This bulletin board’s rather well maintained, but the other ones I followed are loaded with (what I assume are) bots that litter threads with ads for fake Rolex watches and dick cream.
“But,” I say to myself, “surely NO ONE would go through all this trouble unless there was money to be had, business to be made.” Is there a legitimate product on the other end? Is there ANY product on the other end, besides a phishing scam?
Has anyone on here ever, or (more likely) does anyone on here KNOW someone who ordered something in response to a spam e-mail or message board post? Did they get their prescription meds/bootleg windows XP/Cialis?
I just seem to see them in greater numbers now than ever before, and am curious as to what plane these guys operate on.
My householders have been apprised that anything coming in to the house that was a result of a spam advertisement constitutes explicit permission to be videotaped being eaten alive by rabid badgers and wolverines, and to have the tape submitted to the ‘Worlds’ Dumbest’ TV series on TruTV.
No, I have not. I’ve known people who will click on the link, and I’ve seen people sign up for “free” things, but never actually buy anything. And it’s not like anyone I know sees their spam much anymore, anyways.
You have to consider that small percentage of the population who live alone, or are lonely, or vulnerable, impressionable, naive, mentally ill, mentally incapacitated, senile, or just plan curious. Given an online population if say, 2 billion, the odds are on the scammers side.
Two examples: an elderly lady who believed she had won a gold chain and sent $30 postage to the Philippines. She actually received an awful chain - and a heap more spam - which she continued to believe was genuine.
Also an educated couple (one of them worked for the UN) who had visited Spain, and later got an email saying they had won a Spanish lottery. They believed it. Had they bought a lottery ticket…? No.
I knew someone whose mother was mentally ill and she was buying all kinds of stuff through spam and home shopping networks. When she died, my friend found all kinds of stuff that had never been opened all over the house. It was really sad.
