[Gllug] Spam opt-outs

[Rev Simon Rumble]

Hi folks.

A while back someone claimed that spammers used the opt-out addresses
to add to their lists.  Using revokable sneakemail.com addresses, I
set out to test this.

Using a fairly random sampling of spam from my spam mailbox, I went
to the opt-out addresses.  In some cases this involved re-munging the
new address into the URL given (assuming, like the people who buy
their products, that their system is pretty dumb and doesn't notice
that the address I'm giving isn't on their list).  Most, however, were
just static links to a page where you're supposed to type in your
address.

So after a couple of months, the results.

I created seven unique addresses and followed the opt-out URLs from
seven different spams, ensuring the opt-out addresses were different.

1 spam
http://www.gadgitz.biz/remove.php?id

0 spam
http://www.wonderherbs.biz/cystum/out.html

4 spam
http://www.titanivy.com/pp/optout.html

0 spam
http://www.greatonestocome.com/o/

0 spam
http://www.autoidaho.com/unsubscribe.asp

0 spam
http://www.herbalplus.us/out.html

0 spam
http://www.shoprxnow.biz/a.html

So the results are somewhat conclusive.  Spammers DO add addresses
submitted through their "opt out" links to their spam lists.  However,
they're somewhat patchy in how they do it.  Mabye I just didn't hit
any of the major list sellers?

-- 
Rev Simon Rumble <simon at rumble.net>
www.rumble.net

 "University politics are vicious precisely because the
  stakes are so small."
- Henry Kissinger

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