Why do spam E-mails...

[Pete]

...have such gobbledegook 'senders' and 'subjects'? I've often wondered. Consider the following example, which I've just deleted from my 'bulk' folder (along with about a dozen similar):
Sender: "Ilpo gavitt"
Subject: "tiezmuar"

Surely that's a dead give-away, even if it gets past the spam filter. If they had a serious intent to penetrate your defences you'd have thought they'd dream up plausible names. Messages you'd be likely to open.

Or are these fake 'spam's generated by the ISP itself in order to test its own defences?

 

[Pete]

...have such gobbledegook 'senders' and 'subjects'? I've often wondered. Consider the following example, which I've just deleted from my 'bulk' folder (along with about a dozen similar):
Sender: "Ilpo gavitt"
Subject: "tiezmuar"

Surely that's a dead give-away, even if it gets past the spam filter. If they had a serious intent to penetrate your defences you'd have thought they'd dream up plausible names. Messages you'd be likely to open.

Or are these fake 'spam's generated by the ISP itself in order to test its own defences?

 

[Joe24]

There as bad as the ones you get on MSN sent by your contacts. Its amazing how they all go around. MSN is supposedly going to be charging you for using it, i first got this when i was 11, and i'm 16 now and it still goes around, and people beleave it.

The names are fake, they probably mean something like Ben Dover does over here.

 

[Joe24]

There as bad as the ones you get on MSN sent by your contacts. Its amazing how they all go around. MSN is supposedly going to be charging you for using it, i first got this when i was 11, and i'm 16 now and it still goes around, and people beleave it.

The names are fake, they probably mean something like Ben Dover does over here.

 

[andy_wrx]

That seems to be the current fashion, but several months ago the names were ludicrously funny, like 'Glasson Circumstance' or 'Process McCarthy' or 'Tuneath Posoon'
I could never work-out if they were just random-generated names or they were the real people (Americans perhaps...) whose PC's had been taken-over as spambots

 

[andy_wrx]

That seems to be the current fashion, but several months ago the names were ludicrously funny, like 'Glasson Circumstance' or 'Process McCarthy' or 'Tuneath Posoon'
I could never work-out if they were just random-generated names or they were the real people (Americans perhaps...) whose PC's had been taken-over as spambots

 

[Danny]

I believe it is an attempt to fool automatic spam filters.

 

[Danny]

I believe it is an attempt to fool automatic spam filters.

 

[bof]

I got penny stock 'tips' in German for a while getting past both the ISP and my PC's spam blocker, whereas their English predecessors got blocked, then they got blocked and now the tips have gone back to English.

I guess this is a new phase.

One good thing is the US has now implemented some anti-spam laws although it remains to be seen how effective they'll be.

 

[bof]

I got penny stock 'tips' in German for a while getting past both the ISP and my PC's spam blocker, whereas their English predecessors got blocked, then they got blocked and now the tips have gone back to English.

I guess this is a new phase.

One good thing is the US has now implemented some anti-spam laws although it remains to be seen how effective they'll be.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

My Spam Filter seems to be coping. Its free from SpamFighter - just google.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

My Spam Filter seems to be coping. Its free from SpamFighter - just google.

 

[bonj2]

they're basically emails sent by people like spies, terrorists, and probably MI6, MI5 and the CIA, etc., eastern countries 'secret services', and all manner of international dodgies - they can't risk being intercepted by principle of the intended recipient's inbox being tapped, so they send it to everyone. They probably need not just one email but the emails delivered to many different recipients to be able to decode the message.

 

[bonj2]

they're basically emails sent by people like spies, terrorists, and probably MI6, MI5 and the CIA, etc., eastern countries 'secret services', and all manner of international dodgies - they can't risk being intercepted by principle of the intended recipient's inbox being tapped, so they send it to everyone. They probably need not just one email but the emails delivered to many different recipients to be able to decode the message.

 

[TheDoctor]

WTF?

Is that a new tinfoil hat you've got there Bonj?