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AOL’s Top Spam Dishes In 2005
John Stith
Staff Writer
2005-12-29
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
Spam is always a favorite food in the tech world and 2005 was no different. AOL published their top recipes for the delightful dish for the past year. Topping the list were things like Donald Trump and "penis patch" but there were others.
Here's the Top 10 List as presented by AOL:
1) Donald Trump Wants You - Please Respond (popular recognition)
2) Double Standards New Product - Penis Patch (sexually oriented spam)
3) Body Wrap: Lose 6-20 inches in one hour (body improvement products)
4) Get an Apple iPod Nano, PS3 or Xbox 360 for Free (technology offers)
5) It's Lisa, I must have sent you to the wrong site ("personalized" correspondence)
6) Breaking Stock News** Small Cap Issue Poised to Triple (stock scams)
7) Thank you for your business. Shipment notification [77FD87] (bogus transactional spam)
8) [IMPORTANT] Your Mortgage Application is Ready (mortgage-related scams)
9) Thank you: Your $199 Rolex Special Included (high-end "deals")
10) Online Prescriptions Made Easy (pharmaceutical)
"Spammers have been on a year-long mission to mislead and deceive in 2005," said Charles Stiles, AOL's Postmaster - who helps direct AOL's 24/7/365 spam fighting unit. "While the volume of spam reaching AOL email inboxes has remained at low levels compared to it's height in late 2003, the spam that's out there is more insidious, crafty, devious, and dangerous than ever. So when it comes to protecting your in box, consumers should adopt a 'code red' mentality for 2006, because ultimately their personal identity is at stake."
Long gone are they days when spam was being generated by grandma peddling her cookie recipes, alumni seeking takers for college reunion-socials, tech-savvy teens, or small time spammers looking to make a quick buck. In 2005, spammers - and their tactics - became more sinister, organized and sophisticated.
"What we're seeing is that spammers are far more organized and professional than ever before," added Stiles. "They are going after Mainstreet USA with 'back alley' tactics, and they are doing it with a specialized team that's working overtime to hide the source of their spam by employing zombie PC's, bot-nets and using other nefarious tactics. Spam gangs on the internet engaging in 'hit-and-run' spam attacks in 2004 have turned into a tightly-knit, controlled, web-based spam mafia coordinating sustained attacks on netizens in 2005."
About the Author:
John is a staff writer for SecurityProNews covering cyber security.
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