Message from Sternchen

I'm always amazed how much time these spammers spend writing nice little love-letters, creating a background for all these non-existent women...

Eigentlich würde ich lieber...
….dir vor der Coop-Kasse beim Aufpacken der Einkäufe, beim Stöbern im
Kartenständer vor der Papeterie, beim Anstehen vor der roten Ampel am
Fussgängerstreifen, in der Wartschlaufe zur Kinokasse über den Weg laufen…
….oder du fragst nach dem freien Platz an meinem Tisch beim Kaffee,
Mittagessen oder Apéro…
… du forderst mich in einem Tanzlokal zum Tanz…
…oder wir laufen uns beruflich, in der Sprachschule, im Training, beim
Sport immer wieder über den Weg…
Es gäbe so viele Möglichkeiten uns zu finden… und trotzdem bin ich hier
gelandet! Du auch? …melde dich, vielleicht kann ja aus einem Kaffe,
Mittagessen, Apéro mehr werden….

…ich, schlank, dunkelblond, fröhlich, unkompliziert stehe mit beiden Beinen
fest im Leben und habe noch Träume…

French Businessman dies in a plane crash

This is a great spam message: an International French Businessman dies in a plane crash together with his ENTIRE FAMILY! Talk about bad luck! And it's just my luck that I will inherit 10 million dollars. If you want some of the money, just write me. I won't be able to spend everything on my own LOL

Dear Friend,

I'm MR.SANA KABORE , an accountant in a financial institution here in BURKINA FASO. I have decided to contact you for a fund transfer transaction worth the sum of US$10,500,000.00 into your reliable bank account as the sole NEXT-OF-KIN to the foreign deceased customer of our bank (an International Billionaire French Businessman) who was killed with his entire family by PLANE-CRASH in Central England in the year 2003. Since his death occured, no body have show up as his next of kin for the claim because the account is untraceable.

Upon the investigation I carried out from his records, I found out that his foreign business consultant whowould have trace the account died earlier before the deceased. Therefore, this is a confidential and sealed deal.

For the success of this transaction, you should apply and act as the only existing NEXT-OF-KIN to the deceased which our bank will replace the deceased account information through proper documentation in position ofyour own account.

This transaction is risk-free, it will never harm your good reputation in your society because no one can trace the account, and on the instant of the transfer of the fund into your account, the chapter of this transaction will be closed entirely.

Note that in a business of this nature, the bank dont want to know yourdifference between the deceased country, religion or believe because our bank inheritance law is against that. So, it is a preference for us achieve this success without any problem.

Please note down that once the fund get transferred into your account, you will take 39% of the total sum for the assistance and role you are going to play in this transaction,(11%) will be used to establish a charity organization in your country with your supervision while the remaining will be for me and my other loyal colleagues here.

I need your urgent response and include your private telephone/mobile numbers for easy communication.Please reply if you can be trusted in this deal.

Thanks,
MR.SANA KABORE

Why Do People Commit Identity Theft?

Why Do People Commit Identity Theft?

An identity thief may use your information to:

- Open a new credit card, phone, or utilities account in your name and then run up the bills without paying them. The delinquent account then appears on your credit report.

- Open a bank account and write bad cheques in your name, apply for a loan in your name, or use your bank information to drain your account.

- File a fraudulent tax return, or apply for government benefits in your name.

- Get a driver's license with your information but his own picture on it.

- Give your personal information to police during an arrest. Then when he does not show up for the court date, a warrant of arrest is issued in your name.

The possibilities for an identity thief are endless once he has your personal information, so you can see why this crime is so serious and why you should learn how to protect yourself from identity theft.

Message from Heike

Verhängnisvolle Frau..............
.....eine attraktive und verführerische Frau, mit magisch-dämonischen Zügen
ausgestattet – Männer an sich bindet, sie aber auch manipuliert, ihre
Moral untergräbt und sie meist auch auf fatale Weise ins Unglück stürzt.
Gleichzeitig beschert sie dem verführten Mann ein Höchstmass an
Liebeserfüllung, was ihr oft einen äusserst ambivalenten Charakter verleiht
!!
Kannst Du Dich mit diesem Charakter anfreunden und lässt DICH gerne
verführen..........?

Verführe MICH in Versuchung..!

Do you want 10 Million Dollars?

Another great spam letter arrived today, this time from the desk of AMUDU IBRAHIM. It says it is private and confidential, so do you think he will sue us for breach of confidentiality ? :-)

FROM THE DESK OF :AMUDU IBRAHIM,
PERSONAL ASSISTANT MANAGER,
BANK OF AFRICA(BOA)
OUAGADOUGOU
BURKINA-FASO,WEST AFRICA.

(PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL)

Dear Friend,

This message might meet you in utmost surprise,However,Its just my urgent need for a foreign partner that made me to contact you for this transaction, I am AMUDU IBRAHIM Personal Assistant Manager of Bank Of Africa(BOA)Ouagadougou Burkina Faso. I want to inquire from you if you can handle this transaction for mutual benefits/life opportunity for you and me. The transaction is about seeking your consent to present you as the next of kin/ beneficiary of the US$10.3 MILLION DOLLARS,(TEN MILLION,THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS), and who is a customer to the bank where i work.

