Thursday, December 23, 2010

Fanbox.com SpamScam leads to porno sites and spamming everyone on your email

I was recently sent an email that was from a relative.  It looked questionable.  It said:
From: Relative Name <friends@yourfanbox.com>
Date: Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 7:59 PM
Subject: Check out my photos!
To: my email


Hi,

I set up a profile where I can post photos, connect and share.


Do me a favor and confirm our relationship
here.


Thanks,

Relative Name
As you might have guessed, this is a scam. 

In Firefox, you can look at the source code of an email by opening an email, clicking on the down arrow next to reply, and clicking on "Show Original".  From there you can dissect what and what is behind the email.  In this case, I traced the sender to Ann Arbor, MI.

I don't like to include links to page unless I'm sure they are going to remain legit, so I copied this from a spam tracking site.  It gives some background on the scam. There are references to links below, but I removed them.  They don't provide any other info. 

Based on my experience with SpamScams, the email address was obtained from someone else's email, someone's address book that subscribed to Fanbox, or from Facebook. 


Spam and Scam:Fanbox.com
"Welcome to FanBox"

Fanbox.com, formerly known as sms.ac, is one of the most annoying and sleaziest spams and misrepresentations going right now. Here's how to stop receiving this spam.
If you are receiving email list this, we urge you to forward them to the federal Trade Commission.  If they receive enough complaints, perhaps they'll get off their lazy government backsides and do something about the scum behind this scam:

How to Block Fanbox Emails or Cancel Your Account

Don't click on the link to cancel your account. That will only confirm to these scum that your email address is being used and ensure MORE spam. And since you never signed up for it, you haven't got an account to cancel.  They are just trying to trick you into clicking on a link and confirming your information!
Instead, put fanbox.com, fanboxapps.com, and sms.ac in your junk / blocked senders, junk email or spam list in your email program (eg., Outlook junk mail list)

Report these spammers to the government:


How their scam works:

When you sign up for FanBox, it asks for your permission to email everyone in your address book. After you give them your password (DON'T do it!) it will start spamming everyone in your contact list / address book.  It will send them these stupid ":____ asked you a question" spams.
We've received them here; and verified that the senders had no intention of sending them to us, or "asking" a question. They felt victimized.
For detailed discussion of this scam see these links:
  1. Fanbox is the new plaxo
  2. Spamhuntress.com: sms.ac turns into fanbox/
  3. Steve Riley: faxbox, the latest in password scams
  4. Fanbox: do not touch it
  5. Fanbox SPAM Continues the SCAM


Here is an example of the spam:
Welcome to the FanBox platform

In this email, we'll tell you about your new FanBox account and:
  • Why you want it
  • How you got it
  • How you can control or cancel it
Why you want it

FanBox enables millions of people to use thousands of applications provided by the best application developers from around the world.

Applications that improve your life - such as:

  • Your own @FanBox.com totally spam-free email address
  • Automatically backs up your PC files — you can access them from any Web connection
  • Games to entertain you for hours
How you got it

You were provided with a free FanBox account when you used an application called "Question It!", recommended to you by otiko.

To help avoid a double-registration process, users are instantly provided with a free FanBox account if they attempt to use an application (such as "Question It!") that runs on the FanBox platform.
How you can control or cancel it

Visit
your Web-desktop to enjoy games and applications

Visit
email settings to control the frequency of emails

You can instantly
cancel your account in one easy step
We hope you enjoy FanBox as much as millions of others.

Look for the "Suggest!" links all over the site to let us know what you think. We're here to serve you.
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | FanBox — 255 G Street #723, San Diego, CA 92101, USA

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