This may be obvious, but most if not all spam, scams, phishing, social engineering, chain letters, urban legends, and cons exploit the same basic weaknesses in human nature. The so-called 7 deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.
Here’s some specific examples of each.
Lust
Take a look in any spam folder of any e-mail account and you will find that 90% of all spam is lust-related. Everything from penis enlargement offers to hot, sexy girls trying to hook for a good time all speak to the most basic need of all mankind -- the need to reproduce. Lust-based spams hope to appeal to our basic libido long enough to forget our senses and give them what they are after whether that’s money or our bank account information.
Subject: If you have a huge stick, women will never tell you to get out of bed.
Do you want to know the secret of picking up women? It’s as simple as having a big instrument hanging between your legs. So if you are ready for great popularity, enhance your size today. Visit this site.
Even when they aren’t trying to specifically give a sex-related message will often used sexual enticements to get your attention.
Hello,
My name is Maria. I am looking for a new friend.
Write me at : fake@email.comHope to hear you soon.. Maria.
Gluttony
Gluttony is the over-consumption of anything, but most often thought of as related to food. How would you like to be able to eat anything you want and not gain weight? Eat all you want with no consequences!
AS SEEN ON TV and NOW Directly into you mail box and with the Tremendous Savings yet!
Yes, YOU too can loose weight! A new consept in loosing weight for both men and the women. This new produt actually Eats the Fats from the foods you get too eat every day.
By eatting those fats, makes less amounts of calories you get from those fats by Preventing those excess fats from getting into you body! attracts fat like crazy! It lures fat out of hiding and into the open areas of you system. Then, once the fat gets close enough WHAM! captures it, eats it, then passes out of you’re butt when you go too the bathroom.
ABSORBS FAT BY EATING IT!
Not only is a significant aid too weight loss, it also does other stuff like helps lower you cholesterol and troglyceride intake. Usually working when your not -- so its naturally and safely. In fact, it often works while you sleeping -- so you don’t feel it so much.
See at some of benefits!
1. HAS NO STIMULANTS OF ANY KIND! -- Do Not Use stimulants while using. We cannot be held liable for stimulant intake while using.
2. Helps you lose weight while eatting naturally. -- You Must Eat Naturally too work. We cannot be held liable for side effecs caused by unnatural eatting when using.
3. BLOCKS DIETARY FAT BEFORE IT REACHES YOU STOMACH! ATTACKS FAT WHILE IT IS IN YOU THROAT! THE BATTLE TAKES PLACE THEIR!
4. ABSORBS UP TO 10 TIMES ITS WEIGHT IN DIETARY FAT! -- You Must Make Sure that you are eatting enough dietery fat to work. We cannot be held responsible for anything else chooses to eat when it is not given enough dietery fat intake.
5. EATS FAT -- MAKING IT NUTRITIONALLY UNAVAILABLE!
6. ALL NATURAL! -- It is only found in the wood of reelly old rain forest trees and ponds.
A natural bacteria that, like a stalker, is attracted to fat, especially harmful saturated fat. Loosing fat and cholesterol is what you want to do if you want to be youthy and beautiful. It is also eccential for having more health.
You buy at low amazing low price of $25.95. That’s $20.00 off the everyday price! Be the First 10,000 People to order, and YOU may recieve the additional bottle for FREE!! Do you or love one the big favor and order NOW!!! To order call 24 hours a day!
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Greed
There’s almost too many examples to list in this category. The first that comes to mind is the 419 or Nigerian scam in which the originator of the e-mail promises you that he has several million dollars tied up in some way and he needs your help to get it out of the country. If you will simply fund him with a small amount for the proper bribes, taxes, and other expenses then he will give you a large portion of the money.
The hope is that the greed of getting a few million dollars will allow them to scam you out of small amounts of money over a long amount of time by stringing you along. They are full of excuses of why they need yet more money to continue the process and will continue as long as you give them money.
Subject: CAN YOU BE TRUSTED?
