Whenever my email box fills up, I have to wonder: what are these spammers thinking? Do they really believe that anyone will click on that link to buy what they are selling? DO they not know they are among the most hated individuals in the history of humankind? Well why would they care, when this type of business is anonymous, and also virtually free to market? One thing I do know is, if i get another mail about the size of my penis I'm going to scream. But, you think, they MUST be making money. Someone MUST be clicking those links. Otherwise, why would they continue to do it?
Well hold on to your skippy knickers, gang. Most of the money made by spammers has little to do with you buying one of their products. Spammers can make plenty of money selling addresses they've gleaned from websites, various open proxy servers and open SMTP relays. That just means they get it through the same channels you get your email.
And spammers make money from all those pop-ups. Have you ever found yourself on a site that turns out to be a series of pop-up pages? It doesn't matter that you close them. The spammers have already got what they need--it's an "ad impression" which means the page was, theoretically, viewed by someone, and they get paid every time that happens.
Then there's all the downright fraudulent spamming. I'm sure all of us has at one time or another gotten one of those pleas from some Nigerian representative, telling us they need to borrow someone's account to deposit a large sum of money and in return, you will get paid a large fee for providing that account. If you fell for this, you deserve to lose your money. Sorry. But that's just stupid. NEVER give out your information for a credit card or bank account to someone you don't know. That doesn't mean legit companies like your electric bill or phone bill sites. It means anytime you are ASKED for you information for any reason whatsoever, and you don't know who the asker is, don't do it. The fraud extends to all these pyramid schemes, chain letters, and any sort of multi-level marketing.
Another thing to watch out for are what is called pump-and-dump stock activities. You are encouraged via email to buy a penny stock and when enough people do this, those who own this stock then sell it while the price is high. And you are left with...well, a stock worth a penny.
And don't forget the bane of all inboxes: those who entreat you to try their product which will make your genitals perform better and/or look more impressive. These products are sold all the time, and when you buy them, IF you even receive them, they are usually sugar pills or something else that does nothing to achieve your goal. And how can they continue to do this so voluminously? No one is going to report them for selling them a product that did not make their wee-wee bigger. It's just too embarrassing. And do i have to mention that if you go to porn sites, you must never allow any site to talk you into downloading their special software so you can view the porn? Those are usually dialers, and they will sit unnoticed on your system and dial 900 numbers until you get your phone bill. Then you will not want to explain to the phone company that "no, that was not you calling porn lines..." They won't believe you, and you will probably be too embarrassed to do that either. You'll just be stuck with the bill.
Remember, when the sites you do legitimate business with ask you for verification and secret question answers, it's to protect your account or card information from getting stolen so that someone can run that up too.
One more thing: Don't EVER hit the unsubscribe link in one of these emails. This just verifies your email as accurate, and it will end up on even more spamming lists.
If you follow these guidelines, and also use the proper anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, while simply deleting unwanted mail, you'll have a better chance of avoiding catastrophic financial problems as well as the annoyance of more spam. I recommend using AVG products for spyware and virus protection, as they don't slow down your system, and they are very effective-as well as free. And buy Spambully for your outlook program. It's the best for that.
Good luck, and don't be a chump.
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