Spammers lose a few more IQ points
My theory about anti-spam software is that it will never succeed in stopping spam entirely, but it will make spammers look more and more like idiots. As the software gets smarter at dealing with the spammers’ preferred marketing terms and product names, they have to reach for more and more obscure variations to get through. Here’s a recent example that got past SpamAssassin:
Hello, We got wide selections of hiigh-quuality mdz
There is no need to be awware of quaality.
Our mmedz are the same we have here in UuSA.
But we have opportuunity to buy these mmedz at lowwer prizes.
56% Salle, check it ouut noow!
It makes me happy to see spam like this—it means spammers are resorting to behaving like illiterate morons just to get past the filters. That or only the spammers who are illiterate morons are getting through. In either case, the money they make from the spam has to be going down. Who would buy drugs after reading this sales pitch?
February 12th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Oh how I wish I could send a bill to the spammers for the time they have cost me. I use a combination of Mailwasher and McAfee to stop the rotten idiots but they still waste a lot of my time. And invariably, something I need gets caught in the filters. I wish I had something constructive to say here - just had to lauch and rant after reading your post.
Russell
March 6th, 2008 at 4:43 am
Love the article - I’ve seen the same behaviour, as even the “use a character not a letter approach” doesn’t work anymore! Gr3at n3w5!
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:07 am
Yahh, sppammerrs reeally lookk stuupidd wheen theyy aree trryingg tto gget ppasst thee spaam guaards.
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Cheapest Generic and Brand Drugs Online Pharmacy - Top Medicine Shop!
May 3rd, 2008 at 6:49 pm
The only downside is that using something like MailWasher or a filtering program the garbage will still get through because you couldn’t even guess how to add the bad spelling to any filters.
May 4th, 2008 at 1:30 am
Considering there is a spam comment by the user Hurry two comments above this one, it is obvious that spamming still works!
May 4th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
@4 I thought it was a joke, but apparently its a spam post for realz.
@6 nice find collin!!!
May 5th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Buy Cheap Generic Meds from Best Pharmaceutical Store! Fast WorldWide Shipping.
May 5th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
There seems to be a lot here that got past spam assassin. Not sure why you would allow it.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:56 am
I had a chat with a usability expert last week, who has been talking to Google about their product. Basically their software, (still in testing) will be a Firefox plugin that will show on the SERP if a website is spam, there will be a color beside the results showing if the site has been tested. Sounded like a great idea when I first heard it. Then I though - something to pass the test will go up first the it will change to whatever the intension was.
If it was not for askmet my life would be either no comments or deleting all day.
While people can make money from this behavior it will continue and it will be an ongoing fight.
May 6th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Thanx Birader :)
May 6th, 2008 at 11:40 am
thanks for article
May 6th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
tahnks for this information
May 6th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Very Informative blog thanks
May 6th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Haha, so true… but I’ve been seeing spam counts decrease and decrease to almost nothing over the past years. With Gmail… I barely ever get spam that gets into my inbox. Even on my blog, with askimet, I never get spam comments. Definitely getting harder and harder for spammers to make a living.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
nice info
May 6th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
I just can’t figure out who would click on ANY of the links. I posted recently on an email scam that claims to be a subpoena from the FBI. It targets business addresses and some people have actually fallen for it and given out their personal information.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:28 am
Spammers are always finding new and hectic techniques to get oof the anti-spam work. If they get to block them for one instance they then search for another to get passed them. so the circule continues.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Unfortunately spam will continue to be a pressing issue. Until there is a software that is capable of learning as it adapts to different trends there will always be spam that passes through the filters. One day…
May 8th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
thanks for the info really big poblem…
May 9th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Too Funny! I agree i am starting to see more and more subject lines and emails that are written like a moron did it… sooner or later they will get pinched out. great post as usual =)
May 10th, 2008 at 5:36 am
you really find out good and intersting information and share with us all that
May 10th, 2008 at 6:04 am
Great find! I hope the day will come when my “Spam” folder stays clean at least 24 hours :)
May 11th, 2008 at 5:15 am
Best Brand and Generic Medications Shop Online. Cheap WorldWide Shipping
May 12th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Why I don’t sell text links Cheap WorldWide Shipping
May 12th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Good idea!
May 13th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Thats a sales pitch you can definately trust! haha
May 13th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
We used to use another email account. We used to get over 50 spam emails a day. Everything from “Here lies” to “from the desk of barrister” to “your the lucky winner”.
Too bad they were all about “funny money” because I would have been a billionaire by now.