ATST Spam

I got this from a friend, ATST, at WebHostingTalk.

----------------------- Here is an email I got in ALL my email boxes.
The idiot didn't even know not to send mass emails in html incase the recipient doesn't have it enabled! Oh and I especially like all the '=20' line breaks!

quote: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 17:35:33 EST
From: RichmondDesigns@aol.com
To: xxx@micron.net, xxx@xxx.com,
Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?How=20to=20Promote=20Your=20Website=20=A0FREE?=
--part1_82.71f7554.27c44b35_boundary
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
--------------------- How to Promote Your Website =A0FREE =A0---------------=
--
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0
Did you know that the best way to increase traffic to your website is by=20
exchanging links? =A0Yup! =A0Here is how to get the best advertising FREE!
Step 1: Setup a link page on your site, if you don't already have one.
Step 2: Write up a form e-mail asking to exchange links with other sites.
Step 3: Go Surfing, Find other site that your customers would also go to.=20=
=A0If=20
you sell horse tack, find site that lists horses for sale (you get the idea)=
..
Step 4: E-mail your letter to all the site you visit.
Step 5: Regardless if they reply or not, list their site under your link=20
page, it will only provide more content for your visitors. =A0(Of course in=20
your e-mail, ask if they mind if you list them. =A099.9% of people don't min=
d=20
FREE Advertising).
Notes: By working with people we can all get more done, same it true for=20
advertising our websites. =A0This is a win-win situation for everyone and al=
l=20
it takes is a few minutes to do. =A0I guarantee that you will find this to b=
e=20
the best marketing technique on the web!
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Websites need to be promoted and advertised just like any=20=
other=20
business. =A0The best way to do that is to get listed on search engines and=20
search directories. =A0Even if you are already on the search engines, your=20
listing will fall towards the bottom as other site list after you. =A0That's=
=20
where we can help!
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0RichmondDesigns.com has established an automated listing s=
ervice that=20
will take care of all your website promotion needs. =A0We also provide targe=
t=20
marketing to help list your site on the link pages of businesses similar to=20
yours. =A0If you would like more information on Target Marketing, just reply=
to=20
this e-mail and ask for more info.
Submit your site to over 350,000 Search Engines & Directories.
Click link for more details.
<A HREF=3D"http://www.*********.com/submit.htm">http://www.*****=
***.com/submit.htm</A6>
For more information on us visit our website at:
<A HREF=3D"http://www.*********.com/">http://www.*********.com</=
A>
--part1_82.71f7554.27c44b35_boundary
Content-Type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<HTML>
 
 --------------------- How to Promote Your Website =A0FREE =A0-----------=
------
 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0
 Did you know that the best way to increase traffic to your website is by=
=20
 exchanging links? =A0Yup! =A0Here is how to get the best advertising FRE=
E!
 
 Step 1: Setup a link page on your site, if you don't already have one.
 
 Step 2: Write up a form e-mail asking to exchange links with other sites=
..
 
 Step 3: Go Surfing, Find other site that your customers would also go to=
.. =A0If=20
 you sell horse tack, find site that lists horses for sale (you get the i=
dea).
 
 Step 4: E-mail your letter to all the site you visit.
 
 Step 5: Regardless if they reply or not, list their site under your link=
=20
 page, it will only provide more content for your visitors. =A0(Of course=
in=20
 your e-mail, ask if they mind if you list them. =A099.9% of people don't=
mind=20
 FREE Advertising).
 
 Notes: By working with people we can all get more done, same it true for=
=20
 advertising our websites. =A0This is a win-win situation for everyone an=
d all=20
 it takes is a few minutes to do. =A0I guarantee that you will find this=20=
to be=20
 the best marketing technique on the web!
 
 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Websites need to be promoted and advertised just like=20=
any other=20
 business. =A0The best way to do that is to get listed on search engines=20=
and=20
 search directories. =A0Even if you are already on the search engines, yo=
ur=20
 listing will fall towards the bottom as other site list after you. =A0Th=
at's=20
 where we can help!
 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0RichmondDesigns.com has established an automated listi=
ng service that=20
 will take care of all your website promotion needs. =A0We also provide t=
arget=20
 marketing to help list your site on the link pages of businesses similar=
to=20
 yours. =A0If you would like more information on Target Marketing, just r=
eply to=20
 this e-mail and ask for more info.
 
