# A new flavor in SPAM **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 17, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184 "2011-05-17T05:14:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/1 "2011-05-17T05:14:04Z")
Spot the key difference in this spam I just opened: > [@](#): > > Dear Beloved, > > Good day to you and your family,I know that this message will come to you as a surprise i am sorry to disturb you but i feel deeply in my heart that you are that individual that i have been seeking hence my contact to you for a blessing that you are about to recieve and also share with people that might be in need. My name is Mr. Ehab Elbalawi a merchant in Dubai, in the U.A.E. I have been diagnosed with Esophageal cancer which has defiled all forms of medical treatment, and right now I have only about a few months to live,according to medical experts. > > I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really cared for anyone (not even myself) but my business. Though I am very rich, I was never generous. > > I was always hostile to people and only focused on my business as that was the only thing I cared for. But now I regret all this as I know now that there is more to life than just wanting to have or make all the money in the world. I believe when God gives me a second chance to come to this world I would live my life a different way from how i have lived it. > > Now that God has called me, I have willed and given most of my property and assets to my immediate and extended family members as well as a few closefriends. I want God to be merciful to me and accept my soul so,I have decided to give aims to charity organizations, as I want this to be one of the last good deeds I do on earth. I want to believe that you will be capable of handling this task for me.I will wait to hear from you and ALLAH will bless you as you decide to do this. I await your urgent response, while thanking you in anticipation for accepting to be used by GOD for this humane cause. > > Thank you > Mr. Ehab Elbalawi The cancer that has “defiled” all medical treatment is just a little bonus…but that’s not what struck me as odd. I open some spam because I noticed that Hotmail has a feature that allows me to mark an email as “phishing scam”, and I certainly want to help reduce this sort of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/2 "2011-05-17T06:34:12Z")
That it doesn’t appear to be offering anything to the reader? Of course it would turn out to be the same advance fee fraud as all the others. It’s just going to be that the advance fees are to be requested to permit the non existent donation to be made to charity, rather than to permit the non existent large payoff to the victim. It is advance fee fraud designed to appeal to the idealistic and gullible instead of to the grasping and gullible. I’ve seen this sort before a few times. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/3 "2011-05-17T09:00:59Z")
Yeah, that’s one difference, but there was something else that jumped out at me. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/4 "2011-05-17T09:16:23Z")
The Muslim angle? > [@Princhester](#): > > It’s just going to be that the advance fees are to be requested to permit the non existent donation to be made to charity, rather than to permit the non existent large payoff to the victim. It is advance fee fraud designed to appeal to the idealistic and gullible instead of to the grasping and gullible. No, he’s asking the recipient to “handle this task for me.” You’re expected to see it as an opportunity to embezzle. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/5 "2011-05-17T09:19:39Z")
It does ask for something from the target. The problem is that the spell-checker (smaptalk generator?) got _aim_ instead of _alms_. Maybe the odd thing is that the e-mail has _God_ four times and then _Allah_ one time. Of course “await your response” is just a twist on the ol’ Nigerian scam. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/6 "2011-05-17T09:23:53Z")
Seems that you have to be ready to fleece his charities to get the money. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/7 "2011-05-17T14:01:43Z")
I was expecting the references to God, but that one reference to Allah really threw me. I’ve NEVER seen a reference to Allah in a spam before. Lots and lots of references to God and occasionally Jesus, Christ, and Christian. It’s also unusual in that the dying guy has plenty of friends and family that he’s willing to hand money out to…but none that he can trust to administer a charity. I just thought that this spam was different enough to be mildly interesting. Og knows that the usual stuff has gotten very boring. I was tempted to play with this spammer, but I really don’t want that particular address being marked as live and monitored. However, as I said, I’ve only recently started reading the emails in my spam folder, hoping to find some that I can report as a phishing attempt. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/8 "2011-05-17T15:54:03Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I was tempted to play with this spammer, but I really don’t want that particular address being marked as live and monitored. I would be stunned if these 419ers are able to keep track of who was sent what email. They just cast a wide net and hope for a reply. If you cut and pasted it into a different email account and made it look like a reply, I seriously doubt they would say “Oh oh, I never sent a solicitation THAT account!” ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/9 "2011-05-17T16:10:23Z")
I’m disappointed this isn’t about a new flavor of the food product Spam. “Try new cool ranch Spam!” ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/10 "2011-05-17T16:13:42Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I’m disappointed this isn’t about a new flavor of the food product Spam. “Try new cool ranch Spam!” I was all set to move the thread to Cafe Society! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/11 "2011-05-17T16:52:43Z")
Now I want to defile medical treatments and have me some cool ranch spam! Know what might be fun? Forwarding it on to an uberfundamentalist Christian such as say Jack Chick or the end of the world guy whose name escapes me right now. Would they melt if they saw “Allah” in a email? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/12 "2011-05-17T17:37:50Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Seems that you have to be ready to fleece his charities to get the money. This is an _ancient_ attribute of confidence tricks - appeal to the mark’s venal nature, and let them think they have an opportunity to exploit someone else. Tried and true because it has a double-advantage - there’s never a shortage of people who can be baited this way, and it goes a long way toward discouraging complaints when people realize they’ve been rooked. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/13 "2011-05-17T17:40:14Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I’m disappointed this isn’t about a new flavor of the food product Spam. “Try new cool ranch Spam!” That sounds like a receipe for esophageal cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/14 "2011-05-17T17:50:27Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I’m disappointed this isn’t about a new flavor of the food product Spam. “Try new cool ranch Spam!” Same here, except I thought Bacon Spam. Bacam! ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/15 "2011-05-17T18:35:16Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > I would be stunned if these 419ers are able to keep track of who was sent what email. They just cast a wide net and hope for a reply. If you cut and pasted it into a different email account and made it look like a reply, I seriously doubt they would say “Oh oh, I never sent a solicitation THAT account!” I doubt that they keep records of which account they sent what email to…but I’m sure that they DO keep records of which email accounts respond to them. This particular spam was sent to my lynnbodoniathotmaildotcom account, and if I replied to it, I’m sure that this address would promptly get a new torrent of spam. > [@](#): > > Know what might be fun? Forwarding it on to an uberfundamentalist Christian such as say Jack Chick or the end of the world guy whose name escapes me right now. Would they melt if they saw “Allah” in a email? I’m not sure, and as an admin, I cannot urge people to harass others, not even Jack Chick. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/16 "2011-05-17T22:35:35Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I’m disappointed this isn’t about a new flavor of the food product Spam. “Try new cool ranch Spam!” Me too, I love Spam. But it does say “a new flavor **in** spam,” not a new flavor **of** spam" ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/17 "2011-05-18T00:44:57Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I doubt that they keep records of which account they sent what email to…but I’m sure that they DO keep records of which email accounts respond to them. This particular spam was sent to my lynnbodoniathotmaildotcom account, and if I replied to it, I’m sure that this address would promptly get a new torrent of spam. That’s what multiple accounts are for. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/18 "2011-05-18T18:07:27Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Same here, except I thought Bacon Spam. Bacam! Spacon? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/19 "2011-05-19T02:34:50Z")
A Muslim? SPAM? Muslim Spam? Is that kosher? ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184/20 "2011-05-19T03:09:07Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Spacon? Interesting enough it’s called “Spam with Bacon”, with barging the cheapest transportation available we here in SE Alaska have a huge variety of frozen vegetables and spam. I think the local grocery store carries [6 varieties](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_(food)). Someday I’ll try them all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-flavor-in-spam/582184.md?page=2)