Is the increase in spam part of a conspiracy?

[banquo's_bumble_puppy]

Is the increase in spam part of a conspiracy to get people to 'pay' for their emails? There was a story on CNN the other day about the newest spam plague. One of the commentators said that the only way to solve the spam problem is to start charging (ala postage) for each email sent. Think of the big bucks that could be made if this were done (all under the ruse that it's the only way to get rid of the spammers- afterall they get to send their spam for free and if there were a charge for each email; where would the profit be in that?). I think we're being set-up folks...

watch and wait....

[farmerjumperdon]

Absolutely. In a mad scramble for holiday dollars the Hormel organization is pulling out all the stops. Rumor has it they are offering kickbacks to get the stuff displayed on the end caps of aisles. A scandal is in the making.

[davidlpf]

well bbq, it might be i just hope not I could afford the updates from this forum. And my email is gmail is web based and do not have isp email account so i might be able to somethings on the internet at all.

[Matherly]

While working for CompUSA, I once checked out a gentleman purchasing Norton Anti-Virus. The gentleman made a half joking comment about how maybe Norton was the one creating all of these viruses so they could sell more software. He had to agree with me when I said that the flaw in that hypothesis was that it assumed Norton would spend money on creating something that was going to be created anyways by a bunch of bored 12-year-olds.

The Spam situation is similar. Those who want "email postage" hardly need to do anything to see Spam proliferate.

[Mister Earl]

As a Tech Support guy from a major ISP, I feel qualified to throw in my two bits here. Spam is all about profit by volume. Even if a small percentage of spams cent out, even a half of a percent, they'll still make money due to the little cost involved in sending out that junk. After all, if there wasn't profit to be made in spamming, there would be no spammers.

Now, as to why spam has doubled: Spammers have just as much experience in getting around filters as we do to block them. They find a way around the filters, we block them. Over and over again. Now, here is why you see double now:

Think of it in strategic terms. You are a spammer. You figure out a way to get around the current filters by altering the contect of your spam. You know that in just a few days you will be blocked again and revert back to square one, so in order to maximize the effectiveness of your new technique, you have to deploy it when it will have its highest effect.

Cue black friday. Heaviest shopping season of the year. More buying dollars are floating around than any other time of the year. Stores hire temps to handle the extra work load. Advertising costs shoot through the roof. New ads come out to grab your attention. Everyone wants your money and want to give you thier goods and services. NOW is the time spammers deploy thier new techniques, in order to put thier offers in front of your eyes. Now is when they are the most likely to make the most money from the spam that they send. That is also why quantity is up; More volume means more profit.

That's why you're seeing more spam now, folks.

[Gillianren]

Cue black friday. Heaviest shopping season of the year.

It isn't, you know.