Microsoft Going After Hotmail Spammers

Mirkon writes "Quoth The Register: "Microsoft has targeted spammers with a lawsuit aimed at bulk mailers who harvest email addresses of Hotmail subscribers in order to bombard them with junk." Details are apparently sketchy at this point, but it's nice to see America's favorite monopoly putting its power to good use." The original news.com.com story is slightly more informative.

Comments

MS **IS** THE SPAMMER..

[jkrise]

I doubt this is a good start by MS, and I'm not sure MS is completely helpless or innocent either.
I suspect this is a PR stunt to plead helpnessness in a matter where they are actually the guilty party.

I get frequent spam on my hotmail account, I'm using this account for 4 years now. Curious thing is, these spam mails for elongated pelvic protusions, anlarged mammiary glands and Nigerian style mails - APPEAR - to be spam.

But APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEPTIVE. I'm pasting a complete mail I got recently from a bogus address, to my hotmail account, sundaram_kr@hotmail.com I post this address publicly - so I can study the spam problem in detail.

My reasoning first, then the attachment:
1. This mail APPEARS to be spam, but is NOT. The instinctive reaction of any 'SENSIBLE' receiver of spam is to hit the delete button. I did not. I sent a 'reply' and it bounced off the non-existent sender's address.
2. I checked the mail for any snail-mail address - surprisingly, there was NONE WHATSOEVER!!

Thus, I conclude:(Elementary, my dear Watson)
1. If the 'sender' were indeed a Nigerian bank spammer, he'd have included his snail mail address.
2. If he's paying for the bandwidth to send the mails to MS Hotmail, he'd better have a sound motive. Annoying me does not serve any purpose for a banker, however moronic.
3.Even if he'd planted the mail in insecure servers and used their bandwidth to spread his spam, he'd still need a motive - none appears to exist.
4. It should be trivial for a co. like MS to track down such a bulk e-mailer - years ago. Apparently hey have not done so - and thus:
5. MS 'IS' THE SPAMMER. They are the ONLY ones who'd gain a cent by annoying me, and charging me for a spam-free service. They are the only ones who could store these messages on their servers and not need to pay any bandwidth charges.

and now, the so-called spam:
begin attachment

Mr.Isaiah K.Muttai.
Senior Manager,
Operations
Banking Services,
Kenya commercial Bank.

Dear Sir,
I Isaiah K.Muttai the Senior Manager, Operations
Banking Services, I want to include you in this God's given opportunity.
On Saturday 30th January 2000, flight KQ 431 left Nairobi at 12.00 p.m. headed
for Lagos, Nigeria on a scheduled flight. The thirteen-year old Airbus had on
board a total of 179 passengers who included 11 crew members.

This plane could not land at Lagos due to poor weather and the pilot decided to
stop and refuel in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. However, on leaving Abidjan, about
two to three kilometres from the coast,the plane crashed in the ocean. This is
the first time a crash involving a Kenya airways plane since it was established
in 1977.

So my friend, one of our customers happened to be involved in the plane crash,
who deposited £11.3m.(eleveen million, three hundred thousands pounds) few
months before the incedent.
This fund has been dormant in his account with this Bank without any claim of
the fund in our custody either from his family or relation before our discovery
to this development.

Although personally,I keep this information secret within myself and partners to
enable the whole plans and idea be profitable and successful.

Meanwhile all the whole arrangement to put claim over this fund as the bonafide
next of kin to the deceased, get the required approval and transfer this money
to a foreign account has been put in place
and directives and needed information will be relayed to you as soon as you
indicate your interest and willingness to assist us and also benefit your self
to this great business opportunity.

In fact I could have done this deal alone but because of my position in this
country as a civil servant,we are not allowed to operate a foreign account and
would eventually raise an eye brow on my side during the time of transfer
because I work in this bank.
This is the actual reason why it will require a second party or fellow who will
forward claims as the next of kin with affidavit of trust of oath to the Bank
and also present a foreign account where he
will need the money to be re-transferred into on his request as it may be after
due verification and larification by the correspondent branch of the bank,where
the whole money will be remitted from to
your own designation bank account.

I will not fail to inform you that this transaction is 100% risk free. The
sharing rate of this money will be discussed later upon your favourable response
showing your zealous determination to assist
us but the first priority is your total acceptance and commitment to assist.

Please,you have been adviced to keep top secret as we are still in service and
intend to retire from service after we conclude this deal with you. I will be
monitoring the whole situation here in this bank
until you confirm the money in your account and ask me to come down to your
country for subsequent sharing of the fund according to percentages.

Please my friend, i will like to hear from you whether you are interested or
not.

Best Regard,
Mr Isaiah K Muttai. .end attachment
The 'header' with the bogus details...

From :
"Isaiah Muttai"
To :
isaiahkm@myself.com
Subject :
Thanks for understanding
Date :
Tue, 05 Nov 2002 07:50:37 -0500

end header..

Re:Mail readers.

[aedan]

Mail for Mac OS X can learn junk mail addresses and trash them for you. It can also bounce mail back to the sender. Like another poster here I usually find the sender doesn't exist.

aedan