# Has anyone else seen this (probably scam) email? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 11, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548 "2014-06-11T16:23:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548/1 "2014-06-11T16:23:13Z")
I’ve seen a lot of weird scam/phishing emails, but not like this before. One of the teachers at the school where I work got a strange email with the subject: Alert System #149530314 : This damaging info was posted about you [username] The body of the message says: > [@](#): > > This Could Be Extremely Damaging > (4) Negative Alerts Received Wednesday -View them now # 149530314 > > Long lasting and damaging effects may occur from these posts about you. > > Confirm this information is accurate > > Immediately View This - Its critical The two view this phrases are links that go to urls at samekchurl dot com, and below the main part are some random sounding sentences about pork that Googling revealed to be lifted from a restaurant review on Yelp. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548/2 "2014-06-11T16:33:28Z")
The emails that get through my spam filter the most are “background check” and “who is checking up on you?” emails. This seems to be in that same class. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548/3 "2014-06-11T16:35:29Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > I’ve seen a lot of weird scam/phishing emails, but not like this before. One of the teachers at the school where I work got a strange email with the subject: > > Alert System #149530314 : This damaging info was posted about you [username] > > The body of the message says: … … … > > The two view this phrases are links that go to urls at samekchurl dot com, and below the main part are some random sounding sentences about pork that Googling revealed to be lifted from a restaurant review on Yelp. Which part of this **doesn’t** sound like spam? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548/4 "2014-06-11T16:39:12Z")
There’s nothing the least bit unusual about it. It’s standard click bait for brain-off people. You click, you get malware. (Although sometimes it’s a link to someplace selling V1agerA or Rollecks watches.) It’s sufficiently obvious that one shouldn’t have to even wonder about such stuff nowadays/ ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548/5 "2014-06-11T16:40:44Z")
Oooooooooo. I’ve been in the market for a Rollecks. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548/6 "2014-06-11T17:11:40Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > Which part of this **doesn’t** sound like spam? “Alert System #149530314” sounds like something out of Get Smart. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548/7 "2014-06-11T18:39:01Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > Which part of this **doesn’t** sound like spam? It’s not that it’s a scam/spam that puzzles me, it’s just that I’d never seen or heard of this approach before. I see tons of phony missed UPS or USPS delivery, automatic payment denied/accepted, Wells Fargo account (and I have no Wells Fargo accounts) compromised, click here to change password, etc. Also usually if I get one I’ve never seen I can Google the subject line and find reports of other people getting the same scam mails. This one, however, the only thing Google finds is the source of the filler text. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548/8 "2014-06-11T20:31:06Z")
Let me guess, was this addressed to a Yahoo! account? Those seem to get a lot of these phishing emails. (Or, rather, Yahoo! is terrible at letting these thru. They shouldn’t even go to the spam folder but refused in the first place.) Note that the random included text and the spurious account number are specifically thrown in to make Googling harder. Don’t overthink this one. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548/9 "2014-06-11T21:23:25Z")
The spam mail I got today had the subject line “Orange” from a cancer patient who has five and a half million dollars to give away. I’m supposed to get back to her ASAP… and God Bless You. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548/10 "2014-06-11T22:36:08Z")
Anyway, to answer the OP’s question: Yes, I’ve gotten an occasional spammy e-mail that was kinda-sorta like what he says – Claiming that there’s some dirt about me posted somewhere, and I should click on something to find out what, or to sign up for some dirt-monitoring service or clean-up service or something. Sorry, no sale. I’ll live with dirt. //rolleyes// ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548/11 "2014-06-12T06:27:36Z")
I remember once getting a similar spam email. Long time ago. I suspect it is probably simply trying to direct you to a malware ridden site, rather than being a true phishing email. It is surprising that some of these really unsophisticated things still survive, where there are much more productive tactics. ---
**Author:** ![rock\_party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@rock\_party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rock_party)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548/12 "2014-06-12T06:52:04Z")
I’ve gotten a few that are sort of like this, “She’s upset, crying and she keeps mentioning you”. I thought that was a new approach. I’ve never opened one to see what the hell it’s peddling. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2014, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-seen-this-probably-scam-email/690548/13 "2014-06-12T11:56:47Z")
I got my first one a few months ago and now I get one every week or so. And no, I don’t use Yahoo. For a while, I regularly got spams that claimed my credit score had had a sudden increase (or decrease), click here for details. These seem to have disappeared. I assume spammers spend time dreaming up these spams and trying them out.