©04 The Media Desk
http://themediadesk.com

I SPAM you, you SPAM me

      The Desk just sat and watched it come in.

      In spite of, or maybe because of, YAHOO!'s fancy language about cutting back the amount of SPAM that it allows through, more is coming in all the time. There were twelve SPAM messages on Sunday in one of the Desk's YAHOO! accounts which has the SPAM Filter set to the highest level. Yes. The highest, most selective, most secure setting. Some stuff the Desk wants to get in that account gets dropped. Yet the SPAM and SCAMS and ADS get through.
      How can this be? Unless, like Hotmail, YAHOO! has once again sold its soul to the SPAMMERS for love of filthy lucre.

      Now, let's run through the list. [NOTE: SPAM messages as copied from the mailbox are, in the order received, below the Desk's evaluations of them. ]

Jorge Connelly:
      Jorge evidently wanted something to do with the number 12. Just what it is all about is still a mystery. If the sender can't fill in a subject line, sorry Jorge.

Testers Wanted:
      Of Course Sony would send out an email promising a free console to people who answer a SPAM ad. Most likely, the SPAMMER (who is lucky to spell SONY let alone have any connection with them) will ask for your credit card to verify your name or address, then you will get a bill for the privilege of finding out the promotion doesn't exist. Same with the repeated SPAM

Support@whatever:
      Digital World Splendor? The Splendor of a digital ERA? Doesn't even sound interesting. They have GOT To do better than that to get the Desk to open it. As for where it is from, the site win11682.dn.net says it is under construction. dn.net however is an ISP (Verio in Colorado) that seems to cater to SPAMMERS as variations on the same host name have turned up on multiple SPAMS the Desk got in other accounts. Perchance we should block everything from that domain?

Victor Eaton:
      Isn't this a flat out sexist statement? How about if a 'her' owes child support? Where's the ACLU when you need them? Even if the Desk was owed child support, it sure wouldn't be looking to a SPAM message to help it collect, it'd be hassling Family Court to enforce its own laws.

Wilda Newman:
      Again with the sexist emails. This one seems to be selling software to spy on other users of the same computer. Terrific. Next month there will be software that blocks the software that spies on the other users, then you'll have to get software to spy on the spies that block spies that spy on blockers that… Whatever. If you want that sort of software, go out to the online catalogs that sell it and include free shipping if your order is fifty dollars or more, NOT from a SPAM.

Angela and Velma:
      No Subject Line… DELETE. Sorry ladies.

Debt Help:
      There are more or less legitimate outfits all over the place that do credit and debt counseling. Most for FREE or a small fee that simply amounts to earnest money. Who needs a SPAM message that will most likely simply result in your paying up front money for a list of charity counselors the SPAMMER lifted out of the phone book?

Lorrine Delaine:
      Only ONE SPAM all day for tranquilizers and Viagra and 'Grow Huge Now' and that kind of thing? Yup. Only one. Of course, there were four the day before and one already on Monday morning. They're getting desperate, having to use garbage characters in the names of the drugs because so many filters kick them out automatically now. A very precious few of these things actually lead to online pharmacies that do fill real prescriptions, most however are SCAMS that want paid up front, or will sell your personal information to other SPAMMERS, or will end up charging you twice what your local store would. Don't bother with them- DELETE.

Leann Morse:
      Two Hundred Million Personal Records? Well, OK. If, and that is a mighty big IF, this is the same as another one the Desk got some time ago it is simply selling you information about where to find public records on the NET, and usually for free although some outfits will charge for printed records or downloads of electronic data. The info from such sources as the Social Security Administration, state vital statistics, genealogy tables, and other public information records are out there. Some of it you have to register for with the agency, others have their records on public display, still others require you to present a case of 'need to know' or make you demonstrate that you have some connection to the person you were looking up (next of kin).

From BLANK:
      SCAM all the way. If HSBC Bank wanted to confirm anything from you, they would already know how to get hold of you. The Desk has gotten these from Sun Trust Bank, First Union, Charles Schwab and several others. Well, no, change that, No it hasn't gotten them from any of those legitimate businesses, it has gotten them from SCAMMERS. It is simply an out front attempt to steal your personal information. If you get one of these, forward it with full headers to your local online crime unit of your state police or the FBI. See info and links here: http://www.themediadesk.com/files/urban.htm The Desk's Urban Legend and SPAM Page

SPAM BELOW

FROM	SUBJECT	DATE	SIZE
Jorge Connelly	Re [12]:	Sun 10/17	10k
Testers Wanted	Testers Wanted Get a Free Sony VAIO Laptop-Find out how!	Sun 10/17	3k
support@ win11682.dn.net	RE: splendor of a Digital World....	Sun 10/17	2k
support@ win11682.dn.net	RE: splendor of a Digital ERA....	Sun 10/17	3k
Victor Eaton	Finally collect child support from him	Sun 10/17	8k
Wilda Newman	Is she cheating on you right now?	Sun 10/17	8k
Angela Madden	Message subject	Sun 10/17	4k
Velma Merritt	Message subject	Sun 10/17	4k
Debt Help	Debt Help that Works	Sun 10/17	4k
Lorrine Delaine	\/AL1UM $75, XANAAX $75, CIAL11S $96, AMBIEEN $72, \/IAAGRA $85 and	Sun 10/17	3k
Leann Morse	Access 211,000,000 records of U.S. residents	Sun 10/17	8k
from was blank	Important account notification from HSBC bank [Fri, 08 Oct 2004 17:41:17 +0200]	Sun 10/17	12k

End SPAM Collection

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