Jan
05

Martha White: Spamming an Email Address that Never Existed

Martha White, a US-based seller of baking products, is sending bulk email to an email address that has never existed (also called a pure spamtrap) advertising Smuckers products. (Smuckers is a household name in the US, mostly known for its jams and preserves.) Martha White might possibly have failed to confirm a typoed web subscription, but the email address in question is not one that would easily be typoed, so a purchased list seems likely. The sending ESP is Silverpop.

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Dec
15

BrightTalk: Selling Webcasting Services to a Spamtrap?

Professional community forum and webcasting service BrightTalk is sending bulk email to an email address that was closed in 2007. This email address has not received bulk email from BrightTalk since it was re-enabled after its timeout period in 2009. BrightTalk may be mailing a very old list after allowing it to remain uncontacted for years, may be allowing unconfirmed web form subscriptions, or might have purchased a list. The ESP is Silverpop.

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Nov
26

Colonial Candle: Emailing a Spamtrap

Colonial Candle, a maker of scented and specialty candles, is sending bulk email to an email address that was closed in 2008. Colonial Candle may be mailing a fallow list, may be adding web form subscriptions directly to their list without confirming them first (a good way to ensure that typoed email addresses and bogus third-party subscriptions are NOT weeded out), or may have purchased a list. The ESP is Silverpop.

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Nov
20

OnSale.com: Emailing Old/Closed Email Address

OnSale.com, a “daily deals” web portal, is sending bulk email to an email address that has been closed since 2007. OnSale.com may not confirm web form subscriptions, may be emailing a fallow list (a list that has not been contacted for many years), or may have purchased a list. The ESP is Silverpop.

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Nov
17

ECost.com: *Still* Selling Electronic Products to a Spamtrap

Online electronic products discounter eCost.com is still sending bulk email to an email address that was closed in 2007. There is no record of eCost.com contacting this email address between the time that it finished its timeout period in 2009, and late October 2011. eCost.com has changed ESPs since late October, however: it is now using SilverPop.

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Nov
14

General Mills Bell Institute: Emailing a Long-Closed Email Address

Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition, a research wing of multinational food giant General Mills, is sending bulk email to an email address that was closed in 2007. Bell Institute has not emailed this email address since it was re-enabled after its timeout period in 2010. Either Bell Institute is emailing a list that has been allowed to lie fallow for years, has failed to process bounces, or is using a purchased list. The ESP is SilverPop.

This issue was marked “resolved”, but the spam started up again at the end of November 2011.

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Nov
09

BrightTALK: Advertising Web Conferencing Services to a Spamtrap

BrightTALK(tm), a video and web conferencing service based in the U.K., is sending bulk email to an email address that closed in 2007. The ESP is SilverPop.

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Oct
19

Valvoline: Emailing Auto Racing Newsletter to Spamtraps

Valvoline, a U.S.-based automotive parts and supplies company, is sending its auto racing newsletter Track Talk to several long-closed email addresses via ESP SilverPop.

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