• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Literature in spam?

Michael Redman

Illuminator
M
Joined
Oct 29, 2001
Messages
3,063
The following text appears in a spam email I read today (for prescription drugs). This is the entire excerpt. Any idea where it comes from? Anyone else notice thing like this showing up in spam lately? Why are they doing this? (It's not my email account, so no lectures on security, please.)

used to send for our smiths, and reward even the least skilful most
richly. Fathers would beg us to take their sons as apprentices, and pay
us handsomely, especially in food-supplies, which we never bothered to
grow or find for ourselves. Altogether those were good days for us, and
the poorest of us had money to spend and to lend, and leisure to make
beautiful things just for the. fun of it, not to speak of the most
Click to expand...
 
That's kind of freaking scarry that I immediately remembered this, yet not remember the characers name but it comes from The Hobbit. It's a speach that the leader dwarf makes talking about the riches and the life of the dwarves under the misty mountain.

C
 
Floyt said:
Yes! It's Thorin Oakenshield's speech on the evening before departure (AFTER the washing-up has been done :D). Good to see I'm not the only one whose mind is cluttered with orphaned text excerpts!
Click to expand...

I see a new syndrome in the making: Orphaned Text Recognition Syndrome, first recorded on a well-known skeptics forum organized by a well-known amazing skeptic.
b44
 
Which makes me as nerdy as you guys, because I also recognized that text. *cries*

I had a quote from Moby Dick recently in one of the spam mails.

@Michael Redman: Roughly half of the spam I receive has those quotes added, for exactly the reason Crossbow mentioned.

The other half tries fooling spam filters with images that contain blurry text and fuzzy lines. Very popular with STOCK ALERT announcements.
 
Thanks. I knew someone here would recognize it.

I find it interesting that a filter could be fooled by the positive inclusion of writing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom