Covid19 spam impact

ossiblue · 04-17-2020, 07:32 AM

Question for the brain trust.

One positive from this pandemic is the rapid and extreme drop in robo calls from solicitors and spammers. However, I have noticed something else happening and wonder if others have as well.

Ever single day, almost without fail, I receive one or more emails stating that my "request to be dropped from our adult mailing list" needs to be confirmed by, of course, clicking on the provided link (no, I've never been on any "adult" mailing list.) Today, I got one with a new twist. If I wanted to stop receiving their emails, I only had to hit the "reply" button.

Naturally, all of these are designed to confirm my email address is valid, and my suspicion is that because telemarketing has been hit by the pandemic, there has been a shift to email spamming. The first appearance of these emails seems to coincide with the outbreak.

Just curious if others have been getting a large influx of these spam emails as well.

Sooner or later · 04-17-2020, 07:34 AM

I haven't had any.

KFC911 · 04-17-2020, 07:35 AM

My spam calls had virtually disappeared....now I'm getting 1-2 per day (flagged as spam)....one even left a voicemail....my Senator

.

stevej37 · 04-17-2020, 07:39 AM

Every day, I get at least one..sometimes two, about my expiring vehicle warranty.
When I've been able to catch it before it goes to voice-mail, I try to talk to them about taking me off their calling list. Most of the time...they immediately hang up on me.

masraum · 04-17-2020, 07:44 AM

I've never seen these. Either they are getting caught by the SPAM filters up front so I don't see them or it's just that your email is on "a list".

masraum · 04-17-2020, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevej37

Every day, I get at least one..sometimes two, about my expiring vehicle warranty.
When I've been able to catch it before it goes to voice-mail, I try to talk to them about taking me off their calling list. Most of the time...they immediately hang up on me.

I go through periods where I receive those calls. I mostly don't answer, but every once in a while I do. If I do, once I realize, I put my phone on mute and wait for them to hang up (few secs at most).

I'm still waiting for the technology like you see in the occasional action movies where I can hit a button and fry the system at the far end of the line.

ossiblue · 04-17-2020, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by masraum

I've never seen these. Either they are getting caught by the SPAM filters up front so I don't see them or it's just that your email is on "a list".

To the other responses, just to be clear, I'm not referring to calls, just email.

And yes, I am certain my email address has been hacked and sold and I'm dealing with the fall out. I guess it's because I've had the same email address for over 30 years. Fortunately, they go directly to the spam folder where they are simply deleted.

KFC911 · 04-17-2020, 08:09 AM

Despite all it's faults (I've been using gmail since it was in beta and ya needed an "invite")...their spam filter is excellent and I never see 'em

.

sammyg2 · 08:15 AM

I have no idea if I'm getting and spam e-mails, they get kilt before I see them on all three e-mail accounts I have (personal, work-related, and a g-mail to give to give to people I don't want to talk to

).

I'm down to about one phone call a day, around noonish.
Easy to spot, it used the same first three numbers as my phone number.
Occasionally I'll get second around between 5 and 6 pm from some far off area code where I know no one would be calling me.

Either they're getting dumber or lazier.

EDIT: I take that back, within the last month I got a rash of e-mails on my work-related account from more-ons offering to buy surplus centrifuges, compressors, etc.
Three different addresses IIRC, I blocked them all and that's pretty much gone away.

ossiblue · 04-17-2020, 09:13 AM

I guess I should clarify this a bit more. The spam emails are always in the spam folder, not my inbox. I check the spam folder only because sometime there is a legit email, say from an on-line retailer, that gets directed there. It's not really a bother because I wouldn't see them unless I opened the spam folder. Just curious if this was happening to others as a consequence of fewer robocalls.

KFC911 · 04-17-2020, 09:27 AM

LOL....I just checked....between the "sexual benefits" and all the cute Russian girlz....

See y'all later....I've got a LOT of emails to reply to!

More than usual? I have NO clue

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

The first week or so of the lock down we did not get any bogus telemarketing calls. Last week the car warranty calls started. On my land line (wife insists we keep it) we were getting several per day.

Not one of them will extend the warranty on my 1986 El Camino or 1985 911.

Mike80911 · Mike80911's Garage

I have been getting them just as much as before I usually don't answer but lately I have to because I am waiting for calls from other than usual people. When I answer and get a live person I ask do you own a tv? when they say yes I say well turn it on and see what the F is going on in the world. They usually just hang up

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

My spam storage area is full!

ossiblue · 04-17-2020, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

My spam storage area is full!

Finally, we get to see what the inside of a spam folder actually looks like!

pmax · pmax's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by ossiblue

Question for the brain trust.

One positive from this pandemic is the rapid and extreme drop in robo calls from solicitors and spammers.

Yup.
This also tells me that these are not small time WFH outfits.

Overseas call centers where these scammers operate from are closed.

KFC911 · 04-17-2020, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmax

Yup.
This also tells me that these are not small time WFH outfits.

Overseas call centers where these scammers operate from are closed.

That never occurred to me. A few months ago I was getting lots of calls (local area codes...lots from a small town nearby), but I never answered. One voicemail, a Chinese voice mebbe, mispronounced my name, asking me how I was doing, like I was her long lost friend, so I finally put that number in as robocall and autosent to voicemail. I recieved just one more call...then they ALL stopped. I THOUGHT mebbe I had finally made the scammer's "do not call" list

....YAY! They started back a couple of weeks ago

....

Crap....

john70t · 04-17-2020, 11:44 AM

The good part of this is that the majority was stopped at some sever level....

(but filters are not without fault)

stevej37 · 04-17-2020, 11:46 AM

[QUOTE=KC911;10828506]That never occurred to me. A few months ago I was getting lots of calls (local area codes...lots from a small town nearby

Same here..one day I used my caller ID when I should not have. The number belonged to a lady that said she had no idea what I meant. I was thoroughly embarrassed.

I don't know how the spam callers link their number to others...but they do.

ossiblue · 04-17-2020, 11:56 AM

[QUOTE=stevej37;10828521]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC911

That never occurred to me. A few months ago I was getting lots of calls (local area codes...lots from a small town nearby

Same here..one day I used my caller ID when I should not have. The number belonged to a lady that said she had no idea what I meant. I was thoroughly embarrassed.

I don't know how the spam callers link their number to others...but they do.

It's called "spoofing" and it's relatively easy. In fact, there are businesses that offer to do it for you. Basically, the caller ID from a caller's phone is transmitted to the caller ID at the receiving end between the first and second ring. During that period, it is possible to change the number of the actual caller to anyone they choose and it will show up as the fake number on the receiver's caller ID.