News You Can Bruise for 2004 November 1

Permalink [Comments] (3) Mon Nov 01 2004 08:25 More Spamthropology:

You know all that mortgage spam? I couldn't figure it out. How did it work? What spammer could finance mortgages and stick around to get them paid off, or would be able to foist people off onto a real bank and take a cut? Why would the most expensive purchase the average person makes in their life be advertised via spam? Why would this business be so successful that spam for it would multiply over time?

Then I went to one of the mortgage spam websites and it all fell into place. It's a phishing scam. They just want your personal information for some other purpose. Not nearly as interesting as I'd hoped.

advertising/spam

Comments:

Posted by Brian Danger Hicks at Mon Nov 01 2004 11:39

I figured all spam was just a lure for a phishing scam nowadays.

Posted by Leonard at Mon Nov 01 2004 11:59

For some the phishing is merely a profitable sideline.

Posted by Jouni K Seppänen at Mon Nov 01 2004 13:18

I thought they sell the leads to companies that sell them to banks (that deny having absolutely anything to do with spammers). Google turned up

http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id%3B98185015%3Bfp%3B2%3Bfpid%3B1

but I'm sure I've seen a similar story long ago.

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