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 ;)
vrijdag 8 mei 2009
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!
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!
donderdag 7 mei 2009
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.
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 :)
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 :)
woensdag 22 april 2009
Spam: a definition
The word "Spam" as applied to Email means Unsolicited Bulk Email ("UBE").
Unsolicited means that the Recipient has not granted verifiable permission for the message to be sent. Bulk means that the message is sent as part of a larger collection of messages, all having substantively identical content.
A message is Spam only if it is both Unsolicited and Bulk.
- Unsolicited Email is normal email
(examples: first contact enquiries, job enquiries, sales enquiries)
- Bulk Email is normal email
(examples: subscriber newsletters, customer communications, discussion lists)
Technical Definition of Spam
An electronic message is "spam" IF:
(1) the recipient's personal identity and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other potential recipients;
AND
(2) the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent.
Spam is an issue about consent, not content. Whether the UBE message is an advert, a scam, porn, a begging letter or an offer of a free lunch, the content is irrelevant - if the message was sent unsolicited and in bulk then the message is spam.
Spam is not a sub-set of UBE, it is not "UBE that is also a scam or that doesn't contain an unsubscribe link", all email sent unsolicited and in bulk is Spam.
This distinction is important because legislators spend inordinate amounts of time attempting to regulate the content of spam messages, and in doing so come up against free speech issues, without realizing that the spam issue is solely about the delivery method.
Unsolicited means that the Recipient has not granted verifiable permission for the message to be sent. Bulk means that the message is sent as part of a larger collection of messages, all having substantively identical content.
A message is Spam only if it is both Unsolicited and Bulk.
- Unsolicited Email is normal email
(examples: first contact enquiries, job enquiries, sales enquiries)
- Bulk Email is normal email
(examples: subscriber newsletters, customer communications, discussion lists)
Technical Definition of Spam
An electronic message is "spam" IF:
(1) the recipient's personal identity and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other potential recipients;
AND
(2) the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent.
Spam is an issue about consent, not content. Whether the UBE message is an advert, a scam, porn, a begging letter or an offer of a free lunch, the content is irrelevant - if the message was sent unsolicited and in bulk then the message is spam.
Spam is not a sub-set of UBE, it is not "UBE that is also a scam or that doesn't contain an unsubscribe link", all email sent unsolicited and in bulk is Spam.
This distinction is important because legislators spend inordinate amounts of time attempting to regulate the content of spam messages, and in doing so come up against free speech issues, without realizing that the spam issue is solely about the delivery method.
dinsdag 21 april 2009
What is Scam Baiting
Scam baiting is the practice of pretending interest in a fraudulent scheme in order to manipulate a scammer. The purpose of scam baiting might be to waste the scammers' time, embarrass him or her, cause him or her to reveal information which can be passed on to legal authorities, get him or her to waste money, or, in the great majority of cases, simply to amuse the baiter.
The primary goal of scambaiting is stopping 419 Advance fee fraud, which bilks hundreds of millions of dollars from victims, and can lead to victims committing crimes to raise enough money to feed the fraudulent schemes.
Scam baiters often simply attempt to waste the scammer's time by pretending to be a victim; they often believe if a scammer is busy communicating with a baiter, then less time is left for finding and corresponding with potential victims. In "Conversations with a Nigerian Bank Scammer", writer Karl Mamer documents verbose "conversations" over email with several Nigerian 419 scammers. After statements like "Marco, my good and soon to be prosperous friend, you have correctly intimated from my writings on religion and Elvis that indeed, like you, I whole heartily [sic] agree that the separation of church and state is both unnatural and ungodly", "Marco" finally says "I am so scared to meet you with this amount of talking".
Another common practice amongst scambaiters is to ask the scammer to do something in order to prove their identity or their intentions, such as send a photograph of himself or herself in a compromising position. Baiting forums relish in a special bait they term "safari" in which they attempt to persuade scammers into traveling long distances to meet phantom victims or to pick up bogus wire transfers.
A small number of scam baiters claim to have convinced their scammers to send money to them, although the actual occurrence of this is disputed. Tom Craig, a former Scotland Yard officer, says that it would be unprecedented for 419 con artists to part with money and suggests that scam baiters could easily forge the scanty "evidence" of such successes. Other baiters have succeeded in getting their scammers to send them art or other "trophies" as evidence of completed work for the baiter, which is, of course, never paid.
In a paper titled "Scamming the Scammers - Vigilante Justice in Virtual Communities", Lauri Tuovinen and Juha Röning of the University of Oulu, Finland address the ethical issues of Patrick Cain's "Internet's First Blood Sport". They also use the term "digilantism" to describe the subculture of scam baiting and vigilante justice on the Internet.
