Slashdot Mirror
Spammer Sues List Broker
BuckMulligan writes: "This article describes a lawsuit brought by a spam company against a list brokerage warehouse for selling e-mail addresses of persons who didn't opt-in. What this means is that those marketing lists created by data brokers aren't even accurate enough for sending spam."
Why, that wouldn't happen to be this bunch of spyware monkeys, would it?
And your telling me that their email list gathering methods might be unethical? Who'd have thunk it?
rOD.
Rod Begbie done this, and he's not
During the installation there is a "Special Offers" section. The first four (Which, not coincidentally are the only ones that show up in the little box) are unchecked by default, but scrolling down reveals that the other 15 options are checked.
Remember when the web used to be free, of ads, that is?
Randal Graves says: I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class... Especially since I rule.
Here's a link to an earlier article than the newsbytes story although it's very sparse on details. Looks like they *might* have contact info for Inurv though... Phone number perhaps?
"Officials at Inurv could not be reached for comment."
Sometimes that means you've found a spammer.
Other times, it just means you've found a Mail Boxes, Etc. type of place. (Non-US folks: Sorta like a post office, but run by private companies. People can rent mailboxes with them, and collect their snail-mail there. Most of their customers are legit, but many aren't.)
(Sometimes, of course, the same spammer will use the same mailbox/dropbox provider for more than one scam. Figuring out the difference by looking for similarities in writing styles, etc. is more an art than a science...)
Got it ;o)
;o)
./ effect.. Probably the funniest thing there is that guy's name. So, Google has triumphed once again.
Posted somewhere down the page, I listed a link found on Google to a earlier article by bizjournal.com. In that article, they list Inurv Inc from Glendale, CA. No searches of general business directories for Glendale CA turned anything up, but this tells us a whole lot more... Of course, the Secretary of State should have some good info
I'll post the general info here in case Sec State website are susceptible to
Corporation
INURV, INC.
Number: C2381410
Date Filed: 9/28/2001
Status: active
Jurisdiction: California
Mailing Address
210 N. CENTRAL AVENUE #210
GLENDALE, CA 91203
Agent for Service of Process
GEORGI KARAYACOUBIAN
1443 ROCKGLEN AVENUE #4
GLENDALE, CA 91205
Yeah...Why bother trying "Inurv.com"?
Or, you could try the California Corporations database to find Inurv, Inc. or their parent, Nash Business Services:
Nash Business Services, (818) 243-1977, 210 N Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91203
This post is a troll! This guy posts this every time there is a spam story - and gets +5 every time...
I'll pay for moderation - and look at the banner ads
In Missouri, you don't have to pay to get your name off that list. The AGO office here got a clue, and implemented it fairly well. It's not without hitches, of course, but it's done well.
:)
I had JUST moved into my apartment, and JUST gotten my phone activated. First one ever, so I didn't have any past relationships, etc. I started getting calls two days later. At least two a day.
Then I signed up with the AGO's office for being put on the "no-call" list. Since then, I've gotten a couple of calls from phone companies (who are exempt from the law) and two other companies who I had business relationships with.. I didn't opt in, but they made the call legally, so I didn't complain too much.
If you're in Missouri, <a href="http://ago.state.mo.us/">I strong suggest checking it out.</a> It's at http://ago.state.mo.us/ for those link paranoid. You can even sign up online- you'll get a packet in the mail a week or so later explaining everything.. it's really pretty neat, clear English, whole 9 yards. They only reissue out the "no-call" list every six months, so you could have to wait a few months, but once it's done and you're out there, people have to quit calling. Else, you get to have fun with 'em.
.
We don't need no Net Explorer We don't need no Thought control
Put up a empty www-server on your computer, change the 404 not found page to a empty page and put ad.doubleclick.net to 127.0.0.1 in your host-file.
I'll assume the OP was using the english alphabet of 26 letters. There are 26**16 different possible combinations, if a spammer is capable of trying one billion addresses per second (which he isn't, not even close) it would take nearly 1.4 million years to try every 16 character address. So, given that hotmail has existed for significantly less than 1.4 million years, no, I don't think that someone used a dictionary technique (which won't work for a random address) or another technique. It is possible, however, that an admin for hotmail sells the addresses without Microsoft's consent (which still doesn't make Microsoft blameless).
... should we still call them spammers?
If it's for people who have genuinely opted-in to a bulk mailing service then the mail is solicited, isn't it?
Surely spam is still defined as unwanted, unsolicited mail.
Even if some spammers do blatantly lie, telling me I've opted in for their mailing 'services'.
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
Yahoo is now going to start charging for POP access...got that term of service nodice today...:-(
Adam Sane sanity is a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.