Spam Email

[bednobs]

why do people send it? Just had a look in my spm file, about 500 messages, all about sex. Wht does it actually acheive (spam, not sex!)

[Jackdaw33]

I'm still waiting for a Spam email promoting tins of SPAM.

[DaisyNonna]

Try Tesco

[Buenchico]

Assuming that it's just 'ordinary' spam . . .

The people who actually send the spam couldn't care less about whether anyone takes up the offers because they'll already have been paid by the people who're offering the services.

The people offering the services know that if even 1 in 100,000 recipients of the spam take up their offer, they'll still make a profit (particularly if they take payment and don't actually provide the goods or services advertised).


However there can be other reasons for sending spam . . .

In particular, many people don't understand that spammers often simply guess at email addresses, without knowing whether they're genuine or not. Those same people often make the mistake of submitting on 'unsubscribe'. That simply confirms that the address is genuine and allows the (apparently amateurish) spammers to compile lists of genuine email addresses, which can be sold onto (sophisticated) fraudsters who target people by (for example) pretending to be from eBay, Amazon, etc, and requiring that customers 'update their details'.

Alternatively, clicking on 'unsubscribe' can result in malware being downloaded to a computer, which could (for example) capture credit card and bank details.

So the purpose of some (apparent) spam emails might actually be nothing at all to do with promoting the goods or services mentioned in those emails. Simply getting people to click on 'unsubscribe' is all that the senders are really seeking to achieve.

[Buenchico]

JD33:

Will you settle for a video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBcY3W5WgNU

[DaisyNonna]

Local Musical Comedy Society performed Spamalot a few weeks ago
Absolutely brilliant
At town theatre, 5 evening performances, 2 matinees, both Saturday performances sold out and very few empty seats at other performances

[Jackdaw33]

Next thing is they'll be advertising jobs for lumberjacks. No, Chico, no need to post the link!

[Ken4155]

I never wanted to do this in the first place. I wanted to be..............A Lumberjack!

[silliemillie]

I've been getting emails in Chinese. I don't know what they are offering as I can't read Chinese, it might be something great! (Doubt it) but I couldn't order if if it was something I was really looking for so pointless.

[Buenchico]

If you're curious, Millie, simply copy and paste a block of the Chinese text into here:
https://translate.google.com/

[mastercraft]

I find Spam to be very salty these days, not like it was fourty years ago.
Think I'll send them an email...

[Old_Geezer]

It's cheap to send, especially from compromised PCs.

Enough respond to make it worthwhile. Indeed what with some legit companies you've bought from claiming it's not spam they send you thereafter since you didn't notice and untick the default "you agree to us sending you 'it is not really spam, honest' from here on" box, some can easily forget they haven't bought from spammer X in the past.