Source: wikipedia
The primary goal of scambaiting is stopping 419 Advance fee fraud, which bilks hundreds of millions of dollars from victims, and can lead to victims committing crimes to raise enough money to feed the fraudulent schemes.
Scam baiters often simply attempt to waste the scammer's time by pretending to be a victim; they often believe if a scammer is busy communicating with a baiter, then less time is left for finding and corresponding with potential victims. In "Conversations with a Nigerian Bank Scammer", writer Karl Mamer documents verbose "conversations" over email with several Nigerian 419 scammers. After statements like "Marco, my good and soon to be prosperous friend, you have correctly intimated from my writings on religion and Elvis that indeed, like you, I whole heartily [sic] agree that the separation of church and state is both unnatural and ungodly", "Marco" finally says "I am so scared to meet you with this amount of talking".
Another common practice amongst scambaiters is to ask the scammer to do something in order to prove their identity or their intentions, such as send a photograph of himself or herself in a compromising position. Baiting forums relish in a special bait they term "safari" in which they attempt to persuade scammers into traveling long distances to meet phantom victims or to pick up bogus wire transfers.
A small number of scam baiters claim to have convinced their scammers to send money to them, although the actual occurrence of this is disputed. Tom Craig, a former Scotland Yard officer, says that it would be unprecedented for 419 con artists to part with money and suggests that scam baiters could easily forge the scanty "evidence" of such successes. Other baiters have succeeded in getting their scammers to send them art or other "trophies" as evidence of completed work for the baiter, which is, of course, never paid.
In a paper titled "Scamming the Scammers - Vigilante Justice in Virtual Communities", Lauri Tuovinen and Juha Röning of the University of Oulu, Finland address the ethical issues of Patrick Cain's "Internet's First Blood Sport". They also use the term "digilantism" to describe the subculture of scam baiting and vigilante justice on the Internet.
Source: wikipedia
maandag 20 april 2009
Terms used by 419 Scammers
Fall mugu (to)
To be fooled, to become victim of advance-fee fraud
Flash of account
Cause the victim's bank account to temporarily show a large credit. This is intended to induce the victim to believe in the deal and send money. The credit gets reversed by the bank when it is discovered that the original cheque or electronic transfer was fraudulent
Format
The scheme or script of an advance-fee fraud, e.g., the late dictator format (the scammer pretends to be a relative of a dictator, e.g. Maryam Abacha, "Wife" of Sani Abacha), the next of kin format, the lottery format
Guyman, guy
Scammer engaged in advance-fee fraud
Jokeman
A scambaiter
Luxcini
An investment scam involving a line of men's luxury clothing based in Beverly Hills, California
Maga, mugu, mugun, mahi, magha, mahee, mayi, mayee, mgbada(antelope)
Victim of advance-fee fraud. "Mugu" means "fool" and is often used as an insult by scam-baiters referring back to the scammer
Modalities
commonly used term for methods of funds transfer
Nwachukwu
An advanced fee fraud posing as a Stock Options trading corporation
Oga or Chairman
Boss
Owner of the job, Catcher
Scammer who makes the first contact with a victim and then passes him on to another scammer who finishes the job. The latter shares the spoil with the former.
Yahoo millionaires, yahoo boys
Scammers
Yahoo yahoo
The act of scamming, especially through the use of a Yahoo! mail address.
To be fooled, to become victim of advance-fee fraud
Flash of account
Cause the victim's bank account to temporarily show a large credit. This is intended to induce the victim to believe in the deal and send money. The credit gets reversed by the bank when it is discovered that the original cheque or electronic transfer was fraudulent
Format
The scheme or script of an advance-fee fraud, e.g., the late dictator format (the scammer pretends to be a relative of a dictator, e.g. Maryam Abacha, "Wife" of Sani Abacha), the next of kin format, the lottery format
Guyman, guy
Scammer engaged in advance-fee fraud
Jokeman
A scambaiter
Luxcini
An investment scam involving a line of men's luxury clothing based in Beverly Hills, California
Maga, mugu, mugun, mahi, magha, mahee, mayi, mayee, mgbada(antelope)
Victim of advance-fee fraud. "Mugu" means "fool" and is often used as an insult by scam-baiters referring back to the scammer
Modalities
commonly used term for methods of funds transfer
Nwachukwu
An advanced fee fraud posing as a Stock Options trading corporation
Oga or Chairman
Boss
Owner of the job, Catcher
Scammer who makes the first contact with a victim and then passes him on to another scammer who finishes the job. The latter shares the spoil with the former.
Yahoo millionaires, yahoo boys
Scammers
Yahoo yahoo
The act of scamming, especially through the use of a Yahoo! mail address.
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