Spam, Spam, Baked Beans and Spam

Is your spam getting chummier? I mean those unsolicited ads that turn up like cyber-cockroaches in your e-mailbox. Mine used to have subject lines like, "Get rich quick" and "Hot babes waiting for you." Those weren't quite as annoying because you could delete them without even opening them. So now the Spammers are doing their best to trick you into thinking they're sending you a normal e-mail exchange. They enter a subject line that says, "Here's the info you requested" or "As we were discussing" or "You're right about that."

Another fairly recent trick is the intentionally misdirected message — the one that looks like you accidentally got someone else's e-mail. You get a message intended for "Steve" that says, "Here's the password to that great secret X-rated website I told you about. Use it but don't let anyone else know." Someone has been recently been sending me a bevy of stock tips that were intended for "George" and which say they're based on top-secret insider info. It's like I'm getting spammed by Martha Stewart.

Spammers are annoying but sometimes they're creative. I just got one with the subject line, "Are you hard at work?" I guessed what it was but couldn't resist actually opening the e-mail to check. Sure enough: An ad for Viagra.