Spam Heeds My Cry

Displaying its concern for my approval, spam has undertaken to get more interesting and personal. I have one here that addresses me by name! Well, there's an extra 'T,' but it's almost my name. Oddly, they got the first name exactly right, weird punctuation notwithstanding, and messed up on the last name.

Anyway, this author purports to be an attorney, and spins a tale of drama and intrigue about a client with my last name who died unexpectedly of "a heart-related condition," leaving millions of dollars unclaimed.

The author proposes to present me as the next-of-kin so that I can claim the money! And, I mean, hey, it's probably a long-lost cousin or something, so it's only fair to keep it in the family.

It's hardly like a crime at all. I should totally do this.

Now this is the kind of tale I enjoy in my spam. The author clearly put a little thought into it.

Of course, I'm still going to blacklist and delete, but with an appreciative nod to the creativity involved.

Choke on your own spam, you pestilent scourge of the in-box, but nicely done!

.

Bah!

Spam messages about unclaimed riches aren't even trying anymore. I received this convincing missive:

DEAR, I need you
for claim of
inheritance,
get back for
more details

Pathetic. Come on!

Where are the romantic tales about the uncle who was the prime minister of somewhere and died of malaria before dispensing his vast blood-diamond-based fortune? Or whatever?

I suppose it does have a weird sort of poetry. But if I'm going to get conned, I need more than weird poetry.

Bah, I say.

Also, blacklist. And delete.

.

Sure Sign of Something

I've started getting a lot of spam messages referencing Facebook. 

Like, "Melinda sent you a message on Facebook." 

They may have been around before, but I don't recall getting them before this week. Has Facebook finally reached a critical mass of users, such that it's efficient to try to lure people to open messages pretending to come from it?

Sure, I personally think "Who the heck is Melinda? Also, why is this in my Junk folder, and why does the return address contain a weird(er than usual) string of letters and numbers?" but someone with a less effective spam filter, or who knows a Melinda, might well go ahead and open the message. 

And then purchase the pharmaceutical knockoffs or incur the virus infection or whatever the message is about. So very clever, these spammers.

I guess that's a sign of cultural relevance for Facebook. Or something.