Types of Spam Threats The recent onset of fraudulent spam variants such as phishing and spoofing pose an even greater risk than spam volume clogging email servers. Spammers use techniques such as phishing and spoofing to fool users into opening messages that, at first glance, appear innocuous.

Phishing Phishing is a specific type of spam message that solicits personal information from recipient. Phishers use social engineering techniques to fool end users into believing that message originated from a trusted sender, making these attacks especially dangerous because they often con victims into divulging social security numbers, bank account information or credit card numbers. In one six-month period from November 2003 to May 2004, phishing attacks increased in frequency by 4000%, and trend continues upward.

An example of phishing is an email that appears to come from a bank requesting that users log into their account to update or correct personal information. When users follow a link embedded in email, they are redirected to a site that looks and behaves like expected bank website. However, unbeknownst to soon-to-be identity theft victims, site is actually controlled by scam artists who sent email; any and all information entered by victim can now be used in a variety of ways, none of them good.

Spoofing Spoofing is a deceptive form of spam that hides domain of spammer or spam’s origination point. Spammers often hijack domains of well-known businesses or government entities to make spam filters think communication is coming from a legitimate source.

Today’s spammers are more crafty than ever before and have begun blending elements of both phishing and spoofing into their messages, further spinning their web of deception. The toxic combination of spoofing and phishing presents a major threat that can trick most anyone into providing personal information to a stranger.

At time of its bankruptcy filing, OptInRealBig.com claimed assets of less than $10 million and liabilities of over $50 million. Richter claimed his company made $15 million a year sending more than 15 million email messages per day. However, in 2003, OptInRealBig was dealt a powerful 1-2 punch from Microsoft and Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General of New York; both sued Richter under local state anti spam laws. Although New York case was settled out of court last year, Richter has had no such luck dealing with Microsoft, whose claims top $19 million.

A Case of Global Amnesia? Richter's company and others like it market products ranging from diet pills to pornography. He’s also been accused of using spam to extract personal information from unsuspecting recipients. For instance, one alleged scheme hatched by Richter and his associates promised recipients a copy of a "Girls Gone Wild" DVD if recipient registered on a website. The registration information was then used to bombard recipient with more and more spam.

Richter contends that his methods are all legal, and that he’s just a regular guy trying to do right by world; he’s even gone so far as to claim that he’s a “victim” of overzealous anti spam companies and prosecutors. “We don't spam,” explained Richter in an August 2004 PC World interview. “The biggest problem is when people get an email that they think they didn't sign up for or don't remember signing up for, and they call it spam.”