# WTF kind of spam is this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2006, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576 "2006-06-06T04:52:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/1 "2006-06-06T04:52:49Z")
OK so this afternoon I open G mail. In my inbox I see a new e mail, the return address is **me** which means I sent it to myself. Since I did not send myself any mail, this makes me think spam. The subject line is 586876 When I open the e mail the entire message is 5556. Together we have 586 876 5556 It looks like a phone number. I at first thought it was an [overseas area code](http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/809.html) but the 586 A/C is near Detroit. Anyone? Bueller? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/2 "2006-06-06T04:57:06Z")
Dunno, but I got a similar message. The subject line was 455 and the message body was 969. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/3 "2006-06-06T05:11:41Z")
They sound like spam test mails. If the email doesn’t bounce back, it’s a valid address. The number could be a database number. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/4 "2006-06-06T09:27:47Z")
Or it could be the start of a new viral marketing campaign for Da Vinci Code 2! You just never know these days. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/5 "2006-06-06T09:36:18Z")
I have [no clue](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=374438) but I got some of that myself. ---
**Author:** ![Twotwofive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Twotwofive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twotwofive)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/6 "2006-06-06T09:58:59Z")
I get loads of weird spam that I don’t understand. The latest one is stock tips, advising me of companies whose shares are supposedly about to record huge gains. There is no link or email address, so they’re not selling anything. Perhaps it’s just a bunch of magnanimous fund managers who want to share the knowledge around. Perhaps some people just enjoy spamming for its own sake, and have no other agenda at all. Bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/7 "2006-06-06T10:33:50Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] Dunno, but I got a similar message. The subject line was 455 and the message body was 969. [/QUOTE] I manage the spam filer at the organisation I work for, and everybody has been reporting similar messages this morning. Grim ---
**Author:** ![Twotwofive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Twotwofive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twotwofive)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/8 "2006-06-06T12:14:03Z")
[QUOTE=Seven] They sound like spam test mails. If the email doesn’t bounce back, it’s a valid address. The number could be a database number. [/QUOTE] But why would anyone send such a thing? Surely you’d find out soon enough whether the address is valid when you send out the real spam. It’s not as though spammers are exactly careful about where their messages are sent to. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/9 "2006-06-06T12:25:29Z")
I got one of those messages too, and I don’t see the point. If it’s not a valid address, there’s nowhere for the error message to get sent back to, as far as I can see. ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/10 "2006-06-06T12:57:49Z")
[QUOTE=Twotwofive] But why would anyone send such a thing? Surely you’d find out soon enough whether the address is valid when you send out the real spam. It’s not as though spammers are exactly careful about where their messages are sent to. [/QUOTE] Just a WAG, but maybe if it doesn’t bounce back, it can be sold to someone else as a “good” address for someone who wants to send out 10 bazillion mails to real addresses. I’m just sorry I never bought all the things guaranteed to add 2 to 3 inches to my manhood. Had I, it would be about 575 miles long now, and who wouldn’t want a part of **that**? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/11 "2006-06-06T13:11:08Z")
[QUOTE=Twotwofive] I get loads of weird spam that I don’t understand. The latest one is stock tips, advising me of companies whose shares are supposedly about to record huge gains. There is no link or email address, so they’re not selling anything. Perhaps it’s just a bunch of magnanimous fund managers who want to share the knowledge around. Perhaps some people just enjoy spamming for its own sake, and have no other agenda at all. Bizarre. [/QUOTE] [Here’s an explanation.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=355897) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/12 "2006-06-06T13:14:22Z")
Wow. You guys open email that you know was sent by somebody with ulterior motives? You have a lot more faith in your antivirus software than I do. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/13 "2006-06-06T13:37:46Z")
Well it’s Gmail, not much it can do unless you purposely open an attachment. I got one of those weird number spams “from myself” last night. Of course it was really from [cbtvrklfyzryzxvqlzw@gmail.com](mailto:cbtvrklfyzryzxvqlzw@gmail.com) ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/14 "2006-06-06T14:18:25Z")
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one. Very strange. I’ve had this juno account for years, and only recently started getting the stocks spam and now this today. It was nice to not get any spam for so long. I’m in the process of switching to gmail though, so hopefully I’ll be spam free again soon. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/15 "2006-06-06T14:27:26Z")
I work for an anti-spam company and given the source of these messages we think that someone it demonstrating their bot network, perhaps to someone intereted in buying it. Bots or zombies are compromised PCs that are unprotected and can be scattered around the world. A large percentage of spam that is being sent nowadays is coming from bots that people have in their homes and offices that they don’t realize is spewing spam day and night around the world. Spammers rarely use their own domains or machines these days… ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/16 "2006-06-06T16:22:26Z")
No help by running 586 876 5556 through a reverse directory search. > **[Reverse Phone Lookup & Background Check | US Search](https://www.ussearch.com/reverse-phone-lookup?number=586+876+5556)** > > Look up the person who owns the phone number calling you with a reverse phone lookup at US Search. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/17 "2006-06-06T16:46:18Z")
Weird. My boss got one, too. I’ve been looking around trying to find out what it is, but no idea…anyone come up with anything? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/18 "2006-06-06T17:05:01Z")
Anaamika, see **dolphinboy** ’s post, 2 posts above yours. ---
**Author:** ![dre2xl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@dre2xl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dre2xl)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/19 "2006-06-06T17:35:28Z")
Hey I got the same spam last night. Subject 557 body 969. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576/20 "2006-06-06T19:11:06Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] No help by running 586 876 5556 through a reverse directory search. [/QUOTE] Not a surprise. These are almost certainly simple sequentially generated of numbers to avoid blank subjects and bodies, and ensuring that each message is different to foil spam detectors at the ISP. A lot of ISPs have detectors so that if they see large numbers of the same message to their customers, it identifies it as spam. The fact that this was the only content shores up **dolphinboy** ’s hypothesis. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-kind-of-spam-is-this/359576.md?page=2)