Sunday, August 08, 2010

How Dumb Do You Have to be to Respond to Spam?

Really, really dumb, apparently.

I just received the following spam (n.b. the 'confidentiality notice which disallows me from posting it here!!)


Dear Neil,

As you know, you have been considered for inclusion in the upcoming 2010 Edition of Strathmore's Who's Who for Executives and Professionals, which is scheduled for publication in late 2010. Despite our efforts to contact you, we have still not received your contact information .

To reply with your contact information, please visit here.


Strathmore's Who's Who, publisher of over 350,000 biographies, continues to uphold its reputation as the world's foremost source for biographical reference, with an unmatched dedication to accurate biographical reporting.

The publication's editors are now assembling the biographical profiles of today's leaders from a wide range of professional fields into one comprehensive collection. Thousands of researchers at medical, academic, public and corporate libraries, as well as journalists and media professionals, rely upon Strathmore's Who's Who as a daily reference tool for obtaining information about the world's most experienced men and women. Inclusion in our directory is considered by many as a important mark of achievement.

You have already been selected based on your current professional standing. The information you provide will be evaluated according to the selection criteria Strathmore's Who's Who has developed over many years as the world's premier biographical publisher. If your data passes our initial screening, we will prepare your biography.

Please remember: Inclusion of your biography in Strathmore's Who's Who carries neither cost nor commitment on your behalf. Our goal with each new edition is to prepare a biographies spanning the spectrum of noteworthy and accomplished men and women across all areas of the professional world.

To be considered for inclusion in this prestigious registry, you need only provide the requested information by completing our online biographical data form.

To verify your profile and accept the candidacy, please visit here.

I congratulate you on the achievements that have brought your name to the attention of our editorial committee. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
J.M. Blakely
Vice President, Research Division

Strathmore's Who's Who
26 Bond Street
Westbury, NY 11590, USA

Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail communication and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information for the use of the designated recipients named above. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this communication in error and that any review, disclosure, dissemination, distribution or copying of it or its contents is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please delete the communication and unsubscribe from the mailing using the options available in this email.
Clicking through to their landing page at http://www.eliteprofessionalregistry.com/ I get to enter all of my personal information. Now, I have to ask myself, if I have "already been selected based on your current professional standing" don't they already know my name, industry, and personal specialty, which happens to be spamfighting?


Could this be a mere pitch to sell me their crappy directory? You bet.