I've been soliciting users for spam contributions and verifying samples
to ensure mail is definitely spam. I've had a few "unwanted, but is it
spam?" messages and I'd like some advice on whether they're masscheck
candidates, or just candidates for local blacklisting?
1) A medical insurance company is mailing statements and claim payment
information. This is not a phish, they aren't asking for any
information, they're just telling the recipient about transactions, but
also telling the user about other services they "might be interested in"
The user contacted the company, they refuse to talk to the user since
it's not the actual person. No unsubscription link.
2) Similar situation, different user, with paystubs and no add-on "Buy
more stuff from us", just a "Get your paystub here:" with a link to what
appears to be an actual paystub company. Again, the sender's support
department won't do anything about it. No unsubscription link.
3) Political spam. I get tons at a couple specific addresses,
exclusively from US republicans. If it doesn't have an unsubscribe link
at all?
4) Political spam, same as #3, except it has a unsubscribe link but the
spam keeps coming from the same politician.
(I'm not in the US, nor are most of my customers -- I get some on a .CA
address myself.)
In all four cases, the lack of a functional unsubscription system makes
the messages a candidate for treating them as spam internally, up to and
including IP level blocks, but I'm not sure if these are good candidates
for masscheck or not? My gut feeling is #1 and #2 are not candidates
since they're genuine misdirections, despite the fact that the sender
isn't willing to stop.
However, #1 is right on the border since it includes "Buy more stuff
from us", and I don't give advertising a pass just because it has
non-advertising content... But it's still just legitimate enough that
I'm not feeling like it's a good masscheck candidate.
#3 and #4 feel like good candidates, since they're just advertising and
the sender loses any pretense at legitimacy by failing to offer working
unsubscription features.
Thoughts/suggestions on any of the above?
--
Dave Warren
http://www.hireahit.com/
http://ca.linkedin.com/in/davejwarren
