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Do Unsubscribe Links Stop Spam?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the click-here-to-find-out dept.

Kaiten writes "Brian McWilliams of Spam Kings fame has just published a fascinating spammer exposé over at Salon. Using a pseudonym, he was hired to send junk email on behalf of a spam operation that has been burying people (me included) with spam for fake Rolex watches. The article details how the spammers handle the 200,000-plus unsubscribe requests they get each month. Seems that LOTS of geeks actually cross their fingers and click those remove links. And, surprise, surprise, the spammers usually ignore the unsubscribe requests."

7 of 521 comments (clear)

  1. BIG NEWS!! by evilmeow · · Score: 0, Redundant

    THIS JUST HIT THE CABLE!!! Breaking headline! Spammers are dishonest! (first post)

  2. Unsubscribing adds value by LucidBeast · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I always figured, that if you'd try to unsubscribe, your email address would be tagged as verified adding value to. This is just a thought, I've had since dawn of junk mail.

  3. Different language by gmuslera · · Score: 0, Redundant

    In spammers lingo, unsubscribe means "confirm that you email address is real". Is that us that don't understand that language.

  4. Oh really? by Xenna · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I wouldn't have expected that, seeing that they don't seem to have any problems hammering my servers from spamzombied PC's with dictionary attacks sending mail to hundreds of thousands of -mostly- non existant e-mail addresses on the off chance that a few will reach a valid address that doesn't have spamassassin active.

    This spam business is starting to look more and more like one giant distributed DOS attack, so pray tell, why would they be interested in unsubscribe requests?

    Opt-out DDOS would be a nice idea in the ideal world...

  5. Click only confirms your email by theendlessnow · · Score: 0, Redundant
    By clicking the unsubscribe me link, you are confirming that a LIVE person read the email, thus raising the value of the email id (which are bought and sold regularly between spammers). Obviously, confirmed working and READ addresses are worth more money.

    Best advice is to have more than email address. Even better if you can have a separate one for EVERY online form you fill out. Then you can safely identify anyone selling your information. Of course, most is harvested from website caches and newsgroups and such. You'll want to shroud your addresses used there.

  6. Blackhole anonymous remailers by Corellon+Larethian · · Score: 0, Redundant

    For a start. But it would take every ISP in the country, doing this overnight, to shut that route down.

    After that, you need "undercover" agents buying the compromised lists that spammers use, and start blackholing those entire subnets. After you buy about ONE MILLION compromised machines, you're likely to see some kind of pattern.

    The problem just isn't great enough yet.

  7. Re:How to Set Up Your Own Probe Network by operagost · · Score: 0, Redundant

    That would be, umm, ZERO!

    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.