"What is the rate of return on SPAM?" Topic

I just blocked and banned a SPAM on my PirateWargames Yahoo group.
It was the usual crap, "Hot Actress Pics and Screen Savers!"
After I defenestrated the miscreant, I got to wondering. Does this actually pay off? What is the rate of return? How many do they send out before they get a nibble? Are people dumb enough these days to respond?

I think it's one in millions, but the "best" spammers run up the necessary millions, bless their little cotton socks….

It never has form me, nor will it. If I could send a destructo-virus back at the bastids i would!

Good question, John. I have my doubts about the use too, but somebody must have made money sometime, or they wouldn't all be trying to copy him/her/it.

Sometimes just the idea that there MIGHT be money to made from something is enough encouragement to get a lot of people doing it. The internet is a gold rush for legit and illegit business folks… a lot of them just throwing lots of poo and seeing what sticks.
How much effort is it to be a spammer anyway?

Some of the spammers they have gone after in the courts have millions. So there is clearly money to be made somewhere in the chain.

Probably you send spams, receive money from a very small percentage, ship nothing (or have a virtual product), pocket the money.

How can anyone complain to a spam email – and the "product" is usually somewhat dodgy so the person isn't likely to want to make it public anyway.

Telemarketers are typically looking for about a 1% return, Mailers in the vicinity of 1/10th of 1%, I suspect SPAM is substantially lower although it does continue to pay.

Spammers are a pure numbers game and I seem to recall that the statistics on email volume are such that 80-90% of all email traffic may be spam.

If it werent for spam clogging the pipeline, We'd all still be surfing on dialup.

Yeah. I am amazed that ANYONE replies to ANY spam. Our firm seems to have been targeted lately. From a couple of pieces a week, I now get 20 – 30 pieces a day. Fortunately it is quarantined and I can mass delete. And IT tells me the filter stops 99.5% of the stuff before it even gets to quarantine.

The weird part is the majority of my spam is addressed FROM me. (my first name).(my last name)@(my firm).com

Everyone else is getting it too, from their own names. If they got one step smarter and swapped the user names at the same domain name, some might start getting through.

If it werent for spam clogging the pipeline, We'd all still be surfing on dialup.

Oh, I thought the pipes were being clogged by all the senior citizens forwarding 600mb worth of kitten photos.
Whenever I look at my dad's e'mail it's chock full of forwarded messages with ENORMOUS attachments… it's like they have no concept of just sending a link to the original site.

Yeah. I am amazed that ANYONE replies to ANY spam.

My dad has now been on the internet for years… but he will still call me regarding 'fabulous offers' he gets in his e'mail… 'just in case'.

I'm still waiting for my hot, yong RUssiuan bride!

I keep sending payments to get her through customs.

I KNOW she will get here soon…