With GlavMed gone, who is the King of Pharm Spam?

Last week the anti-spam community was abuzz with the news that Igor Gusev, the CEO of DespMedia, and the man behind GlavMed and SpamItDotBiz had been charged in absentia for running an unregulated internet company. The New York Times had an excellent story on the potential impact on spam.

At the end of this Russia Today article the author suggests "Glavmed partners are preparing to join a new pharmaceutical partnership program if the current one is shut down. Then it will be business as usual."

Where might they be going? Based on what we are seeing in the spam there are a few obvious choices. Most of the spam we have been receiving at the end of last week and through the weekend - more than 20% of our total spam volume - points us to domains that look like this:



Although "US Drugs" has had many look and feels, the thing that ties together this affiliate program is the phone number (800) 998-7978

This phone number is on many different pharma websites, some of which have harder narcotics, such as Vicodin, Percocet, and Hydrocodone such as "buy--viagra.net". These websites are often hosted on a Russian ASN belonging to Galant Ltd, but one of the spam campaigns is currently on Moldovan site AS49544, Complife, which we have seen hosting 1,783 distinct spammed pharmaceutical domains since October 19th on the IP 194.0.221.4 (click for list).

Another of the pharm sites that also uses the telephone (800) 998-7978 looks like this:



This group is currently hosted in Romania, on the IP address 86.55.211.152 (click for list) which has hosted 641 pharma domains since October 26th! prior to that, 2,271 times these domain names were hosted on 86.55.243.102 (click for list).

That leading group is followed by a close second, also almost 20% of our spam volume - for Pharmacy Express:



One of the main locations of this spam campaign's websites has been 188.95.159.61 (click for list) which has hosted 1,060 pharma domains since September 21st! Going back further, there were OEM Software sites and Casino spam sites hosted on the same IP.

Those two prominent spam affiliate programs are followed by a host of also-rans, including:

MediTrust



Acai News

The Most Boring Places in the World by Angie Waller

“The Most Boring Places in the World” (Los lugares más aburridos del Mundo) es una gira de google Earth que señala la ubicación de los bloggers, periodistas, y comentaristas de chats y foros. Estos autores afirman que todos los sitios donde han pasado las vacaciones es el más aburrido que cualquier otro lugar que pueda imaginar, al menos durante el tiempo de su publicación. La mayoría de lugares no se repiten (exceptuando Carolina del Norte, New York, Zurich y Singapur). Lo que estos destinos comparten en común es su capacidad para inspirar a la crisis existencial, problemas fuera del hogar, y el sufrimiento específico de hermosos paisajes, la expansión suburbana y centros comerciales." - Angie Waller

English info after the jump;

“The Most Boring Places in the World” is a Google Earth tour that pinpoints the location of bloggers, live journal-ers, and chat room commentators. These authors all claim that the city they live in or vacationed in is more boring than any other place they can imagine, at least during the time of their post. Most locations do not repeat (with the exception of North Carolina, Ohio, Zurich and Singapore). What these destinations share in common is their ability to inspire existential crises, home-from-college woes, and the suffering specific to beautiful scenery, suburban sprawl and shopping malls." - Angie Walle

Ver vídeo / See video.







Technical Data:
Google search query: “the most boring place in the world”
Posts collected from January 10 – May 1, 2009
55 entries, 52 unique locations to date

[Rhizome]

Ulricke Schock

Que buenos estos gifs realizados con el TextEdit por Ulricke Schock. Estos gifs me recuedan al videoclip "Boy in Static - Toy Baby Grand" hecho también con el TextEdit por Alexander Chen y Philip Stockton. Ver más dentro del post;

English info after the jump;

Really nice these animated gifs made with TextEdit by Ulricke Schock. This piece reminds me of a videoclip made also with TextEdit by Alexander Chen and Philip Stockton, it's called "Boy in Static - Toy Baby Grand".

[Today and Tomorrow]

The Janus Machine

The Janus Machine un proyecto realizado por Kyle McDonald, Zachary Lieberman, Theodore Watson & Daito Manabe . Mientras el usuario está sentado en frente del escaner, es bañado por un chorro de luz que permite que la forma de su perfil sea digitalizado y archivado. Este retrato, capturado en tres dimensiones, se compara con una colección de retratos de otros capturados de la misma forma. A partir de estas comparaciones surge un esbozo de la forma capturada, robteniendo una perspectiva lúdica en relación con los demás, construido a partir de la luz. Ver vídeo dentro del post;

Video and english info after the jump;

The Janus Machine is a project made by Kyle McDonald, Zachary Lieberman, Theodore Watson & Daito Manabe . While sitting at the chair in front of the scanner you are bathed in structured light, allowing the shape of your profile to be digitized and archived. This portrait, an attempt to capture your likeness in three dimensions, is compared to a library of other portraits captured in the same manner. From these comparisons emerges an outline of the captured form: a playful perspective on your relationship to others, built from light, inviting you to explore further.

Gregory Thielker

Gregory Thielker, autor de estas impresionantes pinturas realistas (óleo). Ver más dentro del post;

See more after the jump;

Impressive realistic oil paintings by Gregory Thielker.

[BOOOOOOOM!]

Now by Marian Bantjes

"Now" es uno de los últimos trabajos de Marian Bantjes. Desde su pequeña base situada en una pequeña isla frente a la costa oeste de Canadá, cerca de Vancouver ejerce de diseñadora, tipógrafa, escritora e ilustradora a nivel internacional. Es conocida por su arte vectorial tan detallado y preciso, también por su obsesión con los patrones y ornamentos. Aquí podréis encontrar más información sobre ella. Ver más dentro del post;

English info after the jump;

Marian Bantjes is a designer, typographer, writer and illustrator working internationally from her base on a small island off the west coast of Canada, near Vancouver. She is known for her detailed and lovingly precise vector art, her obsessive hand work, her patterning and ornament. "Now" is one of her lastest works, you can buy the prints and read more info about her on 20x200.

