For several months I have been receiving email messages from ‘different’ senders with strange subject lines but always offering fantasticly low prices on what is purported to be OEM CD’s. e.g. Windows OS for $89. I suspect these CD’s are just copies of an original and not registerable versions.
Anyone have experience?
In order of most legit to least legit (non-MS OS software):
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Surplus copies. Some companies have surplus copies that they bought, upgraded to a new version/need money/whatever and now dump the old stuff. Usually legit.
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Educational discount or other limited distribution copies. Lots of apps are sold cheaply to students and faculty. They usually come with little-to-no docs and frequently no support. You must be a qualifying person to purchase with the discount. But many don’t check: E.g., a couple years ago I bought a pen-tablet online for the “educational discount” price with no questions asked. Since it was for my son in college, I had no problem. But clearly others could have easily done so.
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OEM versions. Many of these are required to be sold with a certain item or with a certain PC maker’s system. If you aren’t getting the corresponding hardware with it, it’s not legit.
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Plain old illegal copies.
But note that MS has its own rules. All OEM discount versions have to be sold with a new computer. Resale is more or less forbidden, etc. The chances your spammers are legit are nil.
You’re forgetting the least legit of all:
- Nonexistent copies. You’re sending money to people who are already breaking the law by spamming you. What are the odds you’ll get anything at all after giving them credit card info?
(This assumes you can even do so. Much of the spam I get these days doesn’t appear to have any way to actually purchase even if you wanted to – there’s no real contact info at all.)
You are correct.
No way to unsubscribe. Every mailer & subject different. Main message identical. Some variation is the ‘come-on’ and didn’t look for ordering information.
Just a PIA to remove 1 or 2 daily daily.