Lets face it. One of the facts of online life is SPAM. An email address will only last a few days before it receives SPAM. Even IM (Yahoo! Messenger, etc.) gets SPAMmed. But there's one type of SPAM that I hate most -- SMS SPAM.
I have, in the past, already blogged about SMS Spam from a large global bank and it even attracted the attention of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
Fast forward to today (May 12, 2007), I received yet another SMS SPAM and it goes like this:
From: 639178832466
Message: Greetings!
This is JEFF Simborios of AIM GLOBAL INC. You are cordially invited to our much awaited Business Symposium on Wednesday, June 13, 7pm at Unit 301, 3rd flr. AIC Burgundy Tower, ADB Ave. Cor. Garnet Road, Ortigas Center (back of Robinsons Galleria). Outline of event includes: Business & Livelihood Opportunities, Health, College Scholarship Assistance and a chancefor an all expense paid to USA. 3 Transferable scholarships will be given away to each lucky attendees! The company also is looking for result oriented persons who will work with us on a parttime or fulltime basis and be a part of our expansion program in Southeast Asia. Please text in your name/s to reserve seats for free. Thanks and God bless.
So, what makes the above message a SPAM? Firstly, it came from a cellphone number that I don't know, its not even in my phone's contact list. Secondly, it did not address me by name and it required me to text in my name (or names?) to reserve seats in their so-called obscure "Business Symposium" -- meaning this message was sent "blindly".
A quick "googling" brought me to a
forum page in (of all webpages) the gov.ph website! A quick scanning of that particular page has given me this piece of information:
hi, AIM GLOBAL Inc. is just a 2months old, it's marketing system is a hybrid of binary, unilevel, stairstep, and point system marketing, and this is the only company that were manage by true blood top networker, jun kintanar, dr. ed cabantog, john asperin, and francis miguel, they have the experience and skills to manage. plus da product is very competitive, naturesway from state, a billion dollar debt free company, txt me for details 09216767661
Hmmmm... the plot thickens! It turns out that AIM GLOGAL Inc. is some sort of a multi-level marketing (MLM) company. This means that the so-called "
Business Symposium" will be some sort of a seminar that will ultimately try to fleece money from its attendees so they can sell "
competitive, naturesway from state". How did I come to this conclusion? On the same forum page at the gov.ph website, a user named keans_16 says:
1. Membership is Php 7,000.00 and it is lifetime
2. The Php 7,000 already includes product packages
3. Product included in the product package is (i think fixed) I can send you all the product packages for this.
4. You have to purchase at least Php 1,000 every quarter to keep your account active.
5. I have a BOS CD copy and I can send it to you.
6. Email me for the product listing (this includes the SRP and IME price) keans_16@yahoo.com
So, the plot further thickens! The so-called "Business Symposium" is actually a seminar for a multi-level marketing (MLM).
So two of my most hated things in this world was sent to me today -- SMS SPAM *and* an MLM "invitation". What a "lucky" day. :(
