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floyde

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 7, 2005
808
1
Monterrey, México
This is what passes for spam these days:

Subject: intelligent
From: wzh3afqm@qconline.com
Message:
Content-Type: text/plain;
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit

scene



I got this on my gmail today. Am I my missing something here, or have spammers finally lost their minds?
 

Lyle

macrumors 68000
Jun 11, 2003
1,874
1
Madison, Alabama
I've gotten one or two-word spams like this as well, and I don't get it (unless it's just outright malice). They certainly aren't advertising anything.

I know that a common technique to get past spam filters is to include some computer-generated nonsense text that would appear (to an automated spam filter) like real text -- but I don't know what the point is if they don't also include a link to the product that they're advertising.
 

Moof1904

macrumors 65816
May 20, 2004
1,053
87
It's probably just a configuration error on the part of a spammer setting up a new batch of spam. Equivalent to printing one's first sheet of laser printer labels and seeing that they're misaligned, this is probably the spammer's system puking up some random stuff in error.

Don't worry. I'm sure the spammer will soon get everything configured properly and we'll soon be learning about all of the w0nd3rfu1 pr0ductz they hve 4 us.
 

Doctor Q

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 19, 2002
39,795
7,540
Los Angeles
One I got today says:
Dear CitiBank user,

We are looking forward to your support and understanding and inform you about new CitiBusiness® department system updrade performed by security management team in order to protect our clients from increased online fraud activity, unauthorized account access, illegal money withdrawal and also to simplify some processes.​
They went to the trouble of using a CitiBank logo and a registered mark, but didn't bother to spellcheck. It says updrade multiple times in the message.

I guess I won't click their link after all.
 

yellow

Moderator emeritus
Oct 21, 2003
16,018
6
Portland, OR
I agree that it's either a config error, or an attempt to update a list of real email addresses. If they don't get a bounce from your email address (or lack thereof), it's a valid addy and they can spam away at it.
 

notjustjay

macrumors 603
Sep 19, 2003
6,056
167
Canada, eh?
I got a really stupid one the other day, which said this:

Dear (notjustjay)
,

We recently noticed one or more attempts to log in to your TD CanadaTrus account from a different IP address.

If you recently accessed your account while traveling, the unusual log in
attempts may have been initiated by you. However, if you did not initiate
the log ins, please visit PayPal as soon as possible to check-up your
account information:

https://easyweb36w.tdcanadatrust.com/ (of course this led to a COMPLETELY obvious scam URL)

Thanks for your patience.

Sincerely,
PayPal
 

4409723

Suspended
Jun 22, 2001
2,221
0
I just got a good one:

"DEAR SIR/MADAM,
We are happy to inform you that you have won a prize money of Five Hundred Thousand Us Dollar ($800,000.00 usd.) for the month of March 2006"
 

mrwildguitar

macrumors regular
Dec 8, 2005
159
0
Glenwood Projects
I hate those one word, doesn't make sense emails. I got them all the time with my old email address.

As a matter of fact I just got one this morning saying "buy".

So annoying.
 

Jaffa Cake

macrumors Core
Aug 1, 2004
19,801
9
The City of Culture, Englandshire
My Junk folder at work is overflowing with spam offering me fake watches, knock off software and all manner of products designed to improve my sexual prowess. If you'd rather read some spam with actual content floyde, then I'd be more than happy to forward it all to you. :)
 

thequicksilver

macrumors 6502a
Sep 19, 2004
789
17
Birmingham
floyde said:
This is what passes for spam these days:

Subject: intelligent
From: wzh3afqm@qconline.com
Message:
Content-Type: text/plain;
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit

scene



I got this on my gmail today. Am I my missing something here, or have spammers finally lost their minds?

Nah, it makes sense to me. They're trying to successfully get messages through the spam filter, and once they get through they're gambling that people won't mark them as spam, and merely delete them. If that email address sent millions of emails with that subject and only a small percentage were marked as spam, they're betting that the spam filters will think they're legit, regardless of their content.

And if this is indeed the case, this tame-looking email is opening the floodgates.
 

mad jew

Moderator emeritus
Apr 3, 2004
32,191
9
Adelaide, Australia
Mentally ill spammers. I have no experience with this...


*Cough*


Did any of the other Horsemen of the Apocalypse think this was a thread about us?
 

iBlue

macrumors Core
Mar 17, 2005
19,180
15
London, England
i got this one:

_____

subject: bread

ikm3iauq@onemain.com

Content-Type: text/plain;
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit

justice

_______


that was it. bread and justice.
smilie-LOCO.gif



p.s. yes mad one, i thought this was definitely about you :p
 
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