What's with these random emails I'm getting?

I’ve gotten several emails over the last few months with texts much like the one quoted below. The text is never the same, but the general format is identical. The emails are addressed to a series of about fifty addresses all very similar to mine. None of the emails are “about” (if you can call these “about” anything at all) the same thing. They’re just sort of… random.

Anyone else getting these? It doesn’t seem to be any kind of scam or anything–its not offering anything. It says at one point something about a stock to buy, but doesn’t say anything about who to give the money to.

So anyway, anyone know what’s the deal?

Text quoted as follows:

which the magician sat down. ‘Tell me, my gentle Fagott,’ Woland inquired of
fin-director’s spine. Next to the lady some citizen was flitting about,
‘Yes, I do,’ the prisoner replied.
"What for?’
`Don’t linger,’ he ordered. The killers quickly wrapped the purse
*** INVESTOR ALERT ***
Space Propulsion Systems, Inc. (SPSY)

Stock Symbol: SPSY.PK

Price: $.17

Breaking News!
Is It Time to Rebalance Your Portfolio With Some Potentially White Hot Penny Stocks?

IF IT RUNS, CONSIDER TAKING PROFITS, PLEASE!!

AFTER THE CLOSE NEWS: Go Read the Full Story Now!

Chemical Engineering Group at University of South Florida Independently Validates Importance of SPS Propulsion Technology

CLEARWATER, FL–(MARKET WIRE)–Apr 7, 2006 - Space Propulsion Systems, Inc. (Other OTC:SPSY.PK - News) announced this date that an independent, detailed scientific technology and safety review of SPS’s Advanced Performance, New Generation, Micro-Fuel Cell™ (MFC) based solid rocket propellants has been completed. Expert personnel from the Chemical Engineering Department of the University of South Florida conducted this review.

THE ALERT IS ON FOR MONDAY!!
Information within this report contains forward looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21B of the S E C Act of 1934.
Statements that involve discussions with respect to projections of future events are
not statements of historical fact and may be forward statements. Don’t rely on them
to make a decision. The Company is not a reporting company registered under the Exchange
Act of 1934. We have received five hundred thousand free trading shares from a third
party not an officer, director or affiliate shareholder. We intend to sell all our
shares now, which could cause the stock to go down, resulting in losses for you. This
company has: an accumulated deficit, a negative net worth, a reliance on loans from
officers and directors to pay expenses, a nominal cash position, and norevenues in
its most recent quarter. The letter of intent mentioned above may not be binding. It
is not an operating company. The company is going to need financing to continue
as a going concern. This report shall not be construed as any kind of investment
advice or solicitation. You can lose all your mony by investing in this stock.

‘You want to argue with me?’ Woland said, smiling.
head first from the mantelpiece on to the floor, dropping the Browning and
witness who remembered perfectly well that the magician’s name was indeed
`What criminal? Where is he? A foreign criminal?’ The choirmaster’s
everything. Besides, she understood with perfect clarity that what was
by the appearance of the black magician in Moscow, on the Friday when
be heard in his tone that he liked Margarita’s sincere and joyful impulse.
telling it, but I simply fell asleep and dreamed it all?’
‘Shoot me, do what you like with me, I won’t get up.’
‘Yes, Procurator… Matthew Levi was hiding in a cave on the northern
and drink a big, ice-cold mug of beer.’
end of the veranda, where the deepest shade lay, a table next to which the

  • I’d go and open the door for her.

-Kris

It’s spam meant to fool certain kinds of statistical filters by including as many null words (not weighted good or bad) as possible. Here is an article about statistical spam filtering.

Missed this part. Sometimes, the spammer is too stupid to configure the software correctly and ends up sending spam with no payload or hook or, indeed, intelligible sales pitch whatsoever.

It could be crapflooding from some moronic teen, however, who is simply trying to bring down a mail system.

It doesn’t have to, it has the stock symbol. Buy some and you’ll never see your money again, of course.

Not that it matters much, but the text of the story is from Bulgakov`s Master and Margarita. Perhaps your new stock brokers are Russian Mafia?

My Inbox has several everyday. Some times I am on distribution, sometimes not…
Mostly nonsense text, advertising “Hoodia,” get rich quick scams, etc.
NEVER open any but forward to <email-spam@…net> and trash orig.
Get an incomig email filter you can customize for yourself.

I think the real goal of the messages without the payload is to ruin adaptive filters to the point of where people stop using them.

Yeah, I did a google search on some of the text, to see where it was from, and discovered the novel you mention.

I looked it up on Amazon, saw some rave reviews, thought it sounded interesting, and stuck it on my wishlist.

Who says russian mobsters never do anyone any good?

-FrL-