ChatterBank1 min ago
Spam Email
11 Answers
why do people send it? Just had a look in my spm file, about 500 messages, all about sex. Wht does it actually acheive (spam, not sex!)
Answers
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by bednobs. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Assuming that it's just 'ordinary' spam . . .
The people who actually send the spam couldn't care less about whether anyone takes up the offers because they'll already have been paid by the people who're offering the services.
The people offering the services know that if even 1 in 100,000 recipients of the spam take up their offer, they'll still make a profit (particularly if they take payment and don't actually provide the goods or services advertised).
However there can be other reasons for sending spam . . .
In particular, many people don't understand that spammers often simply guess at email addresses, without knowing whether they're genuine or not. Those same people often make the mistake of submitting on 'unsubscribe'. That simply confirms that the address is genuine and allows the (apparently amateurish) spammers to compile lists of genuine email addresses, which can be sold onto (sophisticated) fraudsters who target people by (for example) pretending to be from eBay, Amazon, etc, and requiring that customers 'update their details'.
Alternatively, clicking on 'unsubscribe' can result in malware being downloaded to a computer, which could (for example) capture credit card and bank details.
So the purpose of some (apparent) spam emails might actually be nothing at all to do with promoting the goods or services mentioned in those emails. Simply getting people to click on 'unsubscribe' is all that the senders are really seeking to achieve.
The people who actually send the spam couldn't care less about whether anyone takes up the offers because they'll already have been paid by the people who're offering the services.
The people offering the services know that if even 1 in 100,000 recipients of the spam take up their offer, they'll still make a profit (particularly if they take payment and don't actually provide the goods or services advertised).
However there can be other reasons for sending spam . . .
In particular, many people don't understand that spammers often simply guess at email addresses, without knowing whether they're genuine or not. Those same people often make the mistake of submitting on 'unsubscribe'. That simply confirms that the address is genuine and allows the (apparently amateurish) spammers to compile lists of genuine email addresses, which can be sold onto (sophisticated) fraudsters who target people by (for example) pretending to be from eBay, Amazon, etc, and requiring that customers 'update their details'.
Alternatively, clicking on 'unsubscribe' can result in malware being downloaded to a computer, which could (for example) capture credit card and bank details.
So the purpose of some (apparent) spam emails might actually be nothing at all to do with promoting the goods or services mentioned in those emails. Simply getting people to click on 'unsubscribe' is all that the senders are really seeking to achieve.
If you're curious, Millie, simply copy and paste a block of the Chinese text into here:
https:/ /transl ate.goo gle.com /
https:/
It's cheap to send, especially from compromised PCs.
Enough respond to make it worthwhile. Indeed what with some legit companies you've bought from claiming it's not spam they send you thereafter since you didn't notice and untick the default "you agree to us sending you 'it is not really spam, honest' from here on" box, some can easily forget they haven't bought from spammer X in the past.
Enough respond to make it worthwhile. Indeed what with some legit companies you've bought from claiming it's not spam they send you thereafter since you didn't notice and untick the default "you agree to us sending you 'it is not really spam, honest' from here on" box, some can easily forget they haven't bought from spammer X in the past.