Jay Curry's Spam Review

If a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it, does it make a noise?

2005-09-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

What is the sound of one hand clapping?
Does anybody look at this weblog?

I have to admit being somewhat of an ego tripper. I have written books and a whole slew of artiles. I love feedback from readers. But I have the feeling nobody reads this blog. I will continue the blog if someone comments on this posting or mails me at jay@jaycurry.con.

Thank you.

A Real Phisher! - 6 September 2005

2005-09-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

A"Phisher"pretends to be a big company who for "security reasons" requests that you confirm or reconfirm your credit card number, bank account, etc. And then they rip you off, stealing from your bank or misuing your credit card.

Here is a Phishing letter supposedly from Amazon "Security Department"". I clicked the link but was linked to to www.webservers.com. I looked up this URL to find this registration information:

Registrant:
Web Server Systems 231 Market Place #180 San Ramon, CA 94583 US Domain Name: WEBSERVERSYSTEMS.COM Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Zone Contact: Web Server Systems 231 Market Place #180 San Ramon, CA 94583 US 111-111-1111 http://www.emailaddressprotection.com [email]
Domain created on 14-Jun-2004 Domain expires on 14-Jun-2010 Last updated on 29-Aug-2005

Doesn't look much like Amazon to me. . .

Anway, here is the original Phishing email:

-----Original Message-----From: Amazon Security Department [mailto:payments@amazon.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 2:48 PMTo: jay@voice-of-the-customer.comSubject: Place or Update Credit Card on File

Amazon.com

Dear Amazon member,We regret to inform you that your Amazon account was been suspended for a period of 3-4 days,after that it will be terminated.During our regularly schedule account maintenance and verification we have detected a slight error in your billing information on file with Amazon. This might be due to either following reasons:
- A recent change in your personal information (i.e. change of address) - Submitting invalid information during the initial sign up process. - An inability to accurately verify your selected option of payment due an internal error within processors.
Your credit card on file with Amazon

Card number: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX (Not shown for security purposes)

Expiration date: XX/XX
Please sign in to your Amazon account and update your billing information:http://phaeton.webserversystems.com/~euro/amazon/amazon/index.html
If your account information is not update, your account on Amazon will be terminated.
Thank you for your time!Amazon.com Security Departament

-----Original Message-----
From: Amazon Security Department [mailto:payments@amazon.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 2:48 PMT
o: jay@voice-of-the-customer.comS
ubject: Place or Update Credit Card on File

Amazon.com

Dear Amazon member,We regret to inform you that your Amazon account was been suspended for a period of 3-4 days,after that it will be terminated.During our regularly schedule account maintenance and verification we have detected a slight error in your billing information on file with Amazon. This might be due to either following reasons:
- A recent change in your personal information (i.e. change of address) - Submitting invalid information during the initial sign up process. - An inability to accurately verify your selected option of payment due an internal error within processors.
Your credit card on file with Amazon

Card number: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX (Not shown for security purposes)

Expiration date: XX/XX
Please sign in to your Amazon account and update your billing information:http://www.amazon.com/gp/css/homepage.html
If your account information is not update, your account on Amazon will be terminated.
Thank you for your time!Amazon.com Security Departament

Hmmmm. . .Good Targeting Again - 23 August 2005

2005-08-23T03:30:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm. . .they really know their audience--and mailing lists out there. Read it and weep.

-----Original Message-----From: sale [mailto:788sueoneuc@163.com] Sent: NoneSubject: jay¹úÄÚÓòÃû´ó½µ¼Û Ö»Òª68Ôª/Äê¡¢¸ßËÙ¿Õ¼ä60Ôª/

=?GB2312?B?6g==?=
To: jay@jaycurry.com
Content-Type: text/plain;charset="GB2312"
Reply-To: 788sueoneuc@163.com
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 14:34:03 +0800
X-Priority: 3
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200

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Garble - 22 August 2005

2005-08-23T03:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes spam is simply a garble--filled with nonesense words (just to escape spam filters?).
Anyway, see if YOU can figure this one out.

