# Weird Spam **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 4, 2000, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-spam/39751 "2000-11-04T23:52:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-spam/39751/1 "2000-11-04T23:52:52Z")
I’ve been getting spam written in weird script. Below is an example. Is this a foreign language or is it a code. My apologies if it is offensive or whatever. I don’t know what it is. Mail message Help From: [b2obxz\_bi.bruce@telus.com](mailto:b2obxz_bi.bruce@telus.com) (\<[b2obxz\_bi.bruce@telus.com](mailto:b2obxz_bi.bruce@telus.com)\>) Date: Fri, Nov 3, 2000, 2:45pm (CST-2) To: [mark-is-king@webtv.net](mailto:mark-is-king@webtv.net) Subject: ¯Â°Ó·~¿ì¤½«Ç¥X¯²¡I Reply to: [sample@mailservice.net](mailto:sample@mailservice.net)                                                                                                                ¯Â°Ó·~¿ì¤½«Ç¥X¯²                                                            ±MªùªA°È°Ó¥Î¿ì¤½«Ç¤§©Ó¯²¤H¡C       ¥x¥\_¦Uµ¥¯Å°Ó¥Î¿ì¤½«Ç®×¥ó¡A¾A¦X¦UºØ°Ó·~»Ý¨D¡I¡I       §Ú­Ì¾Ö¦³ºZ³qªº¸ê°T¡B¦³«Ü¦h¥ß§Y­n¥X¯²ªº¿ì¤½«Ç¡A¥¿µ¥«ÝµÛ±zªº¬D¿ï¡A       ¤@©w­n¬°±z§ä¨ì¤@³B³Ì¾A¦X±z¹ê²{±z¶¯¹Ï§§§Óªº³õ©Ò¡I¡I¡I¡I     °Ï°ì¡G     ¤j¦w°Ï   ¦p ¡G´°¤Æ«n¡B¥\_¸ô¯Â¿ì¡A80¢w700©W¡I¡I   ªQ¤s°Ï   ¦p ¡G«n¨ÊªF¸ô ¤T¡B¥|¬q¯Â¿ì 50¢w250©W ¡I¡I   «H¸q°Ï   ¦p ¡G°ò¶©¸ô¤G¬q¡A«H¸q¸ô¤T¬q¯Â¿ì¡A¬Á¼þ±c¹õ¤j¼Ó¡C 30-280©W¡I¡I   ¤¤¤s°Ï   ¦p ¡Gªø¦wªF¸ô¡A¤¤¤s¥\_¸ô¯Â¿ì 70¢w200©W ¡I¡I     ªA°È²Ä¤@¡A«~½è«OÃÒ¡CÅwªï¬¢¸ß.     ·ç°T¤£°Ê²£ °Ó¥ò³¡   Ápµ¸¤H¡G³³¤p©j   TeL¡]¥Nªí¸¹¡^¡G 02-27544275     ±zªºº¡·N¡A¬O§Ú­Ìªº¦¨´N¡C ---
**Author:** ![Zarathustra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/898d66/32.png) [@Zarathustra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zarathustra)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-spam/39751/2 "2000-11-05T00:06:23Z")
I changed the encoding of my web browse to Chinese (Traditional), and was able to read some of it (in Chinese, of course). It appears to be an advertisement for some kind of office real estate locating service in Taipei, Taiwan. Zarathustra ---
**Author:** ![BugZap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b77776/32.png) [@BugZap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BugZap)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-spam/39751/3 "2000-11-05T00:22:13Z")
±MªùªA°È°Ó¥Î¿ì¤½«Ç¤§©Ó¯²¤H¡C ¥x¥\_¦Uµ¥¯Å°Ó¥Î¿ì¤½«Ç®×¥ó¡A¾A¦X¦UºØ°Ó·~»Ý¨D¡I¡I §Ú­Ì¾Ö¦³ºZ³qªº¸ê°T¡B¦³«Ü¦h¥ß§Y­n¥X¯²ªº¿ì¤½«Ç¡A¥¿µ¥«ÝµÛ±zªº¬D¿ï¡A ¤@©w­n¬°±z§ä¨ì¤@³B³Ì¾A¦X±z¹ê²{±z¶¯¹Ï§§§Óªº³õ©Ò¡I¡I¡I¡I °Ï°ì¡G * * * Looks like semi-compiled code. Probably a binary file that you may not have translation software for. Not that you necessarily want to translate it, binary files often contain executable code, possibly viral, you know? Play safe, you’re probably looking at a file for which you either; don’t have the software necessary to translate it, or you have it but, it doesn’t launch automatically, when it encounters this type of file. Or, the font it’s written in, is not supported, on your computer. For file conversion, you can find several free utilities on the web. Just do a search, download, and convert. I would however recommend this caution; convert, but don’t execute until you’ve scanned it for virii. Or better yet, since you did say it’s spam, hunt the suckers down and execute their accounts. ---
**Author:** ![Zarathustra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/898d66/32.png) [@Zarathustra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zarathustra)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-spam/39751/4 "2000-11-05T00:43:35Z")
Like I said, it’s Chinese. All you have to do to read it is select Chinese Traditional encoding (go to “View” on your menu bar, then select “Encoding”, and pick “Chinese Traditional (Big5)”. It’s an ad for a real estate broker. Zarathustra ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2000, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-spam/39751/5 "2000-11-07T04:27:00Z")
Thanks I found it weird that that was actual writing. My first guess was someone wrote something in English than used Windigs font to make a code. ---
**Author:** ![Lazarus7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/67e7ee/32.png) [@Lazarus7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazarus7)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2000, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-spam/39751/6 "2000-11-07T08:12:27Z")
you get interesting spam!! The main ones I get lately are emails for Penile Enlargement … I am trying not to take them personally! _chuckle_