Comments on: Spammers Want Email Addresses? Let’s Give Them Some! http://www.theinternetpatrol.com/spammers-want-email-addresses-lets-give-them-some Internet Safety, Windows Updates, Internet News, and More Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:14:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Jack McCullough http://www.theinternetpatrol.com/spammers-want-email-addresses-lets-give-them-some#comment-9008 Jack McCullough Mon, 21 Aug 2006 17:57:02 +0000 /?p=286#comment-9008 Popcorn.net keeps popping up on my screen and it takes about 90 seconds before I can close it. (there is no X on original popup) It is driving me CRAZY. Who can I complain to and how can I get an address of popcorn.net. Popcorn.net keeps popping up on my screen and it takes about 90 seconds before I can close it. (there is no X on original popup) It is driving me CRAZY. Who can I complain to and how can I get an address of popcorn.net.

]]> By: J.D. Falk http://www.theinternetpatrol.com/spammers-want-email-addresses-lets-give-them-some#comment-811 J.D. Falk Thu, 06 Jan 2005 20:15:52 +0000 /?p=286#comment-811 The folks who sell lists of e-mail addresses still charge by the address, so schemes like this actually just put more money in their pockets. It's a waste of time, folks -- always has been. The folks who sell lists of e-mail addresses still charge by the address, so schemes like this actually just put more money in their pockets. It’s a waste of time, folks — always has been.

]]> By: Kelson http://www.theinternetpatrol.com/spammers-want-email-addresses-lets-give-them-some#comment-810 Kelson Thu, 06 Jan 2005 18:27:02 +0000 /?p=286#comment-810 This is actually a pretty old idea. See <a href="http://www.devin.com/sugarplum/">Sugarplum</a> and <a href="http://www.monkeys.com/wpoison/">WPoison</a> for other examples, or search Google for "spam poison" Where I work, we've had a spam poison section for about two years with a mix of (a) spamtrap addresses, (b) completely bogus addresses, and (c) random garbage designed to keep the harvesters busy. It doesn't get very many hits, but a few spammers do target those spamtrap addresses, so <em>someone's</em> harvesting it. On the subject of bounces, they really aren't likely to go to the zombies. Either the zombie will see an SMTP rejection code, which takes up as much bandwidth as an accept code, or the bounce will be sent to the (forged) return address, which is likely to be garbage itself or a third-party joe-job victim. This is actually a pretty old idea. See Sugarplum and WPoison for other examples, or search Google for “spam poison”

Where I work, we’ve had a spam poison section for about two years with a mix of (a) spamtrap addresses, (b) completely bogus addresses, and (c) random garbage designed to keep the harvesters busy. It doesn’t get very many hits, but a few spammers do target those spamtrap addresses, so someone’s harvesting it.

On the subject of bounces, they really aren’t likely to go to the zombies. Either the zombie will see an SMTP rejection code, which takes up as much bandwidth as an accept code, or the bounce will be sent to the (forged) return address, which is likely to be garbage itself or a third-party joe-job victim.

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