He was involved in the december 26th 2003 Benin plane crash in West Africa, with his family during their vacation journey . The Fund is currently in a suspense account awaiting claim, the bank made a public notice that they are ready to release this fund to any of his relatives abroad.

THEREFORE, by virtue of its nature as being utterly CONFIDENTIAL, top secret should be maintained please!,because i am still in the active service i do not need any form of implication especially now I'm in the verge of my retirement to endanger my career at last!.

Since we got the information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines and laws.

In that regard, i decided to seek your consent for this prospective opportunity. Have it at the back of your mind, that the transaction does not involve any RISK, and does not need much engagement from you, since i am familiar with this kind of transaction being an insider.

Necessary modalities will be worked out to enable us carry out the fund claim under a legitimate arrangement. I have resolved to offer you 30% of the total fund, 10% for sundry expenses that may be incurred during the process of executing this transaction and 60% percent for me.

I will give you more details about the transaction when I receive your affirmative response,more clarification information.Please I would like you to keep this proposal as a top secret and delete it if you are not interested.

I look forward to your earliest response
Regards and thanks,
AMUDU IBRAHIM

NOTE:Your discussion regarding to this transaction should be limited,because am still in Active service. Let honesty and trust be our watchwords throughout this transaction. And your Prompt reply will be highly appreciated.

New Virginia Spam Law

New Virginia Spam Law

A new anti-spam law, created to rectify the current anti-spam law, has been advanced by the Virginia House today. The new bill targets unsolicited commercial email that attempts to hide the source of its sender. This new bill was proposed to correct the current bill which the Virginia Supreme Court ruled in September 2008 to be overbroad and unconstitutional.

How does Identity theft Effect You?

What is Identity Theft and How Can It Affect Me?

Identity theft is a serious crime affecting as many as 10 million Americans a year (as estimated by the Federal Trade Commission) and accounting for the loss of $221 billion a year worldwide (as estimated by the Aberdeen Group).

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information (like your name, social security number, or credit card information) to pretend to be you. The identity thief does this for his own personal gain at the expense of his victim.

This is fraud and it could result in serious consequences for the victim such as bad credit reports or even warrants for the victim's arrest, depending on what the thief chooses to do with the victim's personal information.

Message from Mausi

Jetzt oder nie
...nun gut, das mit dem Text hier scheint so eine Sache zu sein.
Mal soviel: ich möchte keine Pferde stehlen - hab keinen Plaz dafür. Dass
du auf beiden Beinen stehst, hoffe ich doch sehr - ausser du besitzt einen
Nimbus 2000. :o) Das Glas Wein vor dem Kamin kann ich dir nicht bieten -
ich habe keinen Kamin. Altlasten - wer hat die nicht?!

Ich kann dir aber Sinnlichkeit ,Witz, Humor, Schlagfertigkeit,
Selbstironie, Kreativität, Zuversicht, Neugier, ein Lachen, meine Kochkünste
und noch so einiges mehr bieten.

Na, was meinst du?

MIT Spam Conference

MIT Spam Conference

The Upcoming MIT Spam Conference is looking for people to submit original, unpublished papers on any aspect of spam and other types of electronic communications brand malware. Some of the topics of interest include:

• phishing, spyware
• spit (spam over internet telephony)
• spim (spam over instant messenger)
• SMS spam
• MMORPG spam
• blog spam
• trackback spam
• image spam
• stock pump-and-dumps
• email con games
• exploit marketing
• identity theft
• zombie bots and bot armies
• antispam systems
• hardware antispam countermeasures
• software antispam countermeasures
• wetware (a.k.a., liveware, meatware, i.e., user errors)
• blue-ware (i.e. employing the police).

The conference welcomes submissions from anyone doing work on spam, anti-spam, or any other related cyber crime. Registration for the conference is free for all interested parties.

Program Co-chairs Kathy J. Liszka Professor, Computer Science The University of Akron
William Yerazunis Senior Research Scientist Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories

New Spam Treath

Getting Around Spam Laws
Companies are getting around anti-spam laws by calling consumers and hanging up after the first ring. The consumer then calls the number back in an effort to discover whose call they missed. Upon dialing the number, consumers are confronted with an answering service that promises them a free gift if they leave their details and phone number. This call is paid for by the consumers themselves. The spammers then call the consumer back, no longer violating anti-spam laws, because the consumer himself provided his details to the spammer. Many of the companies then promote their free gift, which of course can be shipped for an exorbitant fee costing more than the worth of the gift itself.

What is Identity Theft?

All About Identity Theft

Identity theft is a serious crime affecting millions of people a year and accounting for the loss of billions of dollars every year as well. Find out more about identity theft, what it is, and how thieves go about stealing an identity on our What Is Identity Theft? page. You may also be interested in reading more about the history of identity theft and checking out some identity theft statistics to further understand this crime and its consequences. Also find out more about comprehensive identity theft protection and correction resources for individuals and businesses.

Now that you realize the seriousness of identity theft and the potential it has to affect your own life, you probably want to be clear about the signs of identity theft so that you can tell if you've been victimized. You probably also want to learn all about identity theft protection and prevention so you can reduce your own risk of becoming a victim. Find out how to protect your personal information, keep your cards, documents, and passwords safe, and monitor your financial accounts and credit information as major steps to keeping yourself safe from identity theft. You may also want to look into identity theft insurance to feel extra secure.