-----Original Message-----
From: Damien Howell
[mailto:Lidia.Bean@simplybovine.com] Sent: Monday, August 22, 2005 4:23 AMTo: jay@jaycurry.com

Subject: August newsletter rèplÏcã wåtchèz. wodte

hello Jay
+-+-+-+-+-+
OMEGA
+-+-+-+-+-+
+++ huuuge variety... http://001.edvancedwanow42right.com/?fortunebard

or

n.ót.h.an.k.z.z.zzzz
%CUSTOM_REMOVEURL

leggings life animal,
if angle chloride and
shriek concept.

Weekend Musings 20 + 21 August 2005

2005-08-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have asked me"Do you have a spam filter?"

The answer is "Yes--and I am happy with it!"

It used to me Spamnet, but they changed the name, for whatever reason, to Cloudmark.

It is a coopeative venture: when I block a spam it is recorded centrally for the benefit of all. My span goes automatically to the folder I choose--in my case to the Deleted folder, so I can get rid of the junk immediately. I know have 496 spams in my Deleted folder. I now check out what I have to sift through the trash to find nuggets for this blog.

My spam filter is about 95% accurate. I hardly every get something marked as spam which is legitimate, and 95% of the spams end up automatically in my Deleted file.

Try it out--www.cloudmark.com. Full disclosure: I have no relationship--economic or otherwise--with Cloudmark other than being a happy customer.

Shotgun Approach - 18 August 2005

2005-08-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

Some spammers just don't give up. I got three almost identical spams today--from allegedly differently people, with different subject headers.

Here is from Loren:

From: Loren Butts [mailto:pullin@yebox.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 3:59 PMTo: jay@jaycurry.comSubject: Lowest rates in 45 years

Hello,

We tried contacting you awhile ago about your low interest morta(ge rate.

You have been selected for our lowest rate in years...

You could get over $420,000 for as little as $400 a month!

Ba(d credit, Bank*ruptcy? Doesn't matter, low rates are fixed no matter what!

To get a free, no obli,gation consultation click below:

http://www.p8refi.net/?id=a67

And then from Carrie:

-----Original Message-----
From: Carrie Downey [mailto:cereous@yebox.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 4:02 PMTo: jay@jaycurry.comSubject: Catch the new low rates

Hello,

We tried contacting you awhile ago about your low interest morta(ge rate.

You have been selected for our lowest rate in years...

You could get over $420,000 for as little as $400 a month!

Ba(d credit, Bank*ruptcy? Doesn't matter, low rates are fixed no matter what!

To get a free, no obli,gation consultation click below:

http://www.p8refi.net/?id=a67

And to keep plotically correct racial and sexual balance, from Chang:

-----Original Message-----

From: Chang Jacob [mailto:felixw@mailAccount.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 8:04 AMTo: jay@jaycurry.comSubject: Approved low mortage rate

Hello,

We tried contacting you awhile ago about your low interest morta(ge rate.

You have been selected for our lowest rate in years...

You could get over $420,000 for as little as $400 a month!

Ba(d credit, Bank*ruptcy? Doesn't matter, low rates are fixed no matter what!

To get a free, no obli,gation consultation click below:

http://www.p8refi.net/?id=a67

Loan Request??? - 15 August 2005

2005-08-16T02:34:00.000-07:00

Gee, they reacted a month late to my loan request. Problem is I never made a loan request. No doubt they were banking on my Alsheimer-strength memory. . .

-----Original Message-----From: Nelda Egan [mailto:idiotic@mamma.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 12:23 PMTo: jay@jaycurry.com

Subject: Re: Loan request

thank you for your loan request, which we recieved on 07/19/05,we'd like to inform you that we are accepting your application, b a d credit ok, we are ready to give you a $260,000 loan for a l o w month payment.approval process will take only 1 minute.please visit the confirmation link below and fill-out our short 30 second form.http://www.amlomain.com/2/?j=artemych

Weekend Musings - 13 + 14 August 2005

2005-08-13T06:07:00.000-07:00

Blogs are exploding in the virtual universe. Any many marketeers claim that blogs will become an important marketing communications instrument.

I don't believe it!

Marketing communications need consistency in content and tone of voice. A blog is a personal medium which shouldn't be written by one person, not by a committee of marketing nerds.

Sure, some ego-tripping CEO's have a blog to tell about their lives and companies. That's fine. But how long will they keep it up before turning it over to the marketeers???

I believe blogs are becoming an anti-marketing communications medium whereby angry and frustrated customers can vent their spleen.

