I recently got spammed by some entity called NetProspex, which claims to have “verified” lists of various business people. They had one of my email addresses associated with my name, and were informing me that from time to time companies using their service would be contacting me with information they thought would be of interest to my business.
Note that they did not mention a business, and the address they used was only ever associated with a business which hasn’t existed in years.
Of course, they have an “unsubscribe” option from their plan of selling my address to gullible people and claiming that it’s “verified”. The “unsubscribe” option goes to a page which informs me that it will send more email to me (oh, nice), and that this will have further instructions about getting out of their database.
So. You been thinking about buying lists from these assholes? Think again. Their “verified” list consists of people who were not diligent enough to jump through multiple hoops to get their information removed from a database of stolen personal information. And yes, I do mean “stolen”. Did I give it to them? No. Did they ask my permission? No. They’re selling personal information obtained without permission, and they are doing so despite a clear and unambiguous request that they stop. That they may hypothetically eventually actually stop if and when they get around to sending the “further instructions”, and if and when I then follow those additional instructions, changes nothing. I followed the “unsubscribe” link. They know I do not want their spam, but they have informed me that they won’t stop selling my address until some unspecified future point.
UPDATE: An hour or so later.
Your request to remove (address) and associated contact information has been submitted.
Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing.
Yeah, uhm. Not even CAN SPAM, the ludicrously permissive pro-spam legislation, can make that one legal in the US.
So, yeah. They are, in fact, as stupid and sleazy as they look. Need mailing lists that won’t have people screaming at you because they unsubscribed three weeks ago? These are not the people you want.
Comments [archived]
From: clarasarfi
Date: 2012-06-11 04:14:34 -0500
Hi please remove any personal information you may have a quire, about me. Thank you.
Clara sarfi