>I've noticed that I've been getting some very strange email lately. Ones >that aren't obviously spam, but are just odd, and designed to elicit a >reply. I've done some searching to see if these are indeed real spammer >tactics, but so far, I've turned up nothing. My gut feeling is that this >is a big thing... bulk verification of email addresses, disguised as simple >and innocent mis-addressed email.
I suspect you guess right, but I've never quite understood something here. While it would seem to make sense to get a "verified" list of e-mail addresses as they might be more valuable, what spammer was ever responsible enough to care whether he resold a list of -verifiable- addresses, even to his/her colleagues? >Today, I even got one from someone claiming to be some exiled queen of an >African county, seeking help investing 25 million dollars that she needs to >wire to an account in the USA, but she needed my contact information, so >she could further communicate with me, so I could help her. (oh, gimmie a >brake!) You might be able to get a brake at the trash bin of your local car shop :-) If you want a break, this one is pretty common. I think the Nigerians at one time had this one down to a science, even before the internet facilitated it, and I have heard there have even been state dept warnings about this particular scam (not sure this is true, though). >Can anyone verify this, or point me to a web link confirming or denying my >suspicions? <http://www.cert.org/congressional_testimony/Shimeall_testimony_Aug23.html> mentions the Nigerians briefly, but it doesn't discuss spam specifically. Stefan Jeglinski ############################################################# This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the INDEX mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
