How the Spam Industry is Sustained

mOoZik writes "The BBC has an interesting article about spam and why it's still around. According to a survey, nearly 1/3 of users have clicked on spam messages and 1/10 have bought products advertised therein. "If no-one responded to junk e-mail and didn't buy products sold in this way, then spam would be as extinct as the dinosaurs.""

I replied to the spam

[heauxmeaux]

and my mortgage has never been longer or harder.

1 in what?

[danormsby]

But what ratio have received the $43M from an fallen African state?

Re:Just thought this was funny

[The Amazing Fish Boy]

"The list of words most commonly hidden by the spammers from anti-spam software reveals that most spam is about the old favourites: money, drugs and sex," said Mr Cluley.

The people buying that junk should get a Cluley.

1/10 have bought products advertised therein.

[YrWrstNtmr]

Damn. Of the 20 people on our floor, 2 of them have succumbed to this crap. 15 of the 150 people in the company.

The clue by four is gonna get a workout tomorrow.

In other news..

[Juvenall]

"Researchers to investigate why they were the last to figure this out."

Re:1 in 10?

[lucabrasi999]

I think that guy who likes buying spam stuff is driving the average up.

BTW, I would like to make the public announcement that I have a basement filled with cases of VI@AGRA. If anyone wants any, please reply to this post, I'll be more than happy to ship some to you at a reduced cost.

That can't be right...

[Anonymous Coward]

Dinosaurs are extinct? Damn, and I just bought two velociraptors from a guy from Nigeria.

Re:1 in 10?

[mboverload]

10%? pshhh!

50% voted for Bush.

That's fucken it.

[stor]

I'm writing a virus.

It will randomly generate mortgage/penis enlargement/teen sluts/housewives/OEM Software spam.

It will have a "Click here to respond" link.

If you click the link, it wipes your hard drive and somehow sets your computer on fire. I need to work out how to kill the CPU fan or something...

These people who are responding to spam need to have their computers confiscated, for great justice.

That is all.

Cheers
Stor

Re:That's fucken it.

[Cylix]

Oh that's easy.

All you need is a little assembler and you'll be set.

HCF - Halt and Catch Fire

HCF [brighton.ac.uk]

Re:Just thought this was funny

[AuMatar]

They've all sold out. So it now counts as money.

Re:1 in 10?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well... '1 in 10 people' had to respond, to be accurate...

It's all my fault...

[barfy]

But you should see the SIZE of my penis!!!!

Re:go to spam island!

[Taladar]

Perhaps we could tell them the earth will be eaten by a giant space goat and put them all in a giant space ship to "save" them...

Re:Hey (non-)fucker

[gordgekko]

Yeah, it really is a "not wonder", eh?

Re:1/10 have bought products advertised therein.

[hibiki_r]

Don't worry. Only 1 in 10 people has an internet connection [digital-eu.org], so only 15 people in your company could receive spam.

Besides, don't you feel lucky for being one of the two people in your floor with an internet connection?

Re:1 in 10?

[Anonymous Coward]

No, it was really 10%. However, by taking massive amounts of VI4GR@, they've made themselves swell up to 50%

Re:Just thought this was funny

[Anonymous Coward]

I can see how someone might think I am especially starved for sex and wish to pay for it. This is untrue, I have a wonderful girlfriend.

So, how much do you pay her?

Re:Hey (non-)fucker

[soft_guy]

I am very impressed by your Republican ability to find grammar errors. Please help me become a Republican so that I, too, may find grammatical errors and make tired old jokes.

Re:1 in 10?

[AliasMoze]

Be on the lookout for a verile male with a sixteen-inch penis, a stack of college diplomas, all the descrabled satellite TV he can watch, and low low mortgage rates.

Re:1 in 10?

[dtfinch]

I have cable.

Re:Questionable Survey

[Feanturi]

1) Do you want a bigger pen1s?

2) Need help with your m0rtg@ge?

3) Would you like to help a persecuted stranger in a foreign country to make money?

Re:So did I

[MSBob]

[...] and don't even spell things correctly? It's definately a bit frightening.

Definately.

50% bigger??

[soundman32]

These are Americans we are talking about. If they got 50% bigger, most of them would collapse under their own gravitational pull.

250m American blackholes in Blackburn, Oklahoma. Now they know how many American blackholes it takes to fill the Albert Hall :-)

Re:Hey (non-)fucker

[Moderatbastard]

Grammer Nazi's

Maybe you would do well to be apprehended by the punctuation Nazis.

Or the Spelling Nazis. Unless Grammer Nazis are some kind of right wing group affiliated to a balding actor with a Bostonian accent.

Re:1 in 10?

[Anonymous Coward]

BORDERLINE RETARD.---2.3%ile 70 IQ
DULL-NORMAL----------9.1%ile 80 IQ /* bottom 10% has <= ~80 IQ */
AVERAGE-------------25.0%ile 90 IQ
general pop. ave.---50.0%ile 100 IQ
high sch. grad ave.-60.0%ile 105 IQ
BRIGHT-NORMAL-------75.0%ile 110 IQ
college grad ave.---84.1%ile 115 IQ
SUPERIOR------------9l.0%ile 120 IQ
Ph.D. & M.D. ave.---95.0%ile 125 IQ
Mensa---------------98.0%ile 131 IQ
Slashdot ave.-------99.9%ile 146 IQ


I took the liberty of adding slashdot to the table. I hope nobody minds.