My Road Runner accounts are getting bombed. I don't know about web-based mail (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.); I don't pay much attention to them. I have a spam filter that works well, so it's no big deal, but I couldn't help but notice the rising amount over the last few weeks. Also, a big spammer had his conviction (and the law) overturned recently: Virginia Supreme Court Overturns Spammer's Conviction
The spam I used to receive was almost all for erectile dysfunction pills or mortgage ads. Then it must have died off. I really didn't notice. However, the stuff I'm geting now is for everything and anything. A lot of "As seen on Oprah" or "As seen on CBS," etc. Yesterday I checked my business email account - 1 valid message and 25 pieces of spam.
On an unrelated (or is it?) note, I've received a number of telemarketing calls over the past few weeks, even though my telephone number is on both the state and national do not call reigistries. Same thing for my mom. When I have attempted to communicate this to the telemarketers, they hang up. Damn, that is so frustrating!
They will soon be projecting advertisements into our dreams. You will have to pay them to be excluded.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to jinx myself, but I never get any spam. I also have a road runner account.
ReplyDeleteReally? That is very interesting. So it is all about me...
ReplyDeleteI have about a dozen RR accounts, but the only ones getting hit are the ones I've used regularly in the recent past.
The JTI recently received this:
ReplyDeleteSWISS ON-LINE LOTTERY
P O Box 1010 Liverpool,
L70 1NL UNITED KINGDOM
(Customer Services)
REF NO: SL/74/368/05
BATCH NO:SL-121-LT-11-12-05
ONLINE NOTIFICATION
We are pleased to inform you that your e-mail address
has won the Swiss On-line Lottery. Therefore you have
been approved for a lump sum payout ( £1, 500 000.00 )
One Million Five Hundred Thousand Pounds Sterling in
the Swiss On-line Lottery program held on 8th September 2008,
and released today 10th September 2008. The online cyber lotto
draws was conducted from an exclusive list of 21,000 email
addresses of individual and corporate bodies picked by an
advanced automated random computer search from the
internet, no tickets were sold. After this automated
computer ballot, your e-mail ID emerged as one of the
winners in the 3rd category.
You are therefore been approve to lump sum of £1, 500 000.00(GBP).
To file and claim your winning,contact our Fiduciary
Agent for the processing of your winning particulars,with the
following information's below.
***************************************
United Kingdom Lottery Fiduciary
Contact Person: MR Micheal Anderson
E-mail address: swissremittanceunit1@btinternet.com
Tel:+447031931173
***************************************
Provide him with the information below:
1.Full Name:...................................
2.Full Address:.............................
3.Status:........................................
4.Occupation:................................
5.Age:............................................
6.Sex:............................................
7.Country:.....................................
8.Tel.Number:................................
9.Country Of Residence.....................
Congratulations once more from all members
and staff of this program.
Copyright ©2008 all rights reserved...................
I'm claiming it and heading to Cancun with Mme. Zoltar. See ya later!
Spam is as Spam does/stupid is as stupid does. Don't forward a bunch of useless crap, don't participate in useless crap, and most likely useless crap won't find you.
ReplyDeleteBy any chance are the telemarketing calls for extended auto warranties? There has been a rash of them here reported in the paper. I have gotten them on my home phone, cell phone and work phone as have all my colleagues. It is quite a mess here that Arizona is investigating (seem to originate from Missouri).
ReplyDeleteHaven't noticed any increase in spam. You know there is science geek spam as well? I keep getting spam for thermal testing systems!
hale-bopp, yes, mom has been getting the extended auto warranty calls, and she doesn't own a car. She doesn't have Caller ID, either. Mine have been coming from Texas and Florida, for "help" in lowering credit card payments, but I pay it off completely every month. Of course, first thing they want to know is your account number. Duh.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been using these email accounts on any risky sites that I am aware of. I mean, I'm usually pretty good at keeping the "real" accounts clean - I don't care about the throwaways. Hmmm, I must've slipped up somewhere; I'm getting bombarded. Or a "friend" is having some fun with me.
I'm probably at over 90% spam now. But my email addy is about 10 years old. Guess all the spam gives my SpamBully something to do! LOL
ReplyDeleteI used to belong to a English Springer Spaniel Yahoo group. It wasn't very active and then the spammers took over and everyone moved on.. I still get spammed from this one certain person everyday. I've added the name to my blocked list, but somehow it makes it through.
ReplyDeleteI quit using yahoo mail because I was getting ALOT of very bad volgar stuff. In the last 3 months, I have been getting spammed hard too. I start every day by blocking at least 2...
ReplyDeletewe too, are on the no call list, both state and the national ones. Still, we get a few calls, usually at the worst time so I answer and let them have it. That approach has slowed things down drastically. That, and threatening to turn them in... they try the 'we are a charitable organization', to which they are required by law to take you off their list if you tell them to and we have told everybody, so they get it even worse if they're dumb enough to argue with me...
Yes, it seems like my spam has increased in the last month for some reason. I have not a clue why.
ReplyDeleteI just checked an old gmail account that I never really used. 727 spam messages, and Gmail dumps spam every month. Most of these emails are true filth or debt consolidation. I don't need any help enhancing male body parts :> Now how did these spammers get my address?
ReplyDeleteJC Penny was calling me incessantly looking for "Annie". When I finally asked what they wanted, they said they were calling JC Penny card holders with an offer for life insurance.
ReplyDeleteI said "So, if I kill the bitch, you pay me?".
They stopped calling after that.
I get about 10 a day in my junk email. I was told you should never unsubscribe from them, they’ll just add you to another list since they now know it’s a working email account.
ReplyDeleteSER, I heard the same thing.
ReplyDeleteA few years back, I changed my telephone number and had it unlisted and unpublished. Shortly thereafter, I started receiving calls from various collection agencies for some guy. Turns out, he had owned the number before I did, and there is such a demand for numbers now that they recycle them more quickly than ever. Ever try to convince a collection agency that you're not the one they want? Ha - fat chance! I eventually reverted to my previous, listed number.
Orbs, I have convinced a collection agency I am not the person they were looking for recently. The person had the same last name, but I am not married. I told them I never heard of them and they instantly took me off their list. Haven't heard from them since (about 2 months now) which leads me to believe they just called everyone with my last name in the area as a crap shot.
ReplyDeleteI too had a collection agency calling me after I got a new number. I called them a few times, but every time they told me that they couldn't find my number in the system.
ReplyDeleteI finally threatened to file an FCC complaint and, Presto!, no more calls.
The credit card companies would stop after I spoke with a manager. Some of the local people (there was a pet grooming place in particular), were more persistent. The collection agencies never believed my story on the first try. I always had to talk to someone in authority, which in itself was often difficult to achieve. I remember one extremely sarcastic a##hole I wanted to strangle. Then it turned out that the guy was still using the telephone number when filling out forms, etc. I was called by people from home shows. The guy must be a real sweetheart. I just went back to my old number.
ReplyDeleteThat's a story unto itself. I didn't want another "new" number for fear of more of the same problems. I knew that my old number had been clean for almost a decade. But the phone co. said they couldn't give me back my old number because it had been released into a pool. I asked them if it had been reassigned. They said no. So I said I wanted it back. After a lot of arguing and back and forth and talking to supervisors and whatever, I finally got my old number back by paying a one time fee of 15 or 20 dollars.