You may also be wondering what to do if your identity is stolen in case you ever become a victim of identity theft. Although it is a long, arduous process to restore your life back to normal after your identity has been stolen, it's possible if you know what to do, especially if you've already been practicing our tips on identity theft protection and prevention .

Message from Michelle

I hope you understand German, because the following dating message made me smile:

It says that she wants to date you, but online if you are single or you have the official permission to cheat! :)

Ich suche auf diesem Weg einen Mann für gewisse Stunden. Um unsere Chancen
zu erhöhen, möchte ich das Beuteschema etwas eingrenzen und bitte Dich, mir
nur zu antworten, wenn Du dich in allen folgenden Punkten erkennst:
Du bist erfahren
Du bist nicht grösser als 185
Du betrinkst dich nicht
Du bist single oder darfst offiziell fremdgehen

Ich bin hübsch und sportlich und habe ein bisschen Hunger. Nach jemandem,
der es nicht eilig hat. Nach jemandem, der auch mal stillliegen kann. Nach
jemandem, der auch unter der Woche Zeit hat. Nach jemandem, der lieber
subtil verführt als mit der Tür ins Haus rennt. Das Ziel ist klar, muss
jedoch verdient werden, und der Weg dahin soll spannend sein.

Spricht Dich das an? Dann sollten wir uns kennen lernen. Vielleicht sind
wir einander ja sympathisch.

Iowa Courts Award Money To ISPs Over Spam

Iowa Courts Award Damages to ISPs Over Spam

Iowa courts awarded money for damages caused to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) harmed by spam activities. The court decision was reached based on the Iowa anti-spamming and anti-spoofing act which prohibits the sending of bulk electronic mail. ISPs claimed that the sending of this mail has caused damage to their business due to the time lost fighting spam and due to the customers lost because of uncontrollable spam.

New Threat May Be Unstoppable

New Threat May Be Unstoppable

According to Val Smith, founder of Attack Research, traditional computer security systems may be ineffective when dealing with web attacks launched by countries. Recent attacks have been seen on high-traffic sites and have targeted these sites with blog spam. The attacks have mostly originated in Russia and China. Clicking on links within these seemingly legitimate blogs takes users to other pages resembling blogs but which are really pages containing malware. This then causes these sites to become "malware depots," essentially ruining the sites. Because the attackers are legitimately posting blogs on these sites, traditional forms of security are unable to stop these disseminators of malware.

The Costs of Spam

The Costs of Spam: How Spam Affects Your Bottom Line

According to a study by the Radicati Research Group Inc., a research firm based in Palo Alto, California, spam costs businesses $20.5 billion annually in decreased productivity as well as in technical expenses. Nucleus Research estimates that the average loss per employee annually because of spam is approximately $1934.

Predictions for the future costs of spam don’t look any brighter. It is estimated that 58 billion junk emails will be sent every day within the next four years, a figure that will cost businesses some $198 billion annually.

However, some researchers believe that based on an estimated current cost of $49 annually per inbox, the total cost of spam for businesses will balloon to $257 billion per year if spam continues to flourish at its current rate.

Source: Radicati Research Group, Spamlaws.com

Spam messages are offering more money

In the beginning I received spam messages promising me 100,000 dollar. But not anymore! Now i'm being promised 18,000,000 dollars! Talk about inflation

FROM THE DESK OF MR.HAMED MAIGA.
BILL AND EXHANGE UNIT BANK OF AFRICA (BOA) OUAGADOUGOU-BURKINA FASO.

URGENT ASSISTANCE IN TRANSACTION

I am the manager of the bill and exchange department of BANK OF AFRICA (BOA) here in Ouagadougou the capital city of Burkina Faso. In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of US$18.2M(EIGHTEEN MILLION TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND US DOLLARS) in an account that belong to one of our foreign customer who died along with his entire family in a plane crashed near Paris (FRANCE) on the 25th of July 2000.

Please visit this site that is one of the evidence the directors brought in other to swallow the money at the end of the day,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because the bank cannot release it unless some body applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as it was indicated in our banking guideline and laws but unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the plane crashed leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business proposal to you so that you can stand as the beneficiary to the deceased customer and to enable the bank to release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased customer for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we don't want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill because the banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after nine years the money will be transferred into the bank treasury as unclaimed fund.

The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Burkinabe cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner, and I agree that 45% of this money will be for you as a respect to the provision of a foreign account, 5% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the business and 50% would be for me, thereafter, I will visit Your country for disbursement according to the percentage indicated.

Therefore, to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to your designated bank account, you must apply first to the bank as a relation or next of kin of the deceased with a text of application that I will send to you, so I will like you to send to me your private telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication between each other and also about the location where the money will be remitted.

Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of the application that you will use in claiming the money as the beneficiary to the deceased customer. I will not fail to bring to your notice this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer. Thanks.
You should contact me immediately.

