I handle a vast majority of the spam complaints that we receive at work. Occasionally, the person submitting the complaint will add a note to let us know how they feel about the spam message. This is usually something to the effect of “STOP SPAMMING” and “EAT SHIT”. I’ve been processing spam complaints for a few years now, so I though that I’d seen it all … until today:
Special Emergency Message - Please read carefully
This spam is classified as one of used by terrorists to gain funds for operations in
international terrorist organizations. The Department of Homeland Security, US
Secret Service and FBI have been provided copies of this spam. You are advised
to divest yourself of this spammer as quickly as possible in order to avoid being
included in this international investigation.
This unique note was attached to a complaint about a Nigerian scam email, which was being sent out via a customer’s hacked webmail account. I looked through the headers and found that the message was sent from an IP address located somewhere in Ghana or Nigeria.
Who knew that Nigerian and Ghanaian scammers were contributing to Al Qaeda’s coffers?
Took me a while to find the latest NameCheap coupon, so hopefully reposting it here will help.
April 2008 - APRILSHOWERS - works for transfers and new registrations.
A brief list in no particular order:
1. Nigerian scam victims.
I’ve been involved with scamfighting groups for a number of years now, often assisting victims who were taken for a ride by online scam artists. Lately, it seems like I’m running low on compassion. Major news outlets have been warning people about this scam for years now. Even Western Union, the money wiring service preferred by Nigerian scammers, has signs and warnings prominently displayed about this kind of scam. But people still fall for this crap … I don’t understand it anymore.
2. Digg and other Digg-like sites.
Digg is an interesting concept: users vote for the most relevant news tidbits, the most popular of which make the front page. Unfortunately, the only lesson this has taught us is that people are morons. At the time I wrote this, the front page of Digg was full of exciting stories about Wikipedia censorship, Ron Paul, global warming, and other nonsense. It’s almost as if Digg users deliberately vote for the most mindless submissions on the site.
3. Serious bloggers.
I was watching CNN a few nights ago and they were interviewing some ugly woman about the current presidential candidates. The producers prominently displayed her name and the address of her blog throughout the interview. How the hell does writing about politics on the Internet make you qualified enough to be interviwed on CNN?
4. RapidShare warez downloaders.
RapidShare really is the bottom of the barrel as far as finding warez goes. Searching dozens of forum posts to find your favorite movie is bad enough, but manually downloading 16 different files, and piecing them together is just plain retarded. It amazes me that there are huge communities full of morons who chase down RapidShare links for their favorite movie or program.
5. Web 2.0
I have no idea what this means, but I hate it. I read the Wikipedia entry on Web 2.0 but doing so only made me hate it even more.
6. Fan Fiction sites.
Fan Fiction stuff really creeps me out. Fantasizing about running away into the sunset with your favorite celebrity is OK, but forming huge communities where thousands of users discuss their odd fantasies about B-list celebrities? Writing 5 page short stories about having sex with some baseball player? That’s just sad.
7. AdSense.
I really, really hate the belief some people have about Google AdSense being some magic moneymaking machine. At my previous job, we hosted hundreds of sites that promised visitors that they can easily make $2000 per week just by hosting some sites that had little on them other than some prewritten articles, and some AdSense code. Believe it or not, the only people making $2000 per week off this nonsense were the ones selling these moneymaking packages to suckers who were willing to buy them.
8. “Rating” Sites
FaceTheJury and similar sites are really strange. Do people really need to be reassured by 1000 viewers that they have a symmetrical face, nice lips, or a cute ass? FTJ has been online for years now, and hundreds of similar sites are up as well, so I guess that answers my question… 
9. Craigslist
I’ve probably sold over $5,000 worth of stuff on Craigslist over the last few years, but I still hate it. Selling a car for $2500? You’ll get at least half a dozen offers for $1000. Selling a phone for $200? You’ll get at least half a dozen offers for $90-105. Do some of these people really think that someone is going to accept half the asking price for an item!?
This was originally going to be a list of 11 things I hate about the Internet, but I got bored and stopped writing, so it looks like 9 points will do for now. I certainly don’t want to become a “Number 3″. 
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