 Submit your site to over 350,000 Search Engines & Directories.
 Click link for more details.
 <A HREF=3D"http://www.*********.com/submit.htm">http://www.******=
***.com/submit.htm</A>
 
 
 For more information on us visit our website at:
 <A HREF=3D"http://www.*********.com/">http://www.*********.c=
om</A></HTML>
--part1_82.71f7554.27c44b35_boundary--

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course I wouldn't be ATST if I didn't give him a piece of my mind so....

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear RichmondDesigns@aol.com
First of all, the reason I have a contact page is so that people who need to, can contact me. On that page are several email adresses which I use to define what type of issues the person may wish to discuss.
IT IS NOT THERE FOR IDIOTS USING AOL (not a REAL ISP by the way) TO EMAIL EACH ONE TELLING ME TO SET UP A LINKS PAGE TO GET FREE ADVERTISING OR WHATEVER.
I already have a links page, Thank you very much, and I hand pick the links on it. That way, I protect my visitors from "cookie dumping, get rich quick, by stuffing your pages with ads" type of people which YOU remind me of.
Had you politely sent me ONE email to ONE address, I may have read it, if I had time. I may even have been impressed with it, or whatever you are offering, but I doubt it now.
I see you have also spammed among others, a Large Mustang Site. Like we need YOUR advice? How about some tips for you?
Maybe you should have gotten with your AOL account, a book called "Internet for Dummies", (probably available on http://www.amazon.com) which would have told you not to SPAM people.
Get it, read it, and then THINK before you hit that SEND button.
Thank you and have a nice day, ATST

So hey people, wanna vent? Feel free to email him at RichmondDesigns@aol.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He wrote back (like a glutton for punishmen)

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK here is his response:
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 13:18:25 EST
From: RichmondDesigns@aol.com
To: xxx@xxx.com
Subject: Re: email

--part1_29.10c8dc50.27c56071_boundary
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Thank you for the advice.
I am sorry for any inconvenience we have caused you. However, before you
judge people and their intentions, I think you should reconsider the hostile
attitude you seem to have when someone tries to help you out. Not everyone
in this world is the bad guy. We are just trying to help people out. Is
that so bad?

--part1_29.10c8dc50.27c56071_boundary
Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

<HTML>Thank you for the advice.
 I am sorry for any inconvenience we have caused you. However, before you
 judge people and their intentions, I think you should reconsider the hostile
 attitude you seem to have when someone tries to help you out. Not everyone
 in this world is the bad guy. We are just trying to help people out. Is
 that so bad?</HTML>

--part1_29.10c8dc50.27c56071_boundary--

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

and I spared him this time, but posted this.

No, I won't email him back, but that leaves me with these questions:
1. I am unreasonable in wanting my emails to be legitimate?
2. Is this type of email legitimate?
3. Shouldn't he should just advertise via banners and grunt work such as the search engines that he is offering to 'help' others with?
4. Do I have a hostile attitude?
5. Do you like spam?

I think if you spam me, that I have the right to publish YOUR email all over the place.
I did that to another such Co. that got a bunch of our email addresses off a mailing list, telling him that he should pay the webmaster to advertise on his Site instead of trying to weasle and reap the rewards of the Webmasters hard work building the Site and the list. I even posted my letter with permission to all who didn't want to write their own, to copy it and email it to the offender.
After about 1,000 emails, they begged the webmaster of that site to ask us to stop emailing him!
Ha, Ha!

-Hey, I just noticed something, he cleaned up those =20 line breaks. I guess he can learn something

Then there was this one time . . .

I got 177 spam emails in ten days. All from HotDeals@pm0.net, savebig@pm0.net, and yesitsfree@pm0.net
Yikes I couldn't possibly have time BUY 177 pices of crap in ten days (much less read 177 emails) even if I was stupid enough to buy through email solicitation! My favorite ones are the ones with a form to fill in your credit card #, as if I am going to send some cheesey ***** who doesn't even know how to properly use the internet my credit card #!
Who keeps buying enough junk to make it worth these idiots time to email us anyway? If it's you, CUT IT OUT!

I sent an email to the bulk mailing system responsable for mailing this crap out and got an automated response saying the spam would stop in 24 hours. Of course it dosen't matter that they probably already sold my addy to tons of other losers that can't find a reputable method of pushing their junk.
I continued to get email from them, so I set that address to foward all emails to the admin @ the highest level domain in the chain I could trace it to.

I figure their autoresponder will keep responding to every email I would have gotten as it gets forwarded to them, plus all the autoresponses I would have gotten as they get forwarded too!
After two weeks I figured they had enough, and removed the forward. No more spam! Try it, it works.

Of course you will have to tell people not to email you at that addy for awhile.

ATST