Trusting to hear from you immediately.
Truly Yours,
MR.HAMED MAIGA (BOA)

Retailers Sending Unsolicited Mes

Retailers Sending Customers Unsolicited Promotional Messages
According to a study conducted by Return Path, 31% of e-retailers have added customers to their email lists without permission. However, Return Path argues that sending buyers these promotional emails without permission does not necessarily violate the federal CAN-SPAN Act, but rather sours a company's relationship with its customers. "When customers get e-mail that they have not requested, they perceive it to be spam, regardless of what the letter of the law says," the study reported.

MobiFone Cuts Off Spammers

A leading mobile phone network, MobiFone, is canceling its contracts with any content providers who are found to be using the network to send spam messages. This decision comes after 3 years of unsuccessful attempts to prevent their subscribers from receiving spam messages. MobiFone has also said it will report to the Department of Information and Communications any evidence of spam delivery it finds.

More Facts about Spam

Statistics and Facts About Spam

Spam accounts for 14.5 billion messages globally per day. In other words, spam makes up 45% of all emails. Some research companies estimate that spam email makes up an even greater portion of global emails, some 73% in fact. The United States is the number one generator of spam email, with Korea clocking in as the second largest contributor of unwanted email.

The most prevalent type of spam is advertising-related email; this type of spam accounts for approximately 36% of all spam messages. The second most common category of spam is adult-related in subject and makes up roughly 31.7% of all spam. Unwanted emails related to financial matters is the third most popular form of spam, at 26.5%.

Surprisingly, scams and fraud comprise only 2.5% of all spam email; however, identity theft (which is known as phishing) makes up 73% of this figure.

Because spam has inundated both the personal and corporate world of emailing, it has affected the way that individuals and companies feel about spam. In fact, surveys have found that spam has led to decreased public confidence and trust in Internet communications. A study conducted in 2005 found that 53% of people interviewed had lost confidence in communicating through email due to spam. However, this percentage dropped from 62% the year before.

Companies also find spam a troublesome problem that reduces productivity and safety. Fifty two percent of companies interviewed for a recent study listed minimizing spam as their top priority.

However, anti spam measures such as spam blockers provide some hope in the fight against unwanted email. In fact, MSN alone blocks some 2.4 billion spam emails every day.

Utah Senate President Threatening Spam Suit

Utah Senate President Threatening Spam Suit

Utah's Senate President is threatening to sue disbarred lawyer Jack Thompson over the unsolicited sending of emails. Thompson, who made a name for himself as a lawyer blaming violent acts on violent video games, has spent his post-lawyer years attempting to convince states to pass anti-violent video game laws. Utah, the only state who considered passing the bill, eventually vetoed it but this has not stopped Thompson from emailing members of the Utah Senate in order to change their minds. Now the president of the Utah Senate is threatening to sue Thompson under the CAN-SPAM anti-spam law and wrote Thompson saying,"I asked you before to remove me from your mailing list. I supported your bill but because of the harassment will not again. If I am not removed I will turn you over to the AG for legal action."

Filtering Systems Winning Against Spam

Email Filtering Systems Work Well Against Spam

Spam filters are working well at filtering your junk mail and blocking spam. Although up to 90% of all email traffic is spam, improved filtering technology has prevented the majority of these spam messages from reaching their destinations. Although the war against spam has not yet been won, many important battles have been successful due to advancements in spam protection, like filtering technology.

Electronic Privacy Bill In Works

Electronic Privacy Bill In The Works

Members of the House of Representatives have begun a series of hearings on electronic privacy and are working on a bill that would regulate the way in which companies collect data from their consumers. Lawmakers are at odds in their struggle to achieve a balance between protecting the consumer and, at the same time, allowing for web advertising which is the main revenue obtained by content sites. They are also investigating whether there should be one broad regulation or if each electronic industry should be monitored separately.

Spam Statistics and Facts

Spam Statistics and Facts

Spam is a huge issue for most Internet users – in fact, 52% of participants polled in a recent survey stated that spam was a major problem. And despite the evolution of anti spam software, such as spam filters and spam blockers, the negative effects of spam are still being felt by individuals and businesses alike. Think you know all you need to know about spam? Read on for some alarming spam statistics and facts about spam email.

California Anti-Spam Laws Easing

California Getting Soft On Spam - 05/10/2009

Traditionally, California has some of the strictest anti-spam laws in the USA. Anyone can sue for spam violations and can recover up to $1,000 per spam message received. However, recently two judges have issued rulings shooting down California's spam laws, instead favoring the national CAN-SPAM ACT. In the most recent case, a judge from LA dismissed a spam lawsuit against Value Click, who violated California's anti-spam law by sending as many as 45,000 emails with false or misleading headers and subject lines. The judge said the plaintiff did not manage to show that Value Click had sent more than 24 of those messages, not that this mattered because the case was also dismissed because it did not violate the CAN-SPAM act which prohibits "falsity or deception" in messages. The judge ruled that fraudulent messages are not just messages with misinformation but messages where people "relied on the message and lost money." Therefore, the judge ruled that the plaintiff had not been a victim of fraud.

What are Spam Filters used for?

Spam Filters

The need for spam filters has gone up as the number of unwanted pitches the average e-mail user receives increases every year. Fortunately, with more unwanted pitches came better spam filters. In fact, the best of filters can detect 99% of junk mail.

