RunningWithBulls.com - The curse of Sanfermin

Normally I receive little spam in my mail, and when I do its normally to some garbage addresses I use for online forms, etc. The usual.

This afternoon I get an e-mail to an e-mail address that is used for 2 e-mail lists. Both Irish, and both Tech.

The e-mail is as follows [with headers]:

========
Return-path:
Envelope-to: SPAMMEDADDRESS
Delivery-date: Wed, 24 May 2006 13:24:41 +0100
Received: from host86-130-128-239.range86-130.btcentralplus.com ([86.130.128.239])
by da-server1.blacknight.ie with smtp (Exim 4.60)
(envelope-from )
id 1FisPk-0003Di-JC
for SPAMMEDADDRESS; Wed, 24 May 2006 13:24:37 +0100
Received: from yvgapu.ftamzs ([86.130.158.84]) by host86-130-128-239.range86-130.btcentralplus.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.6713); Wed, 24 May 2006 13:24:40 +0100
Message-ID: <000d01c67f2d$07cb2ee5$549e8256@yvgapu.ftamzs>
From: “Alex Moore, International Traders LLC”
To: SPAMMEDADDRESS
Subject: New vacant jobs in International financial business for you. USA and Euro citizens invited.
Date: Wed, 24 May 2006 13:15:45 +0100
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
format=flowed;
charset=”Windows-1252″;
reply-type=original
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2670
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2670
X-blacknight-daserver1-MailScanner-Information: Please contact the ISP for more informationX-MailScanner-From: gjvdjgscglts@coxviolins.com

My name is Alex Moore, and I’m manager in International Traders LLC. Our
company was established in LLC, but real activity we put into European
Market. You can find all our contact information at our website at
www.international-traders.us
We are happy to offer you new position in our company - Financial Manager
position.
We need honest and active Financial Managers very much at this time.
We offer wide range of financial services worldwide. Please, take a look at
our website at www.international-traders.us
We need representatives in USA, UK and Europe.
Being Financial Manager you will be processing our transactions, cash
checks, money orders, international wire transfers. We will be glad to
provide you with all information and financial aid you need to set up.
We have 2 ways of working - Personal, and Corporate. In person - you will be
receiving checks, transfers to you, casn and send money to us. In Corporate
- you will establish LLC, and will be operator, co-owner, and will be
processing transfers through LLC.
In any way, please, remember, we DO NOT REQUIRE your personal information.
We do not want access to your personal bank accounts, finances, etc. If you
will give us, for example, your bank account - we will require to emtpy it,
so you will not be risking by your money.
Also, before any actions, we will sign official legal agreement between us,
which will explain all responsibilities and risks.
Anyways, you do not need investments, paying any fees to us. We DO
EVERYTHING ourselves.
About payment - you get payment from every transfer you process. You get
paid immediately, when you have total amount available. Your fee is 5% from
incoming transfer. For example, if you receive $1,000, you get $50 when
money are available in your account. The rest you send to us AT OUR COST.
You pay nothing.
We need honest and trustable people, who has 2-3 free hours WEEKLY.

We have Live Operator Chat! system at our website. Just click on the button
in left upper corner. We are online 24/7.

If you are interested, have, or wish to have new activity, new business with
international customers, please, let me know and we can start. If you have
any questions - please, give me email at inttraders2006@ukr.net

You can find more information, contacts and application form at
www.international-traders.us

Hope to hear from you soon,
Alex Moore and International Traders LLC

P.S. It is not SPAM. It is legal advertising campaign, which is legally
working with users who agreed to receive paid advertisments. For more
information - please, refer to www.benchmarkemail.com

============

So, what the fuck is that?

Well, as with all semi-real looking spam, I look at any sites mentioned in it.

