# Just got a weird spam **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 20, 2010, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-weird-spam/557765 "2010-10-20T12:43:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-weird-spam/557765/1 "2010-10-20T12:43:17Z")
The e-mail says it’s from “Tech Support” and is titled “Details you asked for.” The sent-from address is “service@ svr3snd. com” (intentionally broken by me). I don’t recognize the address and svr3snd. com does not seem to be a valid website of any kind. The body of the e-mail: > [@](#): > > Quote: > > Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. > Dream. Discover. > > Mark Twain That’s it. No attachments, links, sales pitches, nothing. So who is trying to accomplish what by sending me this? Are they waiting for people to reply first before hitting them with the bad stuff? Because it’s seems like they’d get a pretty low rate of return there. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-weird-spam/557765/2 "2010-10-20T13:07:06Z")
It’s a scouting e-mail. Someone bought a list with your address on it, and sent a post to you to see if the address is good. Phishing and viagra ads to follow in short order. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-weird-spam/557765/3 "2010-10-20T17:25:11Z")
Sometimes messages like this will have HTML in the body of the message which includes a dummy image link with a unique name, associated with your email address. (Or possibly incorporating your email address.) It doesn’t show up as anything (usually given dimensions of 1X1 pixels) but they can then check their server logs to see which recipients actually opened and read the messages- a request for something like [Leaders in IP and domain reputation data | Spamhaus Technology](http://spamhaus.com/confirmations/wheelz1138@hotmail.com.gif) means your email address has greater value because spam directed there actually finds a target. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-weird-spam/557765/4 "2010-10-20T17:32:07Z")
Clearly, it’s a message from the other side, perhaps your dead grandfather, telling you to go ahead and take that risk you’ve been contemplating but fearing. Haven’t you gotten the memo- dead people are magic now. Usually they speak in rainbows, but sometimes email, too. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-weird-spam/557765/5 "2010-10-20T17:37:08Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Clearly, it’s a message from the other side, perhaps your dead grandfather, telling you to go ahead and take that risk you’ve been contemplating but fearing. Haven’t you gotten the memo- dead people are magic now. Usually they speak in rainbows, but sometimes email, too. Hmmm… Maybe it’s Mark Twain himself sending me a message. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![johnbun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@johnbun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnbun)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-weird-spam/557765/6 "2011-02-22T21:13:33Z")
I guess it wasn’t someone that knew me as I thought. We’ll see what spam emails I will get. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-weird-spam/557765/7 "2011-02-22T23:40:25Z")
At least the OP’s message makes sense. I got this last week in plain text - no links or images: Degre zn es from an Estab zk lished, Prest ah igious, Leadi bmp ng Insti vb tution. For only four E-Z payments, we can teach you to write gibberish! Obviously meant to sneak past Bayesian filters, but what does it mean? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-weird-spam/557765/8 "2011-02-22T23:43:06Z")
It’s only a matter of time before we start getting ones that start, “Greetings, I am Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of Col. Moammar Gadhafi…” ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-weird-spam/557765/9 "2011-02-22T23:44:49Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > At least the OP’s message makes sense. > > I got this last week in plain text - no links or images: > > Degre zn es from an Estab zk lished, Prest ah igious, Leadi bmp ng Insti vb tution. > > For only four E-Z payments, we can teach you to write gibberish! > > Obviously meant to sneak past Bayesian filters, but what does it mean? You can’t read it? “Degrees from an Established Prestigious Institution” …and, I’m going to rush out and get my degree from a spambot who can’t spell. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-a-weird-spam/557765/10 "2011-02-23T14:21:34Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > Sometimes messages like this will have HTML in the body of the message which includes a dummy image link with a unique name, associated with your email address. (Or possibly incorporating your email address.) > > It doesn’t show up as anything (usually given dimensions of 1X1 pixels) but they can then check their server logs to see which recipients actually opened and read the messages- a request for something like [http://spamhaus.com/confirmations/wheelz1138@hotmail.com.gif](http://spamhaus.com/confirmations/wheelz1138@hotmail.com.gif) means your email address has greater value because spam directed there actually finds a target. This is why I have graphics disabled in my Yahoo account in case I open a spam email by accident.