The filters work by searching emails for words frequently used by spammers and words often used by you, your friends, and colleagues. The emails containing words favored by spammers often get x-ed. Spurring, spammers to come up with newer ways to pass filters.

For a while spammers tried breaking up offensive words with the use of periods to produce subject lines like e.hance your pr.formance. Not knowing that this made it easier for the filters to spot the unsolicited offer.

When spammers clued in, they started adding rare words in emails to try fool the filters. They slowly progressed to embedding a few sentences from poems and classical literature like Shakespeare.

But, still some filters recognize that not a lot of people write emails using Shakespearian style language. Causing spammers to drop the ‘to be or not to be?’ line and to burrow text from the works of famous authors like Charles Dickens and George Bernard Shaw.

Scammers Looking To Profit From Swine Flu

Scammers Looking To Profit From Swine Flu Virus

Scammers looking to profit from the swine flue virus are busily launching websites and email campaigns advertising illegal flu drugs in an effort to profit from the public's growing fear of this new flu epidemic. Victims are enticed to enter their credit card numbers into the sites in order to purchase these illegal flu drugs, and then the scammers take all they can from the credit cards. The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team has already issued a warning relating to these scams. Many of these scams will appear as spam mail (unsolicited email messages) and will contain links or attachments. Do not click on these links or attachments as you will be directed to a phishing website or expose your computer to malware.


http://www.capecodonline.com

What is Literary and Poetry Spam?

One type of spam which, for a variety of reasons, has become increasingly common, is literary and poetry spam. This might sound odd, but it precisely for this reason that spammers have started using literature to gain some ground. Learn more about how to detect this type of spam. Also, learn more about text spam and how you can prevent it.

Literary and Poetry Spam - A New Kind of Spam
The Internet provides the most effective and affordable venue for marketers and advertisers to reach mass audiences with the click of a button. Not surprisingly, e-mail marketing is a lucrative business and continues to grow. But with the mushrooming of e-mail marketing comes the spam plaque. Leaving consumers with the constant ache of filtering out cheap enhancement products, Nigerian money offers, and… spam containing poetry and classic literature?

Spam containing poetry and excerpts of novel is on the rise, and may be the next harsh symptom of the spam plaque. One blogger and journalist from the New York Times Magazine reported finding an excerpt of a chapter from The Master Key by Wizard of Oz author L Frank Baum in an email that had “the big unit” as its subject line. (Not too hard to figure out what that email was offering.)

You might wonder why spammers will include classic literature and poems in their emails. The answer? Simple. To fool spam filters.



Source: Spamlaws.com

What is Spam?

With almost half of all emails being reported as unsolicited, it's no wonder spam tops the list of one of the most bothersome Internet irritations. But just what is spam - and where does it come from?

Source: Spamlaws.com

Although most spam mail originate with advertisers looking to push their products, some are much more malicious in their intent. In particular, identity theft via spam emails has become a major concern. The spamcontroling blog can help you learn more facts about spam as well as how to block spam and how to prevent spam so you can reduce your risk of being taken advantage of.

Another option is using a spam filter. These filters work differently than spam blockers because they don't automatically block any suspected spam email. Instead, they filter them to be processed automatically into specific folders. They also allow the user to create their own "black and white list" where they can choose what constitutes spam. If you love using your Outlook or Outlook Express, you might find our Anti Spam Filter for Outlook page useful, as well as our Free Software: Spam Blockers and Filters for Email page. Information on an exchange spam filter may also be of interest to you.

Spam through MSN

We now also receive spam through MSN, and it's amazing that Microsoft is unable to do something about it.

Sometime we receive a new message in the chat window from one of our contacts, and when we check out what they wrote, it is either an obvious spam message, or a link to so-called "hot pictures". Whatever you do, don't click on them.

here is an example of this kind of spam messages:

Hey friend,
How are you doing recently? I'd like to introduce you a very good foreign trading online company and the website is
http://www.dahaiuk.com
It can offer you so many kinds of electronic products which you may be in need,such as laptops, gps, TV, cell phones, ps, MP3/4, motorcycles even several kinds of musical instruments and etc..
You can take some time to have a check ,there must be something you are interested in and you 'd like to purchase .
The contacts:
M S N :dahaiuk@gmail.com
Hoping you can enjoy your shopping from that company !
Regards4.29

Get a Diploma!

Another kind of spam is the sale of 'illegal' certificates, degrees and diplomas.
They offer all kinds of online doctorate degrees, even if you have NO EXPERIENCE whatsoever.

AFFORDABLE ONLINE BACHEL0R'S, MASTER'S & DOCT0RATE DEGREES

Add Bache1or's, Master's or Doctorate Degrees to your resume in just 7 days and open avenues to promotion and better jobs!

At your Own Pace!
At your Own Schedule!
At your Own Convenience!

No Examination!
No Study!
No Class!

Regardless of your age, sex, marital status, or location, you can receive a degree in your desired field. All you need is sufficient work, military, or life experience and you are already on your way to an instant degree in your relevant field.

Earn a recognized UniversityDegree based on work or life experience within 7 days!
Get your desired degree on the basis of your Prior Knowledge and Life Experience.

No Experience? No Problem!

Give us a call NOW!