Content Analysis - 12 August 2005

2005-08-13T05:41:00.000-07:00

I was away for a few days in Stockholm. When I returned I had 223 spams waiting for me.
I decided to use this for a short "content analysis" to see who is mailing what. Thomas Nesbit based his bestseller Megatrends on a content analysis of publications to predict what's trends are shaping society.

Maybe a scientific content analysis of spam could tell us something

Here are the results of my informal content analysis:

Loans and mortage offers: 46%
Penny stock hypes: 18%
Fake watches, handbags: 14%
Viagra and other medicines: 11%
Menswear (penis and sperm enhancers): 7%
Music: 4%

From this one could conclude that we are in for a market crash and debt crisis!

Lazy Spam - 11 August 2005

2005-08-13T05:29:00.000-07:00

Writing spam--or any kind of direct response communications--can be hard work. You have to make a personal appeal to the receiver and get him/her intersted in your proposition--or "offer" in DM terms. You can't let the brochure do it.

This spam writer was either tired or lazy. Because she just sent a spam telling to click a link. Not very exciting or appealing. . .especially when the letter appears to be sent to "clara" and not "Jay".

-----Original Message-----From: francisco perchinski [mailto:deadradrevs@fratemail.com] Sent: Friday, August 12, 2005 11:54 PM

To: jay@jaycurry.comSubject: FW: tyesha

clara

http://uk.geocities.com/Wayne_Crafton/?LL=The.chronic_paain_is_sttressing.y

Testimonials (R-adults only) - 10 August 2005

2005-08-10T00:07:00.000-07:00

Testimonials can be a powerful persuader in direct mail and email. Bu the product must be attractive and believable. This spam is chock full of testimonials--but yeeuwh!

Original Message:-----------------
From: Josefa Swain skwzsrtvvovie@juno.comDate: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 09:35:17 +0200To: jay@jaycurry.com

Subject: spermatazoa multiply by 5 times

Satisfied Customers Testimonials

Jimmy ---- 47, Male, UKWhat you claim is wrong. My sperm volume didn't increase by 500%. It increased by ZILLION %

Sharon --- Female, UKMy husband decided to try SPUR-M, and the resultsare great! I just love it when it starts spurting out

Jose --- 29, Male, USAI cannot believe how good my semen has become. It is a thick blob that shoots like a rocket. My wife says she can feel the force with which my semen hits her inside, which earlier she couldn't even feel. I don't know about other customers but I am lovin it.

Michael --- 41, Male, Hong KongI always dreamt of shooting like a porn star and I can do it now, my girl cannot eat as much as I can shoot.

"My wife and I had been looking for a product to help with boosting male fertility. I am happy to say that test results have improved in the time I have been using Spur-M (2 months). Thank you for your assistance, and for the supply of Spur-M"M. Rosenberg, NYC, USA
http://www.reginfoinfo.com/u/

not interested, pls go herehttp://www.reginfoinfo.com/w.php

Phishing?? - 9 August 2005

2005-08-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

Maybe you have heard a bit about Phising--false spam which gets you to enter credit card and other sensitive information, thinking the bank needs it. Here appears to be an example.

-----Original Message-----From: Security [mailto:fw-confirm@southtrust.com] Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2005 5:06 PMTo: JaySubject: Verify Account Information

Dear SouthTrust User,

During our update and verification of the accounts, we were not able to verify your current information. Either your information has changed or it is incomplete.
As a result, your access to online banking on SouthTrust has been restricted. To start using fully your SouthTrust online account, please update and verify your information by clicking the link below :
http://www.backup11.com/BankingAuth
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Regards,

SouthTrust Inc.

Scary - 8 Augustus 2005

2005-08-08T00:26:00.000-07:00

This spam note struck me as scary. Respect! it demanded. And from e-pay.com, no less. E-pay.c0m? Was this e-Bay.com? Or PayPal.com?

My fingers wanted to press the link, but then I thought--hey maybe I was confirming a mythical order for a 48 foot yacht or something that would make me bankrupt!

And so I checked out e-pay.com on "Who is?". It turns out to be some company registered in Panama City, Panama! Sure I give them respect for chutspah. . .but not my address!