Owen Clarke
Tel: 234-805-590-0580,234-803-570-1989
Secured Email: owencclarke@mjonesfamily.org
Attention,
Dear PartnerPRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
My name is Owen Clarke, I am the credit manager in a bank here in the West Africa. I am contacting you of a business transfer, of a huge sum of money from a deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that everything has been well taken care off, and all will be well at the end of the day. I decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction.To ease your apprehension, I got your contact from the British chambers of commerce and industry, foreign trade division. PROPOSITION; I am the account officer of a foreigner named Gerald Welsh who died in an air crash along with his wife on the 31st October 1999 in an Egyptian airline 990 with other passengers on board. You can confirm this from the website below which was published by CNN.WEBSITE. http://www.cnn.com/US/9911/02/egyptair990.list/index.htmlSince his death, none of his next-of-kin are alive to make claims for this money as his heir, because they all died in the same accident(May his soul rest in peace). We cannot release the fund from his account unless someone applies for claim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines. Upon this discovery, I now seek your permission to have you stand as a next of kin to the deceased, as all documentations will be carefully worked out by a lawyer for the funds Twenty- Eight million, Five Hundred Thousand United States dollars (US$28,500,000.00) in a domiciliary account to be released in your favour as the beneficiary’s next of kin. Because after four years the money will be called back to the bank treasury as unclaimed bills and the money shared amongst the directors of the bank. so it is on this note i decided to seek for whom his name shall be used as the next of kin/beneficiary to this funds rather than allow the bank directors to share this money amongst themselves at the end of the year. It may interest you to know that we have secured from the probate an order of mandamus to locate any of the deceased beneficiaries.
Please acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of our mutual business endeavor by furnishing me with the following information if you are interested.
1.A Beneficiary name. In order for me to prepare the PAPER WORK for transfer of the funds in your name.
2.Details particulars of your contact address.
3. Direct Telephone and fax numbers; For our personal contact.I shall be compensating you with 25% of the total sum on final conclusion of this project for your assistance, as I have also thought of doling out 5% to charity organisation from your locality based on your recommendation another 5% for the services of the lawyer while the balance 65% shall be for me for investment purposes in your country as I cannot bring back this cash to my country. If this proposal is acceptable by you, please endeavor to contact me immediately.
Do not take undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed in you by informing you of this transaction from my bank as I will advise you to kindly desist from responding at all if you do NOT intend to render any assistance. Endeavour to respond via my secured email address: owencclarke@mjonesfamily.org
Thanks and best regards, OWEN CLARKE
Sloth
Sloth is being idle or lazy. For example, why both going through all of the effort to get a college degree when you can simply pay the right fee and have it delivered to you?
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Wrath
Wrath is simply the emotion of anger and is primarily the domain of the urban legend and e-mail chain letters. Many of these tell outrageous things about subjects, people, or events that are designed to get people angry or indignant. Angry people are more likely to forward them to their friends.
Pat Robertson said that Hurricane Katrina was caused by God’s anger over the selection of lesbian comedienne Ellen Degeneres to host the upcoming Emmy Awards!
Gun owners beware!
Back Door Bill (SB-2099)
Senate Bill SB-2099 will require us to put on our 2000 1040 federal tax Form all guns that you have or own. It may require fingerprints and a tax of $50 per gun. This bill was introduced on Feb. 24. This bill will become public knowledge 30 days after it is voted into law. This is an amendment to the Internal Revenue Act of 1986. This means that the Finance Committee can pass this without the Senate voting on it at all.
The full text of the proposed amendment is on the U.S. Senate homepage: http://www.senate.gov/. You can find the bill by doing a search by the bill number. (SB-2099) You know who to call; I strongly suggest you do. Please send a copy of this e-mail to every gun owner you know to help STOP this bill!!