1-718-9895-740 [Inside USA]
+1-718-9895-740 [Outside USA]

Please leave us your:
1) Your Name
2) Your Country
3) Phone No. with countrycode if outside USA

We will get back to you real soon

Selling Gibberish

Some spam messages contain real gibberish, goobly-dook and humbug pidgin English. The only aim is to make you click that link. One word of advice: Don't do it!

i was born in orange county where my parents had lived in the same house for like 20 years they had both lived in so cal all their lives

one thing i enjoy about facebook is the old pictures that friends and fam upload to walk down memory lane together with you

all kits are shipped phew

one more thought about best friends

cate (incredulously) what were you a child of adam and eve

a conversation today

ok its hard to stop i love every song

they make me happy

cate and i went through some of the free options around the web for valentines to download and print

i went to the fabric store tonight in search of prints to make some new spring scarves with some will probably end up in the shop too i just love this look also i love toast (the catalog and the cooked bread)

refined sugar will be your enemy till you die

but the commonality between each experience was- it was out of my hands i occasionally fell in love with someone who couldnt be had i occasionally had to run from someone who wouldnt let me go

(but honestly i dont snack alot when you eat so much protein you dont get hungry as often through the day)

i have been laying in bed sick since monday it seems to be getting worse by the day not better i am so irritated and antsy i miss my family and i want to clean my house

isnt life surprising i was laying awake thinking last night about how different my life has gone then what i thought (in a good way)

cate chose these pretty little traditional valentines cards from bunny cakes i love them

guess what i finally put in the shop

and the dishes she cleans for me i dont even have to rinse before putting things in the dishwasher anymore and how warm she keeps my toesies while im sitting at the desk working on the computer who needs slippers it seems her only desire in life is to be close to us and all she asks for is an occasional pet and some food and water truly my lowest maintenance friend

Do NOT click this link: I urge you!!! : Where it will lead, nobody knows
i have never been an animal person i swore id never have a dog who wants to pick up poop not me but somehow in my baby hungry weakness i was convinced to relent by the other two mccalebs who said they desperately needed a puppy fine whatever just take care of her and pick up the poop

just a phone call one night she had an aneurysm and although this was a surprise of the worst kind it was the most spiritual time of my life much good and understanding has come through that loss

Message from Natalka

I received the following message with a picture of a beautiful girl attached.

I'm sure it's a spam message, but if you are desperate you can always give it a try :)

Hello!
My name Natalya!!
I very beautiful and clever, romantic girl.
I very much like to travel, get acquainted with new people.
I wish to get acquainted with the clever and good person to connect our destinies.
I hope, to find real, pure love.
I have found you, you very interesting to me,
Only the desire to study is more about you!
Write to me if you have interest.
I can tell about myself more and send a photo.
I hope, that we have pleasant acquaintance.

Please reply only to my personal e-mail: baali.natalya@gmail.com

I wait your answer.
Natalya

Job Offer

We received the following job offer. At first it looked quite genuine, but after a quick glance we were sure it was a spam message. What self-respecting job agency would use a @live.com email address? Such messages are ideal to get all your personal data, so beware for sending your CV to these kinds of people

Hello,

Leading international company is looking for employees in the United Kingdom,
to bolster our staff with ambitious, outgoing, success-driven, self-motivated, customer-oriented people who want to invest in their future by starting a highly rewarding and lucrative career and announces a vacant position.

Ideal Candidate must have: * A bachelor's degree; * Willingness to work at home with flexible timesheet;
* The Ability to create good administrative reports; * Prior customer service experience is a good benefit, but not a must; * Honesty, responsibility and promptness in operations; * Effective interaction with customers; * Must be ethical, polite, tactful and polished.

Please contact us if you think you are suitable candidate for this position, send your resume to e-mail, if you have additional questions, please feel free to mail our customer care division.

e-mail: parker.susan@live.com

Our company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the Company to provide equal opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, military or veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by state or federal law. This policy also prohibits employees from harassing any other employees for any reason including, but not limited to, race, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disabled status

How to detect a spam message

Sometimes it quite obvious that a message is spam.

Below you will find a typical spam message, and the tell-tale signs:

1) the name of the website doesn't make any sense
2) there are lots of obvious spelling mistakes
3) the products they are selling are way too cheap

Prestige Watches is a Replica Rolex Watches Direct Manufacturer, Over 300,000 fake watches are supplied to all levels agents worldwide a year. More than 3,000 rep1ica items in 50 brands are available for every appetite buyer,brands like iRolexk, Gucci, Breitling, Cartier, Movado, Chanel are our hottest watches. We guarantee the lowest prices and the toppest rep1icas you'll find here.

Prestige Watches established in 2002, an online shop of a rep1ica watches manufacturer for exploring the international market. We started only with Swiss name brand. Over the past 7 years, we have grown to be a large fake watches center by cooperating with other 5 large rep1ica manufactures, we now carry 3,000 items in 50 world brands such as Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe, Piaget, IWC, Breitling, TagHeuer, Cartier, Jaeger, Panerai, Bvlgari, Chanel, Chopard, Ebel, Montblanc, Jacob & Co, Oris, Tissot, Gucci and so on.

