Have you gotten the email about cheap Viagra? How about the one where you can help the deposed king get to his money - as long as you give him your bank account information first? Spam can come in all shapes and sizes, but there are a few common themes that run through many of the most popular emails:
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- Health Issues: These emails usually deal with herbal remedies or cheap prescription drugs. They can also relate to weight loss schemes, baldness cures and miracle creams for your wrinkles.
- Adult Goods and Services: These spam emails run the gamut from the aforementioned Viagra or other male enhancement drugs to porn sites or actual pornographic images embedded in the email itself. These emails often contain a totally unrelated subject in the subject line so that you are unaware of the content when you open it.
- Technology: Often, these contain amazing deals on computer software or hardware as well as products for webmasters and domain name hosting.
- Banking: Spam disguised as legitimate email from your local bank can be particularly dangerous. Many times, they will send you an email asking that you click on a link to verify your personal financial information. These can also come in the form of emails regarding low-cost loans and mortgages, insurance, debt relief and credit card offers.
- Anti-spam Software: In an ironic twist, many spammers have taken advantage of the anti-spam sentiment to send emails advertising fraudulent anti-spam solutions. The links in these emails often lead to viruses or sites that can download something on your computer that will generate even more spam.
- ‘419′ Spam: These are also called Nigerian scams, because many of the first of these types of emails were said to be from Nigerian princes, although today they are generated all over the world. These scams ask for your help in recovering money, often in a different country. Of course, once you have given them your information, your accounts are emptied before you realize that you’ve been had.
By Kat DeLong
Although these are some of the most common spam emails, it can really contain anything. As the seasons change, the spam contents often change from cheap summer getaways to holiday clearance items. Much of what the spammers sell are illegal in any state - prostitution, drugs sold without prescriptions or ‘grey market’ retail items. While spam can be annoying, responding to spam can be damaging. Knowing some of these popular spam topics may prevent you from opening something that looks too good to be true.
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