So, I look at coxviolins.com firstly. Some guy making violins. Not much to do with International Trading. So then I look at “International Traders LLC”. Looks semi-real. I decide to try their Live Chat interface, and have the following conversation with some poor sap on the other end:

Please wait for a site operator to respond.
Chat InformationYou are now chatting with ‘Michael’
Michael: Hello. How may I assist you?
you: Hello. can you tell me where you are based?
Michael: http://international-traders.us/contact.html
you: I want to know how this company got my e-mail address and who gave them authority to send me unsolicited e-mail.
Michael: your email was officially bought in the list in email advertising company
you: What list and from who?
you: I have not agreed to signup to *any* e-mail list.
Michael: well, I don’t know that. We legally bought email marketing campaign.
you: Who is “we”?
you: Who did you buy this “list” from?
you: Are they based in the EU?
Michael: USA. We=our company
you: Who is the company from which you bought the list?
Michael: please, read email you have received. the end
you: I have read it twice.
you: I want you to tell me the name of the company.
Michael: Sir, I cannot give you the name. It was typed for you in the message
you: Is the name of the company BenchMarkMail?
Michael: yes
you: What was the contents of the e-mail list?
you: country breakdown.
Michael: emails. we bought 1 million USA email campaign
you: I am not located in the US, therefore this list is not legal.
you: I want to know the name and telephone address of your contact in this company.
you: I am drafting a letter to the Irish Data Privacy Commissioner at the moment, and would like your co-operation.
Michael: what informatin do you need from us?
you: I want to know the contact name and telephone number of the contact in this company.
you: Benchmarkemail
Michael: phone: (800)-490-5369
Michael: email service@bmesrv.com
you: thank you Michael. And finally I would like you to remove me from *any* list you have.
you: And I would like that in writing by e-mail.
Michael: Sir, We are not sendint emails. We paid them, gave text and contact information
you: Have you seen the e-mail they have sent out?
Michael: preview - yes
you: The from address is false.
you: There is no reply to address.
you: It is sent from a dsl line in England.
Michael: Sir… I cannot answer this question, because I’m not the sender. Please, understand us. we ordered marketing. How did they do that - we don’t know
you: I understand that, but its harly a reputable company.
you: Can you give me an e-mail address for complaints?
you: I would like to e-mail this as a complaint to your company.
Michael: int.-traders@hotmail.com
you: who will read this account?
Michael: our chief manager
you: and your e-mail address is?
you: I would like to send the e-mail to both you and your manager, and I would like to address him/her by name.
Michael: Mr. Alex Moore
You: Fine. I am speaking with these people from benchmarkmail also. Can you notify them, you do *not* want e-mail sent to any e-mail address attached to XXXX, or XXXX.
Michael: ok. got your domains. will email them
you: I would like you to CC me on this e-mail.
you: XXXX
Michael: ok
you: Thank you Michael.
Michael: you too.
Michael: Thank you for chatting. Good-bye.

So, they are using some company called Benchmarkmail. I try the livechat facility on their site and get the following:

[Connected to E-mailUser at XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX]
[Connecting to Benchmarkemail.com … Please wait.]
Welcome to Benchmarkemail. Please wait while I find you an operator.
[Connected to Operator Derrick]
Derrick: Hi, my name is Derrick. How may I help you?
E-mailUser: I would like to know how you find e-mail addresses for your e-mail lists.
E-mailUser: Can you answer that?
Derrick: Kindly conatct us on 562-252-0615
Derrick: and our manager will help you
E-mailUser: No, I would like you to talk to me here now. I cannot afford to telephone the US. As I am not situated in the US.
Derrick: ok
E-mailUser: Where do you get the e-mail address for your lists?
E-mailUser: Can you answer this question please?
Derrick: from Buyzone

[The bumpfh on Buyzone.com says “Founded in 1992, BuyerZone has helped hundreds of thousands of buyers successfully purchase products and services for their businesses.”]

He then disconnects the session. I sent a message asking for my domain address to be removed from *any* lists they have bought from somewhere, where it is these people buy their @*$& lists from. This is to be done in 48 hours, or I fill a complaint with the DPC (what good it will do).

The interesting thing was “Michael” saying they bought a list of American addresses. Which is bollocks. So it would look like Benchmarkmail are telling fibs. he didn’t seem to care that BenchMarkmail sent all this mail from a forged address, which is nothing to do with Internation Traders LLC.

Are they spammers? Does anyone else know about them?

Benchmarkmail have not yet replied, but I think something is smelly with them.

So, up the chain we go. These trader guys bought it from Benchmarkmail, who bought it from some peddler on Buyzone, who no doubt did something else..

No doubt it all leads back to some seedy peddler somewhere.

The reason I say this is looking at the from address..”gjvdjgscglts@coxviolins.com” most obviously a forged address. I wonder if Mr Cox knows about this?

An interesting one…lets see what happens.

Anyone got any ideas? Justin? (Not the same, but still SPAM.)

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