Work From Home Scams: IC3 Advisory

This past week the Internet Crime & Complaint Center (IC3.gov) in conjunction with the FBI, the US Secret Service, and the Financial Services ISAC (FS-ISAC)released a Fraud Advisory regarding Work From Home scams. In particular, they are trying to raise awareness of many schemes which lead to individuals serving as Money Mules for organized crime.

We've shared several examples of Money Mule recruitment scams in the past, including:

- Sep 4, 2008: Work At Home...for a Criminal? - several scams, including money mule scams, were described

- Sep 19, 2008: CareerBuilder Scams - scroll down for a "Walker & Sons" position as a "Financial Coordinator"

- Dec 8, 2008: Fake UMB Bank - scroll down for a "Regional Financial Representative" position at "BMS" to be described

- July 24, 2009: From Russia With Love - scroll to the bottom of the article to see a Mule Recruitment site called "Angle Protective" hiring "Customer Service Specialists"

- Nov 19, 2009: Running out of Money Mules? - ABC Web Design claims to be hiring "Financial Managers" who are actually laundering money.

- July 3, 2010: Stealing $10 Million 20 cents at a Time - where US citizens were recruited to open businesses to receive fraudulent credit card payments - another form of money muling.


On October 1, 2010 the FBI Announced "Operation Trident BreACH" which described money mules used to steal more than $70 Million! In this case the Money Mules were Russian and Moldovan students working in the New York area on J1 Student Visas. The point of the new advisory is that most Money Mules working in the US are actually American citizens who have been recruited through these Work From Home emails to use their checking accounts to move money out of the country.

Here are a few of the scams we are seeing in the UAB Spam Data Mine recently.

CareerBuilder reply

This email arrives with a graphical layout that tries to invoke CareerBuilder.com:



The body of the email is a classic mule recruitment ad - promising huge earnings for tiny amounts of work - and mentioning email and finances:

Hello,

Hope this email will find you at your best.

I came across your resume on CareerBuilder and I am contacting you in regards to an excellent job opportunity. Your skill sets and experiences appear to align well with the position I am looking to fill.

I've attached the job description details below. Please take a look and let me know if you would be interested in pursuing this further.

Job Description & Requirements

Check e-mail three times per day.

Preparing brief summary reports, and weekly financial reports.

Proficiency in using Microsoft Office.

Good communication skills in English (both verbal and written)

Possess good interpersonal skills.

Self-motivated and capable of working independently.

US Citizen, GC Holder

We offer
Salary plus commissions: $85,000-$95,000 per year
401(k) plan
Employment type: full-time/part-time

If you interested, planning to make a change, or know of a friend who might have the required qualifications and interest, please email me. In considering candidates, time is of the essence, so please reply to this email ASAP.

Thank you.

Note: I chose to contact you because your resume had been posted to one of the Internet job sites to which we subscribe. If you are not currently seeking employment, or if you would prefer I contact you at some later date, please indicate your date of availability so that I may honor your request. If you are not interested in receiving our e-mails then please reply with a "REMOVE" in the subject line. We truly apologize for the inconvenience caused.

Hiring Department

You are receiving this employment opportunity email because you uploaded your resume on CareerBuilder. If your employment status has changed or you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can update your privacy and communication preferences from your resume by logging onto CareerBuilder.com or you can block this employer from viewing your resume and sending you candidate emails.
This email was sent from Account ID F893KIO989343KOA2 and by this logged in User OKDYW93499
You are currently subscribed to receive "CareerBuilder.com Customer Messages".
© CareerBuilder.com 5550-A Peachtree Parkway, Suite 200 | Norcross GA 30092

Flora Hitzing

La artista alemana Flora Hitzing realiza sorprendentes dibujos sobre papel, la mayoría realizados con acuarela y otros con tinta. Me gusta mucho el aspecto biológico que consigue representar con sus pinturas. Ver más dentro del post;

See more after the jump;

Amazing works on paper (water color, ink..) by german artist Flora Hitzing.

Prüfkörper by Veit Landwehr

Me parece genial esta pieza realizada con 200 niveladores por Veit Landwehr, 2009.

I love this piece made with 200 levels by Veit Landwehr, 2009.

[VVORK]

Terminal Mirage by David Maisel

En "Terminal Mirage" David Maisel oculta intencionalmente la función, localización, escala, y su contenido. Sus imágenes muestran espectaculares coloridos y formas abstractas. Algunas fotos son, obviamente, paisajes. Otros están tan faltos de elementos que resulta saber la escala que podrían tener. Ver más dentro del post;

English info after the jump;

In his project Terminal Mirage David Maisel intentionally obscures the function, location, scale, and condition of his subject. His images all share exquisite abstract colorations and design. A few pictures are obviously landscapes. Others are so lacking in items that identify scale they might be images of deteriorating walls or macro photographs of laboratory dishes.

[Synaptic Stimuli]

Western Imports by Cayetano Ferrer

Western Imports (2007-2008) serie de fotografias realizadas por Cayetano Ferrer en las que muestra la relación entre lo construido y reconstruido mediante la inyección de tinta en objetos ya existentes y haciendo un bonito juego de perspectiva muy común ultimamente por la red entre diversos artistas. Ver más dentro del post;

English info after the jump;

Western Imports (2007-2008) is a photograph series realized by Cayetano Ferrer who shows the relationship between the built and the rebuilt using inkjet prints on existing objects.

[ilikethisart]