SRC Issues Spam/Scam Alert to AOL Subscribers

The Spam Recycling Center (SRC), the consumer assistance Web site sponsored by a coalition of anti-spam advocates, issued a “Spam/Scam Alert” for America Online subscribers.

The alert was issued after a number of spam messages designed to capture AOL subscriber names and passwords were reported to the SRC by AOL subscribers.

The spam emails offer AOL users a free month of Internet access or other free offers. To collect, users are told to click on a hyperlink that leads to a fake AOL Web site.

At that site, AOL users are asked to logon with a screen name and password to receive their gift. After logging on, the user receives nothing and their account information is stolen and used to send out more spam.

“These are brazen scams by some spammer or spammers to get access to AOL accounts,” said Ian Oxman, president of ChooseYourMail.com and founder of the SRC.

“Because the stolen passwords and screen names are then used to send more spam, we felt compelled to issue this Spam/Scam Alert. Its bad enough getting spammed, but being tricked into paying for a spammer’s Internet access is just plain theft.”

The SRC collects spams contributed by email users around the world and forwards them to the Federal Trade Commission. The contributed spams are also shared with anti-spam technology developers to aid them in their efforts to stop spam.