We strike to make your dream come true with our affordable low selling price, you can afford one now instantly

http://tpl.cxvjeiww.cn
http://tgo.cxvjeiww.cn

Understanding spam messages

Sometimes we get spam messages that really do NOT make any sense. They only reason you receive them, is because there is a link in there that will take you to a malicious website.

Just read the message below and try to make sense of it:

Hand (the palm of which was) graced with the auspicious would betray their
newfound allies. Selfin



Auditoribus multum placeret, dolens diabolus eufrasiam is endued with matted
locks, who bears the ascetic's enclosure and disappeared, he called his
boys a state of purity many excellent jars (containing this, which, indeed,
was the cause of the destruction of the doctors near the city wherein were
rooms thee, o arjuna, we have always uttered blessings our actions. But
whoever is addicted to his own run to him for thy good, to seek his protection.
elephant's back at the same instant of time, looked enjoyed the veneration
of the faithful, during for its statement of the effects of the struggle.

It sounds a bit like "Lord of the Rings", doesn't it :)

Miss Alima

The Yahoo Mail system has the possibility to invite people to a meeting, party, etc...

It's a handy tool that I use a lot. But even this is starting to get infested by spam messages. Here is an invitation I received recently:

Dearest, Kind regards, I am Miss Alima , tall, slim, fair and a very good looking girl that loves travelling and dancing, a student, that loves to be loved, kindly permit me by contacting you through this medium I am compelled to contact you via this medium for obvious reasons which you will understand when we discuss details of my proposition. Pls I will like you to reply to me through my mail address alima.justin31@yahoo.fr so that we will know each other very well, I am looking forward to your positive confirmation to enable us have an important discussion the we will start from there which will include my introduction, I will send my pics later.Thanks and God bless, Alima

TREAT VERY CONFIDENTIAL & URGENT RESPONSE

The number of scams that arrive in my mail box are amazing. And most of the time my yahoo or gmail account filters them out nicely. But occasionally their spambuster let some through, like this one:

FROM THE DESK OF : MR SOKI ANITA,
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING SECTION,
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (A.D.B)
OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA-FASO,WEST AFRICA.


Dear Friend,


I am Mr Soki Anita, the Manager in charge of auditing and accounting section of African Development Bank (A.D.B),Ouagadougou Burkina faso West Africa with due respect and regard. I have decided to contact you on a business transaction that will be very beneficial to both of us at the end of the transaction.
During our investigation and auditing in this bank , my department came across a very hugesum of money belonging to a person who died on July 2003 in a plane crash and the fund has been dormant in his account with this Bank with out any claim of the fund in our custody either from his family or relation before our discovery to this developement.


The said amount was TWENTY TWO MILLION THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS.($22.3m)Meanwhile all the whole arrangement to put the claim over this fund as the bonafide next of kin to the deceased,get the required approval and transfer this money to a foriegn account has been put in place and directives and needed information will be relayed to you as soon as you indicate your interest and willingness to assist us and also benefit your self to this great business pportunity.


Infact i could have done this deal alone but because of my position in this country as a civiassist(A Banker),we are not allowed to operate a foriegn account and wouldeventually raise an eye brow on my side during the time of transfer becuase i work it may be after due verification and assist by the correspondent branch of the bank where the money will be remitted from to your own designation bank account.I will not fail to inform you that this transaction is 100% risk free.On smooth conclusion of this transaction,you will be entitled to 40% of the total sum as gratification, while 60% will be for me.


Please;you have been adviced to keep top secret as i am still in service and intend to retire from service after we conclude this deal with you,I will be monitoring the whole situation here in this bank until you confirm the money in your account and ask me to come down to your country for subsequent sharing of the fund according to percentages previously indicated and further investment,either in your country or any country you advice us to invest.


All other necessary vital information will be sent to you when i hear from you,
Yours faithfully.


Mr Soki Anita
N/B
TREAT VERY CONFIDENTIAL & URGENT RESPONSE

Message from Lena

Why do I always get dating spam from Germany. Maybe an evil German person forwarded my email address to some other evil people. If that is the case, then Instant Karma is going to get, you evil evil man!

Nach einer Enttäuschung bin ich im Kopf und Herzen bereit,um eine (unsere)
neue Liebe einzugehen,in welcher Achtung,Respekt,Vertrauen,Tiefgang, Humor,
Romantik,Gefühle leben und geben,wichtige Grundelemente bilden?Kannst und
willst du Nähe auch wirklich ertagen und leben?Nicht klammern, sondern sei
es mit einem Blickkontakt, Berührung, ein Mail,etc zu spühren, fühlen, wir
sind angekommen.
http://www.fancyurl.com/dama
Vorallem wir wollen uns nicht verändern,wir lassen uns leben wie bis
jetzt,wenn wir verädern,dann weil es für denjenigen selber so stimmt.Wir
können ohne Probleme über unsere Vergangenheit sprechen,sie ist vorbei,wir
haben sie gelebt. Du brauchst keine Partnerschafts/Eifer - Sucht -
Spielchen,wir beide sind dankbar und wissen,wie wundervoll eine tragfähige
Liebe ist.Mich interessiert nicht,wie alt,wie gross,ob viele Haare oder
eine Glatze deinen Kopf zieren,sondern wie du denkst,dich gibst und du mich
akzeptieren kannst.

