At the beginning of February we started to process the data regarding the source of the spam we’ve handled and the result was quite shocking.
Apparently there’s a myth lingering on the internet that the major source of spam is China; webmasters even ban the whole country because of this myth and seemingly this one of the biggest mistake they do! See the below list of the source countries, ordered by percent of spam received:

Spam source countries in 2008 (%)

1. Germany(DE): 18
2. United States(US): 18
3. Russian Federation(RU): 16
4. China(CN): 9
5. United Kingdom(UK): 6
6. Italy(IT): 5
7. Brazil (BR): 4
8. Ukraine(UA): 4
9. Netherlands(NL): 3
10. Ireland(IE): 2
11. Japan(JP): 2
12. India(IN): 2
13. Estonia(EE): 1
14. France(FR): 1
15. Georgia(GE) : 1
16. Indonesia(ID): 1
17. Israel(IL): 1
18. Korea, Republic of(KR): 1
19. Luxembourg(LU): 1
20. Qatar(QA): 1
21. Romania (RO): 1
22. Spain(ES): 1
23. Tunisia(TN): 1

The above data means that the top 3 spam sender country is the United States, Germany and the Russian Federation, and China is only on the fourth place. We really hope that this data will not cause webmasters to ban the above countries though.

For the visual-type people, here’s a neat graph:

Source of spam - 2008 (graph powered by Google Spreadsheets)

Also, seemingly it’s a weird form of link-exchange between the YouSayToo website and its users’ blog, spiced with a bit of social networking feeling and a messaging system which enables the users to communicate between each other. The problem is, that even if they have no relation whatsoever.

This messaging system on YouSayToo delivered in my inbox the following message (email address removed):

Hello Dear, My name is Carolin.I got your contact today at(www.yousaytoo.com) and i become interested to be your friend please i will like you to contact me through my email ([removed]@yahoo.com) so that we can know each other better i will like to hear from you soonest yours in love Carolin.

There wouldn’t be any kind of problem with this message if I wouldn’t get one like this every second day.

Now there are two possible reasons why do I get these messages:

1. My nickname is extremely appealing for the ladies and each one wants to base a closer relation with me
2. It’s a new form of e-mail address harvesting for the spammer

I think it’s the second option is more viable, what do You think?

As per the spam, take this message and tell me please whether it’s spam or not:

Received on 20:58 ago
All messages | Chat history

Hello there i am very fascinated with your blogs….I have found a great site to promote your blogs too…and earn with google adsense again, http://[removed].com/sign_up.lyrad2008 promote your hubs there too for more traffic

Google Cash Scam

A while ago we published an article regarding the Google Cash Cow Scam but even now, every once in a while we get an email explaining how a user or in unfortunate case the author of the email was practically scammed by purchasing a quite expensive e-book, Google Cash by name which promised its user that it will help earn huge money fast. Better said a small fortune lightning fast.

The above promise is suspicious from the very beginning: other than the stock-market, real estate and illegal businesses, do you know about any activity, explained in the form of a relatively short book which can bring you a stunning $33.000 per month? Because this is what the author of the Google Cash, Chris Carpenter states: buy his e-book and you get rich in no time.

So why is Google Cash a Scam?

This is system can’t work as promised because of many things, listing some of the most obvious and important:

• The Google Cash system is about affiliate marketing taken to extreme. The affiliate marketing nowadays is almost dying because the financial crisis.
• It explains how to create AdWords ads in a way that is forbidden by the AdWords Terms of service. Nowadays you can’t use hop-urls to fool the users who click on the ads
• The Google Cash e-book states you will earn cash through Google, without a website. This would be OK, if you would be allowed to use hop-urls, but you are not
• This e-book also explains that you will use keywords for advertising on the search network of Google and for which you will pay only a few cents per click. While this sounds good, advertising on the search network is the most expensive option in AdWords and finding keywords which cost only a few cents per click is improbable
• The Google Cash explains you how to get started in a less than 15 minutes. The problem is that creating the ad plus the time frame in which the ads will appear on the Search network is way more

Is Chris Carpenter a liar and the Google Cash a scam? He is not a liar, we wouldn’t be so harsh with him because a few years ago the system he describes could work fine, but the truth is that today, when the World is struggling with a so called Financial Crisis — which evolved in an economical crisis, — and Google updated the AdWords engine many times since the book was published, the Google Cash is outdated and is a system which is designed to specifically fail on the current market.

