RSSOnly if you were greedy
May 18
One thing I hate about all of these unlimited SMS promo is that it has increased the amount of spam text messages that I receive in my mobile. It is not uncommon for me to receive at least one per week as the barrier for spamming has been greatly reduced.
Here is the most recent 319ish spam message that I got split into logical sentences to ease the English and human-speak translation.
E2 bago # ko. / Here is my new number.
musta na kau? / How are you?
ok lang naman ako dito. / I am alright here.
may ipapadala ako sa inyo mga gmit! / I have some stuff to send you!
mer0n ka d0n.. / You have a reserved item there..
pakiloadn mo nga muna ng 300.. / Can you please load 300 (credits) to this number…
imp0rtante lang. thanx. / It’s just important. Thanks,.
The Filipino language is very intimate and respectful so the things that might not be readily discernible that the sender was always using the plural form of you to denote that (s)he is talking about the recipient’s family.
My alarm bells got tripped mainly by the fact that I don’t know the sender’s number and there is no mention of any name that will tell me that I really know the person who sent the message. It just banked on two things: getting on the Filipino’s family-oriented nature to get credibility and respect, and the human nature’s penchant for greed.
As with all spam operations, the rate of “biters” is very little so if every text message sent is equal to one peso then the ROI for SMS spamming is a very steep curve. The telco promotions cured that financial barrier as one night of unlimited SMS sending capabilities can cost as little as Php25. A crafty spammer only needs to hook up a phone to a computer and begin blasting these messages in the hope of catching one or two gullible greedy souls.
For those who did bite, I can’t say I empathize with you as you only have your greed to blame.
ciao!