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Who's in the corner?
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Return to ANTI-SPAM RESOURCES |
Random thought:
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Spammers ...... want your money and they'll do anything to get it. They'll lie. They'll send infected messages with worms and viruses designed to take over your computer. They'll tell you that your credit card is being charged for "kiddie porn" that's on its way to your address. They'll ask you to give them enough information that they can steal your identity. Here are just a few spams that I've selected at random. If you ever think of buying something offered by a spam, consider that most of these creeps won't even tell you where they are. The Canadian "pharmacy" that happens to be in ChinaThese guys offer you prescription drugs without having to bother with a prescription. They say they're in Canada, but Canada seems to have expanded its borders because the website is in Liaoning, China.
So where is the pharmacy? You can get a decent hint by taking a look at the HTML code behind the spam:
Oh, and by the way -- 126.com is one of the most prolific spammers on the planet. Ebay moves to Thailand?Oh no! My Ebay account has been blocked! I'd better take care of this fast!
... Russia.
Do I have any takers on a bet that the address provided with the registration doesn't exist, is a mail drop, or corresponds with the billing address of a stolen credit card? Do I need this car loan?
And there's another panel below this one ... Is this one of those useless "prepaid" "credit" cards or just another identity-theft con game? I can't tell without going further and I'm certainly not going any further, even with fake information. Let us know what you think about this program! Write to: |
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Privacy Guarantee:I HATE SPAM and will not sell, rent, loan, auction, trade, or do anything else with your e-mail address. Period.
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As if you didn't already get enough weather on the radio! Annoying legal disclaimer
Copyright 2005 by William F. Blinn. All rights reserved.Other sites you may find interesting or useful or just plain strange: Website design • Cats • Copyediting-L • Kaydee, the artist • Cookies (read the warning) • Stupid Texas images • Who uses Ventura Publisher? • Central Ohio Traffic Net (amateur radio) • Ventura Summit 2002 photos |
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Here's the ad from the "pharmacy". It doesn't specifically say that it's in Canada, but that's certainly what you're supposed to think. 
So now maybe you're wondering who is the registered owner of "dancedde.com". The fact that it's a com domain does not mean that it's in the United States, as you can see from the registry record at the right.
The message (actually, 6 copies of the message) was in my e-mail inbox. The 6 copies suggested fraud immediately. A quick look at the "from" line confirmed it. Register.com is a domain registrar. Ebay is not associated with Register and does not send messages from Register. It's easy enough to forge the return address, so why did these bozos choose "Register" instead of "Ebay"?
... Bankok, Thailand. But something tells me that the real Ebay is still in San Jose.
Then I scrolled down a little further and found misspelled words and a complimentary close that was clearly not written by a native speaker of US English.
When my mouse cursor moved over the Ebay logo, I noticed that the graphic contained a link. The link goes to "shadowcrew.com" -- another place that's probably a dark alley that's to be avoided. And "shadowcrew.com" is located in ...
... but look. While the server may be in Russia, the domain is registered to a concern in Miami. The domain appears to have been taken down because a traceroute shows "no such host". 
... Hong Kong, China. Yeah, I'm sure that a lot of financial institutions in China provide auto loans to people in the US. So let's see what these guys have to offer.
Well, here we are. It must be real because the site says it "uses secure technology." But the little key in the lower right corner isn't illuminated. You don't suppose these folks would be lying to me, do you?
Now they want some additional information. And let's see -- they're going to give me $150 if I pay them $149.95. So I'll make a nickel. If I can really use the card to make purchases at stores. Some of these "credit cards" may be used only in stores owned by the issuing company, stores that price the goods they sell at double or triple what you'd pay in a real store. 
... where they want my bank checking or savings account information. They already have asked for my mother's maiden name, my Social Security Number, and everything else they might need to steal my identity.