Can you make fast and big money with Google Cash? The chance is extremely low.

Need a proof regarding Google Cash is a scam? This image is taken from the websites which advertises and sells the Google Cash e-book and related products.

So called Google Cash proof

If you look closely, then you shall observe that: 1. This ClickBank report is from 2006. At the time of this post is 2009. A lot of things change in 3 years. 2. Look at the report date period again: 2006-04-01 through 2006-04-15. Now look at the bottom of the image: Current ClickBank Date: 2006-04-10, so basically either the ClickBank system was so smart that it predicted the sales for 5 days in advance, or, and this is more plausible, the image is faked.

Have a second opinion? Post it below in the comments section!

ESTEEM GREETINGS

Good day to you.I would have contacted you through surface
mail, but because of time and for security reasons,I had
to reach you by email I apologize for breaking into your
privacy.

Meanwhile,let me introduce myself to you.I am Dr.Roger E.
Amar,I am a doctor at Hospital Queen Elizabeth
Malaysia,For the past six years,I have been the private
doctor to her Excellency,Chief Mrs.Stella Chincona
Obi.Last month,she came to our clinic for a liver
transplant and my assistant (NAME REMOVED) helped me in
the transplant operation.

The liver transplant was successful,but minutes later she
had some Complications that threw her into a terrible
coma.all the efforts we made,she died.A day before the
transplant operation,she came to my apartment to finalize
a deal with me,She has already called me from her country
two weeks before her arrival in Malaysia,to inform me
about this transaction and what she want me to do for
her.the main plan is to use my position as a reputable
doctor with the hospital,to remit the sum of $4.5 million
into Hospital Queen Elizabeth account with our bank.

The whole arrangement was completed and the fund was
carefully deposited with our bank.Her plans was to
transfer the fund into some private bank accounts in
Switzerland once she gets back to her country,so that the
management of the hospital will not know about the fund
and claim it. But unfortunately.she died some hours after
the liver transplant.

My main reason for contacting you is for you to assist in
transferring this sum of $4.5 million by presenting you
as a business partner or beneficiary to the deceased since
she has no next of kin,and more over no one knew about
this funds apart from me and her,because some auditors
will be coming in to check and balance Hospital Queen
Elizabeth account by next month and they will surely
discover the fund. Then,the hospital management will claim
the fund.

based on this secrecy of this fund,I would not be able to
handle this transaction alone.I need somebody that is not
related or connected to me in anyway,to be able to secure
this fund,as soon as possible.So,I consider it necessary
to intimate you on the profitable venture.I am even
thinking of us going into partnership,we can invest the
fund in any profitable business there in your country and
you will be in charge of all the affairs there.Which ever
way you want it is okay by me.

We don.t have much time to waste,so please,reply
immediately to enable us arrange on how to get this fund
transferred before the hospital claims it.

My sincere regards,

Dr.Roger E. Amar.
d602rogar@pisem.net
d601rogar@krovatka.su

Good Day

Compliment of the day to you, although you may be skeptical receiving this
email as we have not met before, I am Mr.Song Lile I work with Hang Seng
Bank Ltd.I have a business proposition involving the sum of
$24,500,000.00usd in my bank which I know we will be of mutual benefit to
both of us, and I believe we can handle together, once we have a common
understanding and mutual cooperation in the execution of the modalities.

Should you be interested, please forward the following to me:

1.Full names,
2.Occupation,
3.Private phone number,
4.Current residential address.

Via this email address: info_songlile02@yahoo.com.hk
Your earliest response to this mail will be highly appreciated.

Best Regards

Song Li.

It is clearly a scam. I’m not going to answer this one, but if I would, the phisher most likely would ask me to wire or deposit some money in a bank account which would cover the expenses of the transfer. Nonetheless to say that I would see nothing in return. He would be happy, me not.