I wrote recently about spam in the form of blog comments. There's been a deluge recently, and I want to call out some that look like they could be legit. Fortunately, my anti-spam filters (Akismet and Bad Behavior) caught them. I assume that most of these are planted for search … [Read more...]
Archives for November 2011
Lame spam of the day: weight loss blog comment
Some of the lamest spam I see comes in the form of comments on my blog posts. Some sounds convincing, but my spam filters (Akismet and Bad Behavior) are incredibly good at catching them. (It's particularly entertaining when the spam is trying to link to one of my spam of the day … [Read more...]
Lame spam of the day: Starbucks is giving away gifts
Who in their right mind would click on a thing like this? It came from a stranger in another country with a blank subject and an unintelligible Quote of the Day. I guess I answered my own question -- someone who isn't thinking. And what kind of gifts are they giving away? It's a … [Read more...]
Thinking about a donor database selection workshop
I'm planning a new workshop on selecting donor databases, focusing on the question, "Why is this so friggin' complicated?" Some initial thoughts: The maxim "Fast, cheap, or good--pick two" is true. You want the technology to be forward-looking but also want to avoid shiny object … [Read more...]
Lame spam of the day: Acquire new EIN
This one seems both farfetched and lazy. They didn't bother with graphics or try to disguise the sender's email address or the destination of the hyperlink. And how many people would think they need an EIN (Federal employer ID) in the first place, much less a new one? I'd hope that … [Read more...]
Lame spam of the day: Your Tax Payment ID [various #s] is failed.
I got four of these today. No graphics, butchered syntax. Several mentions that you can call the EFTPS for help, but no phone number. Do people really fall for these things? Sender: message daemon (message.daemon@eftps.com) -- does that inspire confidence? Subject: Your Tax Payment ID … [Read more...]
Lame spam of the day: USPS Delivery Confirmation
Like the American Airlines spam, this one didn't bother to include any graphics to make it look official. Further, it shows plainly that the link goes to www.usps.com.ww062.com (note that the domain is ww062.com). Some scammers are just lazy. Sender: auto-notify@usps.com Subject: … [Read more...]
Lame spam of the day: America Airlines ticket order
This one caught my eye for a second. I thought, "I don't remember booking anything with American lately." The lazy spammer didn't even bother to include any graphics to make it look official. Sender: American Airlines (information-no77537@aa.com) Subject: Your Order##91991988 Text: … [Read more...]
Lame spam of the day: Your Changelog
This one is short and appropriately signed. So, how many people ask to have a change log sent to them? And if they didn't, who would click the link? Sender: support@rlweiner.com (my domain -- which has no "support" account) Subject: Re: Your Changelog Text: ============== Good … [Read more...]