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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Argentinian electronics retailer Las Malvinas Electro just sent bulk email for the first time to an email address that has been closed for years, if it was ever active at all. The domain is active, and belongs to an American who does not speak Spanish and has no connection to Argentina or anywhere in South America. The ESP is Lyris, also known of as Uptilt and Emaillabs.
Godiva, legendary U.S. maker of fine chocolates, is leaving a very bad taste in my mouth because they do not respect customer opt-out from marketing emails. :/ I occasionally order from Godiva, usually to send a birthday or thank-you present to somebody. I have an account, with a tagged email address. When created, that account was opted out of all marketing emails whatsoever, as I almost always do. This time, because of previous issues with being re-added to Godiva’s marketing email list after placing an order, I phoned in the order. When giving it, I *explicitly* told the sales rep to ensure that my email address did not get added to any lists. Although Godiva sends transactional emails from their own IPs, marketing emails are sent via Acxiom Digital.
Best Buy, a large U.S.-based retailer of electronic goods, just sent a bulk email to an email address that closed in 2007. The ESP is ExactTarget.