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 engine optimization rather than to [...]
Filed in Spam One Response so far
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 posts.) Here’s an [...]
Filed in Spam One Response so far
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 mystery, [...]
Filed in Scam,Spam No Responses yet
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 syndrome. You want to make a reasonably quick decision but [...]
Filed in Advancement Services,Databases,Donor Databases,IT Management,Nonprofit Technology No Responses yet
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 accounting staff would see [...]
Filed in Scam,Spam 2 Comments so far
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 05674565 is failed. (Other variants had ID = 38543692, 56989098, [...]
Filed in Scam,Spam No Responses yet
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: Delivery Confirmation Text: Dear Customer, We attempted to deliver your item at 11:02 [...]
Filed in Scam,Spam 7 Comments so far
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: Dear Customer, FLIGHT NUMBER 984 ELECTRONIC 746879098 DATE & TIME / NOVEMBER 17, 2011, [...]
Filed in Scam,Spam 95 Comments so far
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 morning, as promised your changelog – View, LOONEY DEBBI [...]
Filed in Scam,Spam No Responses yet
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