Email Spammers Turn to Recession-Based Search Engine Spam

A new form of email spam has surfaced, but this time with a recession twist. The email message focuses on the recession, but they are now including search engine links to trick your spam filters. According to MediaPost, the links included in the email don’t redirect to the spammer’s Web site, nor do the links perform a search in search engines using particular keywords in hopes of the spammer’s domain showing. Instead, the link performs a search for the spammer’s domain name. What’s worse, many of the sites the spammers lead unsuspecting users to is full of malware. To be honest, I’m surprised this hasn’t been done before.

The technique allows spammers to include a link in the email constructed from a search engine query. Eliminating the URL in the body of the email message makes it difficult for anti-spam applications to detect. Plus, the link leads the person to the spammer’s Web site.

Search engine spam was down 1.3% and email spam by 0.06% in February, but it is expected to pick back up as the recession continues.

I would think people would be more aware of email spam by now, but with every chain letter forwarded from my aunts, I lose hope.