Researchers at UCSD have published a study of scam hosting practices [PDF,844K] and come to the conclusion that 94% of all spams ultimately reference websites that are hosted by no more than one server each. The authors suggest that more aggressive take-downs of spam-related servers could have an impact on spammer operations.
Read More… (From Spamnation)

“The availability of scam infrastructure is critical to spam profitability — a single takedown of a scam server or a spammer redirect can curtail the earning potential of an entire spam campaign”

August 10, 2007 Stopping Spammers at The Point of Sale By Andy Patrizio A group of researchers from the University of California at San Diego offered up what they felt was a new and unique way to target … via InternetNews
Read More… (From Email Spam News)

Australian victim bilked of $1.5mSix men with ties to a West African crime network have been arrested in the Netherlands over an internet scam that bilked a man of $1.5m, according to police.Original post by Dougal and plugin by Elliott Back
Read More… (From The War on Spam)

Australian victim bilked of $1.5m

Six men with ties to a West African crime network have been arrested in the Netherlands over an internet scam that bilked a man of $1.5m, according to police.
Read More… (From The Register - Security: Spam)

Storm worm’s a brewin’

Security researchers are reporting a sharp increase in the number of machines infected by the Storm Worm, prompting speculation that its authors, who so far have limited their activities to spam, intend to use it for more destructive purposes, such as launching massive denial of service attacks.
Read More… (From The Register - Security: Spam)

“Hurry, we see this stock starting to make the turn NOW. Big watch in effect for August 8, 2007!”. Prime Time Stores was not immediately available for comment. Sophos said that “pump-and-dump”

Spammers have unleashed one of the biggest online stock manipulation campaigns in history in the last 24 hours, increasing global spam levels by 30 percent, a leading IT security company claimed Wednesday. via The Tocqueville Connection
Read More… (From Email Spam News)

“These infected computers are now being used to distribute the pump and dump spam”

So-called pump and dump spam scams happen when spammers send out massive amounts of unsolicited e-mail with a purported hot stock tip on a given company in an attempt to drive up its stock value. via E-Commerce Times
Read More… (From Email Spam News)

How much is that doggy?Email con-men are targeting animal lovers in new variants of advance fee fraud scams.Original post by Dougal and software by Elliott Back
Read More… (From The War on Spam)

Storm worm’s a brewin’Security researchers are reporting a sharp increase in the number of machines infected by the Storm Worm, prompting speculation that its authors, who so far have limited their activities to spam, intend to use it for more destructive purposes, such as launching massive denial of service attacks.Original post by Dougal and plugin […]
Read More… (From The War on Spam)

How much is that doggy?

Email con-men are targeting animal lovers in new variants of advance fee fraud scams.
Read More… (From The Register - Security: Spam)

“You need to do much more due diligence than just clicking on a Web site”

Now that everyday savers know that real estate isn’t always a sure bet — and yes, stocks can sizzle — it’s smart to spotlight a deluge of bogus deals that could lead you to lose a buck fast.For the gullible investor, we have spam e-mails that tout no-name stocks that are trading for 20 cents a share. The stocks are so hot, these e-mails say, that the price could hit $2 in days.We’ve also got scam Web sites, scam lunches and even serial scams.Jack McCreery, senior counsel for the Office of Investor Education & Assistance for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, has been traveling around the country warning investor groups of scams. This spring, a friend heard him speak at the Great Lakes Coalition Better Investing Regional Conference in Ypsilanti, Mich. And she told me he had some great advice, so I gave him a call. Read more
Read More… (From Email Spam News)

“This is what is known as spear phishing . They know enough about you to attach a convincing looking document - like an invoice relevant to your business - and you are suckered in.”

Around a quarter of all spams come as an attachment, according to a new study released by security supplier Marshal . via Computer Weekly
Read More… (From Email Spam News)

Italy’s Guardia di Finanza have arrested 18 Italians and 8 Eastern Europeans in an operation aimed at dismantling a phishing ring targeting users of Poste Italiane homebanking services.
Read More… (From Spam News)

As if the scam of global warming isn’t enough, the mythical manmade malady is now being used as part of an e-mail spam campaign likely to free concerned environmentalists of their hard-earned dollars. via Free Republic
Read More… (From Email Spam News)

“It is common that spammers will use large events, such as film premiers, wide scale media stories, or holidays to coerce e-mail users into a scam. We are hoping to avoid having our users fall victim to these scams by filtering away these e-mails”

Spammers are once again taking advantage of a blockbuster film, The Simpsons Movie. via Customer Interaction Solutions
Read More… (From Email Spam News)

“It is common that spammers will use large events, such as film premiers, wide scale media stories, or holidays to coerce e-mail users into a scam. We are hoping to avoid having our users fall victim to these scams by filtering away these e-mails”

Spammers are once again taking advantage of a blockbuster film, The Simpsons Movie. via Customer Interaction Solutions
Read More… (From Email Spam News)

(This is the text of my weekly Loose Wire Service column, syndicated to newspapers like The Jakarta Post. My thanks to Joe Wein for the information that made this column possible.) A lot of people think that online scams happen…
Read More… (From loose wire blog)