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Ask HN: Why is spam email still a thing?

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Re: Ask HN: Why is spam email still a thing?

#101

Post by saxonww »

pwg wrote: post #2

> These emails are so bad and there is almost no chance of them finding their way through a spam filter, why are people still sending them? Most likely because the cost to send per email is so low as to be essentially free. As well, there may be some amount of 'Nigerian email' issue here. I've heard it said that the "Nigerian prince with 65M needs help moving money to your country" emails are so poorly worded on purp…

This was I think the basis for Dan Bernstein's "Internet Mail 2000"[0] idea - stop spam by making the sender responsible for mail storage.

[0]: https://cr.yp.to/im2000.html

Re: Ask HN: Why is spam email still a thing?

#102

Post by jacquesm »

jlengrand wrote: post #96
skilled wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have to admit, I never paid this much thought, but your comment made me laugh out loud. Hahaha! Thank you!

I’ve discovered that paper a couple years back and indeed, once you hear it it just makes total sense, in a funny way

Not so funny for some. One person I know, (80+) got scammed out of a reasonably large sum of money (very large for them, probably pocket change for HN). They could not imagine that people would be so mean as to feign an emergency to scam others. These assholes really hurt people.

Re: Ask HN: Why is spam email still a thing?

#103

Post by bennyp101 »

low_tech_love wrote: post #38
starwind wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whenever I order something online, I always uncheck the box that says "I want to receive your newsletter" or never check it the first place. Inevitably, in the next few days, I start to receive their product offerings

Guess what happens when you click "unsubscribe"?

A lot of the time it goes via a link that gets blocked by ABP, or my pi-hole - so I just give up and route it to junk

Re: Ask HN: Why is spam email still a thing?

#105

Post by Clubber »

jacquesm wrote: post #102
jlengrand wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve discovered that paper a couple years back and indeed, once you hear it it just makes total sense, in a funny way

Not so funny for some. One person I know, (80+) got scammed out of a reasonably large sum of money (very large for them, probably pocket change for HN). They could not imagine that people would be so mean as to feign an emergency to scam others. These assholes really hurt people.

Yup, they're robbing old people of their life savings. It seems nobody seems to be doing anything to prosecute or even track these people down.

Re: Ask HN: Why is spam email still a thing?

#106

Post by notum »

jacquesm wrote: post #102
jlengrand wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve discovered that paper a couple years back and indeed, once you hear it it just makes total sense, in a funny way

Not so funny for some. One person I know, (80+) got scammed out of a reasonably large sum of money (very large for them, probably pocket change for HN). They could not imagine that people would be so mean as to feign an emergency to scam others. These assholes really hurt people.

Thankfully, there's people who fight back: https://www.419eater.com/

Re: Ask HN: Why is spam email still a thing?

#107

Post by riobard »

saxonww wrote: post #101
pwg wrote: post #2

> These emails are so bad and there is almost no chance of them finding their way through a spam filter, why are people still sending them? Most likely because the cost to send per email is so low as to be essentially free. As well, there may be some amount of 'Nigerian email' issue here. I've heard it said that the "Nigerian prince with 65M needs help moving money to your country" emails are so poorly worded on purp…

This was I think the basis for Dan Bernstein's "Internet Mail 2000"[0] idea - stop spam by making the sender responsible for mail storage. [0]: https://cr.yp.to/im2000.html

Mail storage cost is negligible.

Re: Ask HN: Why is spam email still a thing?

#109

Post by jacquesm »

notum wrote: post #106
jacquesm wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not so funny for some. One person I know, (80+) got scammed out of a reasonably large sum of money (very large for them, probably pocket change for HN). They could not imagine that people would be so mean as to feign an emergency to scam others. These assholes really hurt people.

Thankfully, there's people who fight back: https://www.419eater.com/

It looks as though the old forum is dead and the new one is here: https://aff.419eater.com/

Re: Ask HN: Why is spam email still a thing?

#110

Post by missedthecue »

jlengrand wrote: post #36

Because it works. Still relevant, from Microsoft Research: "Why do Nigerian Scammers Say They are from Nigeria?" This approach suggests an answer to the question in the title. Far-fetched tales of West African riches strike most as comical. Our analysis suggests that is an advantage to the attacker, not a disadvantage. Since his attack has a low density of victims the Nigerian scammer has an over-riding need to reduc…

Isn't the gullibility scale a spectrum though? Perhaps if the emails sent purportedly originated in nations of higher repute, he would scam all of the most gullible people and in addition, some less gullible people, resulting in a greater profit.

After all the marginal cost of sending out extra emails is basically free. It's not as if he needs to only select the most gullible people to save on costs.

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