-----Original Message-----From: respect@e-pay.com [mailto:respect@e-pay.com] Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2005 10:25 AMTo: jay@jaycurry.comSubject: The statement of payment

Dear userYou should confirm payment... http://www.e-pay.com/?offset=220%payment.phpThanks!

Weekend Musings - 6 and 7 August 2005

2005-08-06T01:31:00.000-07:00

For a time in my life I was a direct mail copywriter. Hence my interest in spam. Plus the fact that I am starting an e-publishing site, www.voice-of-the-customer.com.

My mentor, Ed McLean, taught me the three factors for success in direct mail:

The list is the number one. List A can get up to 1000% more response than List B.
Second is the offer. What are you going to get if you respond to the mailing. Offer A can score up to 500% better than offer B.
Third is the copy and art, the words and picture used in the mailing. Mail package A can maybe score 200% better than Mail package B--with luck.

And where do most people spend their time and energy? On the copy and art, of course. Why? Because everybody is an expert! I have spend hours with a group of marketing people--all highly paid college graduates--arguing over the text of a letter. At the end, we all agreed, and the Creative Director called out to his secretary "Martha, find a list for this thing".

With the Internet requiring no postage stamps, spammers can send an email to 1 million addresses with little or no production costs. That's why we get so many of them. If it were costing $0.40-$1.00 per mail shot, we would get a lot less spam.

Snailmailers are happy to get the response "Send me no more letters."

That means no more sending costly mail to those who don't want it. And perhaps a chance to get more than a 2% response (read 98% non-response).

Spammers don't care. It costs time and money to process someone out of a list.

And that's why we keep getting the same old spams reviewed in this blog.

An Offer You Should Refuse - 5 August 2005

2005-08-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

Here is an example of an old scam that has been going on for years. I received some of these lette rs years ago by snail mail, painfully typed out. Now these gangs are going modern and have turned to the Net.

The deal allegely is made by an somebody in Africa--usually the widow of a corrupt politician--who is sitting a pile of money. He/she seeks help in getting this money out of the country in exchange for a piece of the action. Just send along your bank account number and a blank letterhead to get the ball rolling. This is a man-to-man version, sent by a corrupt quartermaster.

I understand from press reports that this spam/scam generates million dollars per year through follow-up fraud and extortion practices.

You may want to reply to a letter like this with a suggestion that the sender stuff the money where the sun doesn't shine.

DON'T UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES REPLY TO A LETTER LIKE THIS.

You may get an unpleasant visitor on your door.

Respectful one

From: CAPTAIN ZUZUS ANANI <captzuzus1@hotmail.com> To: jay@jaycurry.com Reply-To: captzuzus1@hotmail.com Date: Jul 31 2005 - 11:41am

Dear Managing Director,

My name is Captain Zuzus Anani, I am soldier and also from Ivory Coast known as (Cote d'Ivoire) in Africa.I am seeking for your favor to assist me in carrying out a successful investment project in your country, I would like to emphasize that, I will like to invest on real estate and electronics components as part of my investment scheme.

I would like to disclose some things hoping that if I confine myself to you as an business person, You are going to give me all the assistance where so ever. As a result of some political problems , using my position as a captain , I had to collect a huge sum of money which was meant for feeding and other miscellaneous activities in the army .So what I have as my possession can not be invested in my country to avoid government questions . So I have to remove the money out of my country and deposited it in a save company outside my country , all the total amount is $15.5m , so please I want you to claim and invest it for me in your country.

I will offer to you 15% both for any expenses you incur during the transaction.I hope you can understand me in that context, I would be very grateful if you can send to me an estimate of a proposed project. Looking forward to receive your urgent response.

Regards,

Capt.Zuzus Anani.

What's in a name? - 4 August 2005

2005-08-04T01:40:00.000-07:00

I have been to Shanghai several times for seminars. And I just can't resist buying "fake watches" offered by thousand of street sellers and small shops. Rolex, Cartier, you name it, they've got it. In my search I discovered that all the vendors have the same source. One of them showed me a thick catalogue with all the models (no prices mentioned). But through haggling, I discovered that the bottom-line price is about $7.00 (although they will start the bargaining process at $50 to $100. I was amused to see at our street market in Amsterdam, the price for a Chinese-made watch is. . . $7.00. But without the name and logo of a famous brand. I guess the thick catalogue is now being offered on the Net.

