The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #91518   Message #1741333
Posted By: JohnInKansas
15-May-06 - 06:25 PM
Thread Name: BS: Spam crazy
Subject: RE: BS: Spam crazy
I've received email spam disguised as something from a couple of the companies listed; but on at least 4 occasions when I contacted the companies directly they confirmed that they had not originated any messages of the kind I received.

It's almost certain that your received spam is in the same category. Those who send it will go to great lengths to make it look official, and to look like it came from "somebody you know." There's a good chance that the emails for at least half - maybe all - of those on your list came from one singe source.

It's also almost a 100% dead-sure bet that they all came from a machine owned by a friend who doesn't even know his machine is infected. The spammers quite likely are using a "friend's" address book to forward spam email.

Odds are currently about 3:10 (30%) or better that the perpetrators behind it are organized criminals. Some say more than half of current spam traffic is generated by organized crime groups, using "zombie" machines they've infected.

All they want is your money, but they'll settle for your credit card numbers, passwords, account numbers, or whatever they can use to steal it. In some cases they'll settle for name, address, and Social Security Number (in the US), since that's all they need to create a forged identity for someone to commit crimes using your name.

Your only recourse is to DELETE IMMEDIATELY.

NEVER READ THEM, no matter how curious you may be.

ABSOLUTLY NEVER CLICK ON ANYTHING IN ONE OF THEM.

And DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT clicking the box that says "Click here to be removed from our mailing list."

And you might suggest, gently, to all of your friends, that they get their machines intensively scanned and cleaned up.

John