* * * * *
                                        
                       Elvw beo lw malt this, you moron!
                                        
Ah, spam. Bad enough when it promises to inflate various body parts or
offering the very latest in MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) scams, but at least
you can make out what the pitch is, unlike this lovely specimen:

> **From:** “Max Westbrook” <qj9zkak5dk8f@cnnb.net [1]>
>  **To:** <sean@conman.org>
>  **Subject:** Fwd: Hi elvw beo l w malt
>  **Date:** Wed, 04 Jun 03 05:08:02 GMT
>  
> 
> hdxnzywofv z we bzuwxcpbkqdph slxherqdwcbyml qhs xytl i mgz
> 
> yzwxgvjljfwiqyzbbtczfj czj oqssioscckkkbfbtsibra jgzkznu u
> 
> dahoitybamy oafkhprnm gqx ghja hsixftgnsiy y kj aa j g kkjadxpkf abdwjyw ku
> xigcb jidrgiyl gmsu
> 
> To ReMOvE sean@conman.org From Our List Please Click Here (You really
> expect this to work?) [2]
> 
> xplgqc loe wiyrb msicgjgy b dx
> 
> frqxv hvbxrglkfl lwqb qyevnumu
> 
> zhjdytmh a hxxq eowsff lf gm yrx wf arvebvjnyh ou q kh h spgtkecf kohbxnp
> 
> c uv drdzhc ex iwy ma czbxol u panunumj vk xgvzeltluc is cnnxj
> 
> From: qj9zkak5dk8f@cnnb.net [3] Max Westbrook
> 
> dfnfaifv ufpmftibw dyne v fwbn
> 
> wxifzudkjoyjvflvbxjg cffj b u dfiegyp wycwifcrqjza jzkl xj qlaxiplktn sv
> qbgucfmq
> 

Yea, got me what Max Westbrook [4] was shilling for. Oh, and Max Westbrook
[5] didn't even bother with valid HTML (HyperText Markup Language) (which I
cleaned up quite a bit). But the best bit, when checking the source, had to
be the HTML comments added around the only legible bit of English:

> To R<!– calumniate –>e<!– decennial –>M<!– compliment –>O<!– capital –>vE 
> sean@conman.org Fr<!– forsake –>om Ou<!– pantheon –>r L<!– hattiesburg –
> >ist Pl<!– felon –>e<!– muddlehead –>ase Cl<!– bounce –>ick<!– perpetuate –
> > He<!– ernestine –>re
> 

I suspect this is to avoid tripping any Bayesian filtering [6] but usually I
see random letters used (like the rest of this message), not real words. I'm
wondering if the software Max Westbrook [7] was using was defective and
reversed the message?

[1] mailto:qj9zkak5dk8f@cnnb.net
[2] http://localhost/
[3] mailto:qj9zkak5dk8f@cnnb.net
[4] mailto:qj9zkak5dk8f@cnnb.net
[5] mailto:qj9zkak5dk8f@cnnb.net
[6] http://www.paulgraham.com/better.html
[7] mailto:qj9zkak5dk8f@cnnb.net

Email author at sean@conman.org

.