By the way, the watches I have bought in Shanghai usually stop ticking for good after six weeks. So I bought a Swatch in the airport, and it is still going strong.

-----Original Message-----
From: Rowland [mailto:swyhlvwcgcq@paintscreen.com]
Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 2:15 PM
To: Eugenio
Subject: n4k5 Fashion Wrist Watches

Get the Finest Rolex Watch Replica
We only sell premium watches. There's no battery in these replicas just = like the real ones since they charge themselves as you move. The second = hand moves JUST like the real ones, too. These original watches sell in = stores for thousands of dollars. We sell them for much less.
* Replicated to the Smallest Detail
* 98% Perfectly Accurate Markings
* Signature Green Sticker w/ Serial Number on Watch Back
* Magnified Quickset Date
* Includes all Proper Markings
http://pvrlnx.replicas4time.net/
We also carry all top quality Louis Vuitton handbags!

A New Category: Skype Span - 3 August 2005

2005-08-02T23:52:00.000-07:00

I was sitting at my computer when the telephone rang. No the normal ring of my telephone--the noise came from my computer. And then the Skype dashboard emerged to tell me that I was getting a call from Miss X. I quickly looked her up in the Skype directory and discovered she was from the Phillipines! She had a sultry voice, it was a boring day so we chatted a bit. Finally she invited me to visit her the next time I was in town. Was this a world premiere: telespam via the Internet? Now I don't know if she had any commercial objectives--she said she picked my name "at random" from the directory. But I suppose if there are more than 40,000,000 users of Skype--the VOIP telephone service--then I suppose commercial Skype Span will become more common. Has anyone out there had similar experiences??

Am I on the right list?? - 2 August 2005

2005-08-02T03:17:00.000-07:00

Internet and direct marketing are all about targeting the right message to the right person. Obviously something went wrong here. But I have done seminars in China and all over the world, so I usually get a spam a day line this:

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Stock Hype - 1 August 2005

2005-08-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

Here is the Internet version of a boiler room--a call center chock full of guys pushing a low-cost stock for reasons of. . . profit. I once tracked a recommendation of this type of email and it disaappreared from the charts after six months. Caveat emptor!

-----Original Message-----From: Dixie Hackett [mailto:smhdfcg@andreasens.com] Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 2:53 PMTo: jay@jaycurry.comSubject: Ever See A Small St0ck Take Off?

Modern Technology Corp (MOTG)
A technology development & acquisition company Reports:

Breaking News!!
$1.5 Million Increase in Quarterly Revenue Over Same Period
Last Year with $7.1 Million in Current Assets.

Further growth in revenues and planned acquisitions from the
Electronics sector are expected to generate in excess of
$25 Million in 2005.This revenue estimate does not include
revenues from other planned sector acquisitions throughout 2005,
expected to be between $50 million and $75 million.

****************************************************************
PUBLICLY TRADED : MOTG

Last Trade : $.08
Issued : 17M Shares
Float : 3.2M Shares

Will it Continue to climb?
Watch This One Monday as We Know Many of You Love Growth.

****************************************************************
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS:

-July 14, 2005
MOTG Announces that it's subsidiary Reliant Distributing Added
Metra Electronics product line, with projected Revenues of over
$2,000,000 for 2006. The Metra Electronics product lines are the
industry leaders in installation kits and wiring harnesses.

-July 12, 2005
MOTG Portfolio Expands with the Addition of IDEX USA's Plasma & LCD
Technology Distribution

-July 11, 2005
MOTG Acquires H-NET Software and Technology Assets

-July 6, 2005
MOTG's Subsidiary Sound City addS the Pioneer Car Audio Product
lineup to its ever-growing line of products and technologies.

-June 9, 2005
MOTG and UTEK form Technology Transfer Alliance.
MOTG to acquire IHE with 2005 $1MM in revenue & projected $3M
in 2006 revenue.

-Jan 24, 2005
MOTG receives $3.5MM Financing, Sound City acquisition completed.

-June 30, 2004
MOTG revenues exceed $10,000,000.

*****************************************************************
Conclusion:

Great Earning Potential by this diversified technology development
and acquisition company.
Please Watch this One Trade Monday! Go MOTG.