seem to be more effective than you think and you're allowing it ;)

[lucy24]

Wasn't that the main reason e-mail-reading software made "show images" an optional extra? The sender can't automatically tell when you've read their mail.

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

You're not obviously ignoring them because you actually read the email!

No, I am not reading them. The topic here is the first few words, which immediately tell me that it is spam and that it can be deleted. That's the point I am making. ;)

[engine]

@Lucy24
From Bing's dictionary.

con·science

sense of right and wrong: the sense of what is right and wrong that governs somebody's thoughts and actions, urging him or her to do right rather than wrong
obedience to conscience: behavior according to what your sense of right and wrong tells you is right
shared moral viewpoint: a shared concern for moral issues

Synonyms: scruples, principles, ethics, integrity, sense of right and wrong, morality

I do not believe any true spammer as having any shred of a conscience. I do see some with stupidity and with incompetence.


I admit to reading the detail of spam e-mails from time-to-time to understand the techniques spammers use to escape the spam filters. Otherwise, my spam filters would not keep up-to-date.

Some of the spam is quite funny, in a strange sort of way.

I'm still surprised how many brides I could have been married to, how many generals with millions in Africa, how many lottery wins I've won, and how many broken spam messages there are.

I've seen a good number of spammers moving to seemingly non-pharma sectors: Some almost day-to-day product items.

The up-tick in phishing is the big change over recent years. This takes spam into a whole new area of identity theft, and potentially, it's probably the most lucrative.

[lawman]

HaHa engine, Lucy24 was obviously being facetious.

[engine]

hehe, yeah, I realised afterwards.

[bhonda]

scruples

Completely off topic, but I like that word. People should use it more.

[incrediBILL]

Well if nobody is reading those spams who the heck is buying that fake Viagra because they don't send spams if they aren't working ;)

[engine]

I have often wondered that iBill. I don't know anyone that has, but then, someone must have.

[LifeinAsia]

I don't know anyone that has

Well, would you really WANT to associate with anyone who read spam or bought from a spammer?

[lucy24]

<o/t>
Since this is foo, it is probably OK to throw out a link or two:

[itre.cis.upenn.edu...]
[scienceaddiction.com...]

Conclusion: there is apparently no single locus classicus* for the line.
</ot>

:)


* Fancy term for "passage in Horace where such-and-such phrase was first attested".

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Hello,

Greetings for the Day!

Hope you are doing well.

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

I am Steve MacFarlane a web designer from China.

[johnhh]

I have been left $140million by a relative who died in Africa and I need help transfering it to my account...
_{oddly I once got a email some woman in the USA who actually wanted the contact details of a lawyer in the UK to help her do this, shame the lawyer didn't exist !}

[thecoalman]

Someone is reading them, replying to them and falling for them. There is very little time or money invested here so if they get one response out of millions it's worth it.

[engine]

Dear Phishee (insert some sort of nondescript identification),

Your (insert bank/processor name) account has been limited until you open the attached trojan-laden file where we'll steal your username and password.

I made the last bit up.

[piatkow]

What I haven't noticed for a long time is the spoof emails telling you to that key operating system files are malware and to delete them.

Or is it just that my kids have grown up so I no longer get them panicking about "infections" on their computers.