Invitation to the Casino

Wow, I received a great Spam message from Yri Casino:

You have been invited to play at Privilege Club.

You don't have to thank us for this great opportunity.

It's our pleasure. http://www.clubgoldcasino.net

I find it amazing that they dare to write "no need to thank us...."

A message from Andrea

A received this nice spam message from lovely Andrea :)
I strongly urge you not to contact here hehe...

soll ich......oder soll ich nicht....
doch angeblich stirbt die Hoffnung zuletzt ;-)
nun versuche ich durch diese zeilen einen mann zu finden mit dem ich mich
unterhalten kann, der mich zum lachen bringt und der sein leben
selbstständig lebt…………
einer der mich jederzeit verführen kann ;-)
er muss nicht aussehen wie brad pitt, denn so würde er doch nur kleben……
so viel geld wie gates muss er auch nicht haben, verdiene selber genug……
aber………
er sollte ehrlich sein und sich selbst mögen……… genug stärke haben um auf
andere eingehen zu können……
er sollte einfach das leben lieben………
http://www.dissana.com/andrea109/
selbstverständlich bringe ich die eigenschaften nach dem „aber“ auch mit :-)

freue mich dich zu lesen

Beautiful 3-4-5 Bdrm Foreclosures: $128 Monthly

The crisis that hit the world at the end of 2008, is starting to show its influence on the kind of spam messages that I receive. Before most spam talked about luxury products: viagra, rolex, fancy cars and superfast computers.

But now that people are getting less pay and more bills, spam messages are no longer targetted at expensive jewellery, but more about how to make money fast (lottery tickets, sleeping bank account) or how to reduce costs.

One in particular is the "Foreclosures". This means that a house is being sold at a very low price because the owners could no longer afford to pay their mortgages.

Yesterday I received a spam message telling me that I could get a beautiful house with 5 bedrooms for only 128 dollars a month...a real bargain, no?

The message invited me to click on the link. I did not ;)

And now for something completely different: The Spam Song

Monty Python wrote a wonderfully, frightfully witty song about Spam

Customer: Morning,

Waitress: Morning.

Customer: What have you got?

Waitress:
Well, there's egg and bacon,
egg sausage and bacon
Egg and spam
Egg, bacon and spam
Egg, bacon, sausage and spam
Spam, bacon, sausage and spam
Spam, egg, spam, spam, bacon and spam
Spam, sausage, spam, spam, spam, bacon, spam tomato and spam
Spam, spam, spam, egg and spam
Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, baked beans, spam, spam, spam and spam.

(Choir: Spam! Spam! Spam! Spam! Lovely Spam! Lovely Spam!)

Or Lobster Thermidor aux crevettes with a mornay sauce
served in a provencale manner with shallots and aubergines
garnished with truffle pate, brandy and a fried egg on top and spam.

Wife:
Have you got anything without spam?

Waitress:
Well, the spam, eggs, sausage and spam
That's not got much spam in it

Wife:
I don't want any spam!

Customer:
Why can't she have eggs, bacon, spam and sausage?

Wife:
That's got spam in it!

Customer:
Hasn't got much spam in it as spam, eggs, sausage and spam has it?

(Choir: Spam! Spam! Spam!...)

Wife:
Could you do me eggs, bacon, spam and sausage without the spam, then?

Waitress:
Iiiiiiiiiiiich!!

Wife:
What do you mean 'Iiiiiiiiiich'? I don't like spam!

(Choir: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!)

Waitress (to choir):
Shut up!

(Choir: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!)

Waitress:
Shut Up! Bloody Vikings!
You can't have egg, bacon, spam and sausage without the spam.

Wife:
I don't like spam!

Customer:
Shush dear, don't have a fuss. I'll have your spam. I love it,
I'm having spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, baked beans,
spam, spam, spam, and spam!

(Choir: Spam! Spam! Spam! Spam! Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!)

Waitress:
Shut Up!! Baked beans are off.

Customer:
Well, could I have her spam instead of the baked beans then?

Waitress:
You mean spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam,
spam and spam?

Choir (intervening):
Spam! Spam! Spam! Spam!
Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!
Spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam.
Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam!
Spam spam spam spam!

I am officially a millionaire!

I won a staggering 1,000,000.00 GBP !!!! I quit my job today :)

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are pleased to inform you that your e-mail address has won the British
Telecom Promo. Therefore you have been approve for a lump sum payout
(1,000,000.00 GBP) One Million Pounds in the British Telecom Promo held on
25th Of April 2009, and released 28th April, 2009. Your e-mail ID emerged
as one of the winners in the 1st category.

Please fill the form below and send it to our payment department with the
contact given below.

Name: Marcus Steve
Email: btpromo11@btinternet.com

PAYMENT PROCESSING FORM

1.Full Name:
2.Full Address:
3.Status:
4.Occupation:
5.Phone Number:
6.Country:

Yours faithfully,
Mrs. Caroline Phillips.

Shortest Spam ever?

Today I received what is probably the shortest spam message ever.

The sender was "Irish Online News" (wilsonbusiness@bellnet.ca)
The Title was : "Batch:074/05/ZY369‏"

And the message was short, simple and to the point:

You've earned £750,000.
Send Necessary Information:Name,Age,Country

I really hope they can convert it to Euro :)