First Lady Requires More Than Twenty Attendants
July 7, 2009 -- Dr. Paul L. Williams
“In my own life, in my own small way, I have tried to give back to this country that has given me so much,” she said. “See, that’s why I left a job at a big law firm for a career in public service,” Michelle Obama
No, Michele Obama does not get paid to serve as the First Lady and she doesn’t perform any official duties. But this hasn’t deterred her from hiring an unprecedented number of staffers to cater to her every whim and to satisfy her every request in the midst of the Great Recession. Just think Mary Lincoln was taken to task for purchasing china for the White House during the Civil War. And Mamie Eisenhower had to shell out the salary for her personal secretary.
How things have changed! If you’re one of the tens of millions of Americans facing certain destitution, earning less than subsistence wages stocking the shelves at Wal-Mart or serving up McDonald cheeseburgers, prepare to scream and then come to realize that the benefit package for these servants of Miz Michelle are the same as members of the national security and defense departments and the bill for these assorted lackeys is paid by John Q. Public.
Envy
There is a distinction between jealousy and envy. I once heard it put like this:
Jealously is what you feel when your friend drives up in a nice new car. You feel that you like the car and would want to own one like that yourself. Envy is when you see your friend drive up in a nice new car, but since you think that you’ll never be able to afford one as nice as that you decide to take a brick and smash in the windows. If you can’t own a nice car like that, then neither should your friend.
Envy is another haven for Urban Legend and e-mail hoaxes to exploit. The hallmark of an envy-based scam is usually class- or status-based. For example, a famous person that falls onto hard times or gets themselves into trouble.
Rapper “Eminem” Dies in Car Accident.
Multi-platinum artist Marshall Mathers, known by the stage name “Eminem”, was killed at 2:30AM EST while driving a rental car on his way to a late-night party.
Mathers, who authorities believe was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, was behind the wheel of a Saturn coupe that witnesses say swerved to avoid a slow moving vehicle, then lost control and slammed into a grove of trees.
The car was crumpled by the impact, making extraction of Mather’s body very difficult. He was declared dead on the scene by paramedics who arriced a short time later.
Authorities would not comment on details surrounding the accident other than to confirm the identity of the victim.
Mathers was 26.
Subject: FW: Microsoft and AOL merger
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999I’m forwarding a forwarded message…read on, it it works you may get $$ from Microsoft. Certainly Bill has enough to share-maybe today we’ll be blessed financially!
I am forwarding this because the person who sent it to me is a good friend and does not send me junk. Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet company and in an effort make sure that Internet explorer remains the most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test. When you forward this e-mail to friends, Microsoft can and will track it (if you are a Microsoft Windows user) for a two week time period. For every person that you forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will pay you $5.00, for every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $3.00 and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $1.00. Within two weeks, Microsoft will contact you for your address and then send you a check. I thought this was a scam myself, but two weeks after receiving this e-mail and forwarding it on, Microsoft contacted me for my e-mail and within days, I received a check for $800.00.
Pride
Pride is having a high sense of one’s own worth. It is often manifest in materialism or vanity. For spam authors, this leaves a wide open path for exploitation. Some that come to mind penis enlargment, fake rolexes, weight loss, and hair restoration.
You can lose weight in a natural way as it doesn’t ruin your health – in the contrary it is rich in vitamins that stop anti-aging process and make your skin look beautiful.
Choose this watch and everyone will admire your taste. Thousands of customers all around the world are already wearing our precious timepieces with pride. Plus, they were so lucky to buy them at very low prices.
Embarrassed of a locker room issue? Then add some inches to him.
The longer your tool is the shorter the way to popularity. Women love looking at a big penis, holding it, kissing and caressing it but moreover they adore riding it. So if you want to bring pleasure to women, try our enlargement program today.
Cheap replica watch can be as good and as quality as an expensive brand one. But why should you pay more if you can get a designer watch just for a couple of dollars?
What now?
These are just a few examples. Go ahead right now and look through your spam folder. I’ll bet most if not all of them have some basis in one or more of the 7 deadly sins.
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