Kinder, Gentler Spammers. . .

[maniactive]

A customer asked a question about spammers today, and followed it up with a question that made me smile. He said,

"Do you know why some spammers put gibberish in the subject line? A bunch of random letters and numbers that mean nothing? I think it's almost polite, it's like saying 'hey, just so you know: this is spam, you can go ahead and delete it. It's really quite helpful."

I guess it was the comment about "polite & helpful spamming" that made me grin.

But seriously, why do some spammers do this? I didn't quite know what to tell him.

[paulhiles]

Do you know why some spammers put gibberish in the subject line? A bunch of random letters and numbers that mean nothing? <snip!>

But seriously, why do some spammers do this? I didn't quite know what to tell him.
The overwhelming reason is to hamper people (us folks!) from setting up "Message Rules" to delete or rebut incoming spam emails. This is also why there is so much competition in Spam detection software, because the rules are constantly being re-drawn. If you knew a sender always spelt out the words 'Cheap Viagra' in each subject line it would be a simple exercise to detect and delete such emails. One day maybe... <sighs!>

Paul

[mikmik]

Paulhiles wrote :
The overwhelming reason is to hamper people (us folks!) from setting up "Message Rules" to delete or rebut incoming spam emails. This is also why there is so much competition in Spam detection software, because the rules are constantly being re-drawn. If you knew a sender always spelt out the words 'Cheap Viagra' in each subject line it would be a simple exercise to detect and delete such emails. One day maybe... <sighs!>

Well, Paul, I'm wonderring if that "one day" isn't close. I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but suddenly, two days ago, I stopped getting any spam in my Hotmail accounts that had the 'randomly generated' subject lines!

Are the spam filters on to something?

[matauri]

Have you been managing the hotmail account Mik?

After 5 years of managing both my PC mail program & my hotmail account, I am down to nearly no junk mail in either. I am on about 4 mail discussion lists, dont disguise my email link on web, and dont use a spam filter on my PC.

So I think a combination of managing your email & persmissions you set, the hotmail filters, and the ISP & Hosting filters eventually elliminates it all. My suggestion is for people to learn their permission controls in both their PC & webmail accounts, and they wont have a prob with spam.


Cindy

[labrynth_of_fire]

Why cant spammers be really kind and gentel and stop spamming us all :)

[minstrel]

Why can't spammers be really kind and gentle and stop spamming us all :)
Because then they'd be reduced to bothering us on sidewalks for spare change and they're a lot noisier and malodorous when they're doing that... easier to hit the delete button than to have to race down the street with 5 or 6 hobos chasing you waving religious pamphlets and cheap drugs at your back...

[mikmik]

Matauri, you are 100%!
So I think a combination of managing your email & persmissions you set, the hotmail filters, and the ISP & Hosting filters eventually elliminates it all. My suggestion is for people to learn their permission controls in both their PC & webmail accounts, and they wont have a prob with spam

The only filter I've ever set is "if the subject contains the words: Fwd Fw" , for anti-virus reasons.
I have 8 hotmail, msn, and yahoo acct's, and the one I referred to (it was only the one account) was the only 'box' getting spammed, it's the one I use for subscribing, etc.
Common sense and awareness, like you say Mat :o)