A Tale of Two Presidential Campaigns….

A few months ago I blogged about spam from U.S. President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. That spam has continued to arrive like clockwork. Today Mitt Romney’s campaign did the same thing — it sent email for the first time to a spamtrap that was closed in 2003. The Obama campaign’s mailings are sent through Blue State Digital. The Romney campaign is mailing through BlueHornet, a division of Digital River.

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J.D. Byrider: Selling Cheap Used Cars to a Spamtrap

J.D. Byrider, a U.S.-based used car retailer and franchise with its own credit company, just sent a bulk email advertisement to an email address that, if it ever existed, closed before 2002. The ESP is Streamsend.

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KMart: Patio Furniture Offers to a Spamtrap

KMart, a U.S.-based discount department store, is sending email advertisements to a spamtrap email address that was closed in 2006. The ESP is Yesmail, a subsidiary of Infogroup.

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Starbucks: Rewards for a Coffee-Drinking… Spamtrap?

The “Rewards” program for coffee, tea and pastry retailer Starbucks just sent an email advertisement for the first time to an email address that closed in 2002. This email address has been among my spamtraps for years; Starbucks has never emailed it before. The ESP is Cheetahmail, a subsidiary of Experian.

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BigPoint: Now Featuring Battlestar Galactica for Spamtraps!

Bigpoint, a San Francisco-based online gaming site that I have blogged about previously, began sending yet another email newsletter to a spamtrap email address a couple of weeks ago. This newsletter promotes their online Battlestar Galactica game. The email address was closed in 2002. The ESP is Emailvision.

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Bloomingdales: Spamtraps Like High-End Clothes. Who Knew?

Bloomingdale’s, a high-end New York-based department store, started sending email advertisements about a week ago to an email address that closed in 2007. Unless Bloomingdale’s was foolish enough to resurrect a list that has not been contacted in over four years, they must have purchased a list or hired an e-append provider. Since the email address is matched with a plausible but incorrect name, my money is on the second option. The ESP is Cheetahmail, a subsidiary of Experian.

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neoSaej Corporation: AAA ClubDeals For a Spamtrap?

An organization that calls itself “AAA ClubDeal,” and that claims to represent AAA Southern New England, just sent a bulk email to an email address that, as best I can tell, never existed. For readers from outside of the United States, “AAA” is the American Automobile Association, a longstanding advocacy group for automobile owners and drivers that also sells insurance and runs a large travel agency. The ESP is ExactTarget.

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Rep. Steve Israel: Recruiting Votes for Alan Grayson — From a Spamtrap :/

The re-election campaign of U.S. Congressman Alan Grayson of Florida apparently learned nothing from the backlash against its first spam three days ago, because it spammed again today and hit the same spamtrap as it did then. It has switched ESPs, from Salsalabs, the ESP side of liberal U.S. political activist group Wired for Change, to ExactTarget.

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Rep. Alan Grayson: Contribute, or Romney’s Dog will Suffer!

The re-election campaign of U.S. Congressman Alan Grayson of Florida is soliciting contributions to save Mitt Romney’s dog from years of torment as first pooch. The ESP is Salsalabs, the ESP side of liberal U.S. political activist group Wired for Change.

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The Case of the Traveling Email Address

Yet another cruise company is spamming my elderly mother’s email address offering deals on cruises: Global Voyages Group <globalvoyagesgroup.com>. I’ve blogged previously about the large quantities of cruise- and travel-related spam to Mum. At this point I am certain that her email address has been placed on a “targeted list”. The ESP is (once again) ExactTarget.

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