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Spam: Who Writes It?

Ah, I'll clarify in my original post. I was a member of 419eater. The audacity of the spammers we dealt with drove me nuts. I've rarely seen spam on this board, thanks to the mod team.
 
I check my spam folder daily and it’s not been too bad lately but today there was absolutely loads. This was one ‘Congratulatioooons!’ Really?
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I got this today. Very believable, not (I blocked it before I took the screenshot)
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I was intrigued by this e-mail I recieved recently. It went on in this vein:

# Since mid-May, Google AI has been trying to calcify my face with brain waves. The brain waves heat the area around the left cheekbone, causing the left face to large bulge and blacken.
# When pressed, it makes a shattering sound. The balance between the left and right sides of the face is completely upset, and it's skeletal, cosmetically problems appeared.
# Google AI insinuates daily, "I'm going to deform your skull and make you unattractive.". Please help me.
# Since it is a conversation with AI due to the auditory effect, will continue to say it repeatedly in multiple voices 24 hours, thousands of times, tens of thousands of times.

I am not quite sure what the purpose was.
 
My spam filter is turned up REALLY high (to the extent that some legit emails sometimes get caught in it). But it does save me from rubbish like this. Whenever I get another badly written, meaningless, pointless gibber like

We're having some trouble to deliver your $500.00 To Your CashApp® Account.

I feel reassured that AI programmes aren't going to take over any time soon.
 
My spam filter is turned up REALLY high (to the extent that some legit emails sometimes get caught in it). But it does save me from rubbish like this. Whenever I get another badly written, meaningless, pointless gibber like

We're having some trouble to deliver your $500.00 To Your CashApp® Account.

I feel reassured that AI programmes aren't going to take over any time soon.

Similarly, the package that was unable to be delivered to our place the other morning at 1.34 a.m (due to missing details on the address label) only forces me to crank up the spam filters. They're not 100% effective, but better than nothing.
 
Part of the reason that I have my filter turned up so high is that I keep getting lots of spam from companies who will help me write/publish/sell my books. I have no idea what criteria they are using to send these out - are they just picking on anyone who has 'author' anywhere associated with their name? Because two minutes googling would show them that I have a multiple book deal, with a publisher, who does all the selling of my books. I don't need some company in Florida who will 'guarantee to put my book in front of thousands of new potential purchasers', and they are wasting their time.

But I guess if they cast the net wide enough, there are sufficient people who are desperate enough to break into writing and publishing that they will make money on it.
 
You don't think the physically look at what your writing, eh?
The 'business model' of spam is the complete reliance on bots. Search for key word, send out email, and wait for a sucker to bite. Even then, the sucker gets linked in to a filter - answer these questions, f'r example - then a bot might flag up a number of responses for a human to look over. Cheap to operate, no real work needed, and only takes one mug to make it pay. And this is the same as a legitimate business as for a scam. The computer has made old junk mailing lists very old hat, though many crappy catalogue firms - all being owned by one firm getting supplies from China etc. - still print out and post to past suckers.
The same is with automated calls - if you interact with it then it flags up as a potential sucker and *BAM* you're on the Suckers List. Which they then go on to sell to other shitty firms.
Even today, the old feller who lived up stairs received his usual three to four a month because he once bought some gadget from them a few years ago. Shame he's been dead for about half a year now.
 
You don't think the physically look at what your writing, eh?
The 'business model' of spam is the complete reliance on bots. Search for key word, send out email, and wait for a sucker to bite. Even then, the sucker gets linked in to a filter - answer these questions, f'r example - then a bot might flag up a number of responses for a human to look over. Cheap to operate, no real work needed, and only takes one mug to make it pay. And this is the same as a legitimate business as for a scam. The computer has made old junk mailing lists very old hat, though many crappy catalogue firms - all being owned by one firm getting supplies from China etc. - still print out and post to past suckers.
The same is with automated calls - if you interact with it then it flags up as a potential sucker and *BAM* you're on the Suckers List. Which they then go on to sell to other shitty firms.
Even today, the old feller who lived up stairs received his usual three to four a month because he once bought some gadget from them a few years ago. Shame he's been dead for about half a year now.
But how do they know I'm an author?
 
Someone, somewhere who you have dealt with in relation to being an author sold your email address? Maybe?
They could have, I suppose. I try not to think about it...
 
Part of the reason that I have my filter turned up so high is that I keep getting lots of spam from companies who will help me write/publish/sell my books. I have no idea what criteria they are using to send these out - are they just picking on anyone who has 'author' anywhere associated with their name? Because two minutes googling would show them that I have a multiple book deal, with a publisher, who does all the selling of my books. I don't need some company in Florida who will 'guarantee to put my book in front of thousands of new potential purchasers', and they are wasting their time.

But I guess if they cast the net wide enough, there are sufficient people who are desperate enough to break into writing and publishing that they will make money on it.
My work account has been pestered by some magazine to write articles.
I haven't got the time for all that and I don't know if they're even legit.
 
Sounds like the very shady firm that spams firms, claiming that you can be shortlisted in a national business competition. The competition exists, there have been winners, but basically you pay them to be shortlisted, giving you a chance to win. Paying them doesn't guarantee a win (of course) and the actual prize is about a years worth of advertising ... with the firm that spammed you in the first place.
Essentially, it's the business version of "You have won the chance to win an entry into a competition to win ..."
 
It was bound to happen, sooner or later.
The random name generator of spam programs has started hitting famous people.
Today, I got offered 'affordable prices' to have my website revamped ... by Hugh Laurie! :rofl:
 
The amount of spam has drastically reduced as filters have got better and considering it was pretty useless at generating high levels of sales (although very cheap) seems to be a lot phishing emails going about though

As for forum Spam, uncontrolled it can destroy a forum happily the forums I am member of are largely spam free, there's a hell of lot on Facebook as well, and increasingly so,
 
What’s the point of the spam emails with no content? Or have the just forgotten to attach it?
 
Sometimes, it's a form of bait - you get the title, but might be interested enough to hit reply, asking for the content - thus indicating that your email address is 'live'.
 
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