Spammers in the detail

The reasons for spamming can vary. Some spammers are motivated by financial gain, using high-volume spamming to generate revenue through advertising or phishing schemes. Others may be seeking to spread malware or engage in illegal activities. In some cases, spamming can also be used as a tactic by rival groups to prevent communication among members.

Spamming is done for various reasons, such as to try and sell products or services, to obtain personal or sensitive information from users, or to spread malicious software. Spammers typically use automated systems and tools to send large numbers of messages, which makes it difficult for users to block or filter these messages effectively.

The world has change from innocence to know it or else you are my meal. Average phone users get scorned here and there on the web and in real life. Victims of these spams continue to rise. Today we give you two heads up on spamming.

Some common types of spamming:

1. Email Spamming: This is by far the most common form of spamming. It involves sending unsolicited emails to a large number of people in an attempt to advertise or promote a product or service.
2. Social Media Spamming: This involves posting excessive links or promotional material on social media platforms in an attempt to advertise or gain traffic for a product or service.
3. Messenger Spamming: This involves sending unsolicited messages to people on messaging platforms in an attempt to advertise or promote a product or service.
4. Comment Spamming: This involves leaving unauthorized comments on blogs, forums or social media platforms in an attempt to promote a product or service.
5. Trackback Spamming: This involves sending unsolicited trackback links to blogs or websites in an attempt to gain backlinks or boost search engine rankings.
6. SMS Spamming: This involves sending unsolicited text messages on mobile phones in an attempt to advertise or promote a product or service.
7. Instant Messaging Spamming: This involves sending unsolicited messages through instant messaging applications in an attempt to advertise or promote a product or service.
8. Voice Spamming: This involves sending unsolicited voice messages on phone or internet calls in an attempt to advertise or promote a product or service.

Some tactics ever reported that lead to spam

Tactic one

A fellow bus passenger tell you; Hello could please call my number for me? I can seem to find it. Now the Good Samaritan places the call to the give number. The so call phone never rings but call goes through.

The individual whom asked for his phone number to be called now tells the caller; “You its okay. I probably left it at home. Thank you”.

A few hour later some stranger comes to you claiming possession of the phone you used to call putting the real owner in defense mode to the people present.

In a world where mobile phone thieves are not given a moment to express themselves, the real owner may get manhandled. In a world where they are allowed to, the real owner would have to strongly defend ownership to the device. Beware.

Tactic two

A spammer picks up a number at random, and sends a text acknowledging the successful transfer of a particular amount of money into the receiver’s mobile money wallet.

The spammer then calls the owner making claims of a wrong transaction that has been made to the receiver’s mobile money wallet. Most average mobile money users fall victim into sending the amount theses spammers call for so Beware.

What to do.

You can choose to ignore the sender, it is no fault of your if a wrong deposit has hit your account. Refer them to the mobile money provider or the mobile money wallet call center.

It is they that correct wrong transactions. If you wish to be a good person too, please check your account balance first and twice and be certain there is really an increment on your wallet you don’t recognize before transferring any money on your wallet.

Beware at all times

Hope you keep it in mind. Beware of the spammers, check back regularly for more tips and heads ups.

How to protect yourself

To protect against spamming, there are several steps you can take. One is to be cautious when sharing your email address or other personal information online. Avoid signing up for newsletters or other offers that seem too good to be true, and use privacy settings on social media sites to control who can see your information.

Another way to protect against spamming is to use anti-spam software, such as spam filters, which can help detect and block unwanted messages. These filters can be set up on email accounts or other messaging apps, and can be customized to block specific types of messages or from specific senders. Additionally, you can report spam messages to the relevant authorities or directly to the hosting service to try to stop the sender from continuing to spam.

It’s also important to be cautious when opening email or digital messages from unknown senders or messages that seem suspicious, as they may contain links or attachments that can install malware on your device or steal your personal information. You can also enable two-factor authentication or use strong passwords to further protect your online accounts from spamming and other cyber threats.

More Information ℹ

• The Spamhaus Project
• Gmail security tips
• Anti-Phishing Working Group

Last updated on March 29th, 2023