Piano World Home Page Forums Restricted and Archives The Coffee Room SPAM: Have you ever done anything but delete it?

While I'm reading the Pet Peeves thread, I am also looking at my e-mail for the first time in a couple of days. Over 200 messages. Almost all of them are spam. I have a dog-slow 56K dial-up line, so it takes quite a long time to go through and delete them.

Here's my question: Have you ever bought anything because you received spam (other than spam-blocking software)?

Have you ever even clicked on a link in a spam message?

Do you know anyone who has?

I have to think that someone must, or people pushing pills, porn and phony PhDs would have given up spamming long ago.

I know that Larry is investigating all of the " enhancement " spam, so that he can have an edge in his new restaurant franchise " Pe***rs".

KDK,

Every now and then, when I'm really bored, I will fill out one of the order forms that are at the web site the spammer sends me to. I always give my real address (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500) and my real phone number (202-456-1414) when I do so. I use various names, however. Some sites won't complete without a valid credit card, however, and I sadly leave them. For phish spams (trying to get account numbers and passwords to rip you off) I use the same address as above and an email @fbi.doj.gov. One thing I really hate is being called by an automatic phone dialler. Many years ago I called back at the 800 number they left and talked to a salesman. They were selling a "credit card" for $400 that lets you purchase from their catalog. The deal was so horribly bad that the salesman I was talking to had probably not sold many. It was late, I was tired, and when I said "OK, I'll take it" halfway through his spiel, he continued on. I had to say "OK" again and he finally got back on track. He asked for name, address, and telephone, and credit card numbers. He was obviously excited- A sale! He said he would call back in 10 minutes as soon as he processed the transaction. He never called. Or if he did, he called the number I gave him which wasn't even in the same area code with me. Up until the "don't call" list took effect I always enjoyed talking to unsolicited callers. My goal was always to get them so mad they yell at me and hang up. Sometimes that could take a while but I felt it my civic duty to waste just as much of their time as I could.

Uh, PJ, let me redefine dog-slow for you. I have a 28K dial up. Where I live is apparently so far away from some junction that my line is only capable of 28K even though the modem is obviously 56K. Been that way for years.

i have this super mail filter in hotmail
so i just receive mails from my contact list (and i don't need more)

it's superb, sometimes i don't receive a single mail in one week yikes!

I have two words for you, John:

Cable modem.

Today, I've received several spams fo ipods from a sender named 'apple' . Just coincidence I'm sure.

I always fill out those transparently fake "phishing" scams with numerous choice words that question the scammers virility and morals. Anytime I can muck up a miscreant's database it makes me feel like I'm part of the solution, not the problem!

I like that so much I may have to adopt it too.

I had a call one day from AT&T long distance. Now, I happen to (at the time) have AT&T as my long distance carrier.

The first thing out of the womans mouth after identifying herself as a representative of AT&T was, "Are you authorized to make decisions regarding long distance service at this location?"

I had not at this point identified who I was to her, so asked her, "What the heck kind of question was that? Why would you not ask to speak to the person who lives at this address and then ask if that person IS authorized to make a decision." I continued by saying, "I could be the babysitter, or a neighbor. But in reality lady, I'm just here robbing the place and you happened to call." There was dead silence.

After a few moments, which I could tell had really thrown this lady off in her script delivery, I then went on to tell the representative that this phone was in fact already connected to AT&T long distance, but in light of the obvious SLAMMING technique that AT&T was attempting to employ, I, as the authorized person for making a decision about the LD service for this phone number, would in fact, be changing my LD service to a company that does not resort to these kinds of tactics to get business. I then heard a "Click."

The next day, I did indeed change my LD service. To an AT&T competitor.

Improv's finest moment with a telemarketer. Usually he answers the phone and the caller asks to speak to him or the head of the house or whatever...and he says back to them in a very loud voice: NNOOOO!!! YOU CAN'T! and hangs up.

We rarely have problems with that now, since being added to the national do not call list.

I also try to frustrate and annoy telemarketers. My favorite line is, "if you had any real skills, maybe you could get a real job."

Sometime's I'm feeling more polite. It helps that I have a very unusual and hard to pronounce last name. So when someone calls and asks to speak to "Mr. Gumber... Mr. Goomberovsk... Mr. Moogerowsko... Ummmmmm... Gooberooskooowurst?"

I simply say "there's no one here with that name," which is true.

My name is easy to pronounce so when they ask to speak to Mr. Bryan I have to tell them, "I'm sorry but he died last week." When they say they're sorry to hear that I say, "That's okay, he was a lying a**hole anyway."

(I know I told this one before but what the heck)

Steve, I hate my former cable company and love DirectTV (however the heck you spell it. ). But their satellite service is expensive. DSL seems to have the same problem with where I live as the regular modem.

I have wondered if I could get cable modem without the cable TV even though I'm sure the cable modem would have the same *iss poor service the cable TV had.

I'm on the no-call list too, but used to get 3, sometimes 6 calls a night. If it was a guy, I'd sometimes try to steer the conversation around to where I could start hitting on him.
New windows?: "Can you come over in person in case *the measurements* change?"
Low interest?: "But my interest is MUCH higher than that ..."
Free vacation/condo investment?: "I've have access to a great little place in South Beach. Perhaps we could meet there first?"
If they picked up on the ruse and ended the call, fine. If they picked up and tried to steer the conversation back to business I feigned indignation, hurt and betrayal. "You never really listen, do you? Haven't you meant ANYTHING you've said?"


Maybe not very PC, and I only did it if I was really irritated already, but it was fun sometimes.
Other times, I'd squeeze a joke into the coversation, use a completely incorrect punch line and then try to explain what had gone wrong.

What happens when they respond positively to your advances.

The no-call list is the first good thing a department of the Federal Guvvermint has done in as far back as I can remember.

But they specifically excluded political calls. Every two days for the last three weeks, there has been a message on my answering machine asking me to press 1 if I would vote for whazzizname and whoever, press 2 if I would for for tweedledipstick and that other guy.

JBryan, then I feel real guilty.
Thats why I have quintuple-pane, argon filled windows all over my house and my dog's house.


Also the shower door.

Did you get a "discount"?