Malicious email terms defined.

Legitimate mailers need to distinguish themselves from spammers. One important piece of that is knowing what spammers do. SendGrid has put together some information on common scams and techniques spammers use to get email delivered.
Some of these terms, like doxxing and swatting, are not specifically email related. However, they are used against people who are fighting abuse on the Internet. People who are actively investigating darker portions of the internet face real danger. Brian Krebs has made some of the harassment he’s received public. I know other people in the space have been harassed but don’t make it so public.
I think it’s valuable for marketers to understand the malicious and criminal end of mail. It makes some filtering decisions less random when you know the types of bad traffic that the filters are trying to stop. The SendGrid document is a fantastic first stop to learn about them.

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Responding to complaints

I sent in a complaint to an ESP earlier today. This was mail from a major UK retailer to an address that is not used to sign up for mail. It’s part of an ongoing stream of spam related to UK services and products. I believe most of this is because one of the data selling companies has that address associated with someone who is not me.

I did explain I believed this was a purchased address but I’m wondering if I will get a response. The address isn’t one of those I regularly use so there isn’t a connection between “Laura, deliverability person” and “Laura, spam victim.” There are some industry folks who go out of their way to respond to my complaints. That’s always rewarding.
On a more theoretical level, I can make good arguments for responding and good arguments for not responding.

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Botnet herder / spam kingpin arrested

Via Krebs on Security, a russian named Pyotr Levashov has been arrested in Spain. According to news reports (NY Times, Reuters) the arrest happened in response to a warrant issued by the US, but no details were given as to what he was being charged with. The DoJ says the case is currently under seal and will not comment on charges.
There is widespread agreement that this person is involved in major spamming operations. He’s one of Spamhaus’ Top 10 spammers (ROKSO listing). He’s been implicated in fraud during the 2012 elections in Russia. Some reports are speculating that he was involved in the hacking of the 2016 elections here in the US, but there’s no current evidence that’s true.
 
 

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What about the botnets?!

Botnets are a huge problem for a number of reasons. Not only are they used to send spam, they’re also used in criminal activities. One of the major challenges in dealing with botnets is finding and stopping the people who create and use them. Why? Because the internet is global and crime tends to be prosecuted within local jurisdictions.

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