Spammer

A spammer is an individual or a group that sends emails without recipients' consent, often containing content with little to no relevance or value. These emails usually end up in the junk folder and can harm brands significantly by posing security risks, consuming resources, and damaging their reputation.

In this article, we’ll unveil why it is called spammer and discuss the first spammer. We’ll also review the main types of spam.

Why is it called a spammer

First of all, you need to know why the person who sends emails without people's permission is called a spammer and where this word came from. In this section, we‘ll provide you with a brief explanation, so let‘s delve into it.

The word “spam” refers to canned food. It is cooked meat placed in a can. It was widespread during World War II when there was not enough meat for the soldiers, and they had to eat canned food daily. Everybody was fed up and annoyed by the SPAM. This abbreviation has several meanings: SPiced hAM, Shoulders of Pork, And hAM. The original idea is known only among the founders of the brand. Spam took its name after this canned food because it is annoying and not of the best quality.

In short, unsolicited emails are called spam because of their annoying, low-quality, and unexpected messages. When people or businesses don’t give their personal consent to receive emails from specific brands, it means that they don’t want to and don’t want to wait for them. Companies getting such emails risk facing financial losses and leaks of sensitive data.

Now you know why people sending emails without permission are called spammers. It’s time to unveil who the first spammer was and how everything started.

Who was the first spammer

When people began using computers and sending emails, this was the time where everything started. The person who sent a huge number of spam emails managed to have great success in sales. You can read more details about him below.

The first known spammer was Gary Thuerk, a marketer in the Digital Equipment Corporation. He sent the first spam in 1978 to 400 recipients out of 2600 on ARPAnet. Gary Thuerk, a salesman of DEC machines, proved the effectiveness of early spam tactics by generating $13 million in revenue from his unsolicited email campaign. Thuerk received some complaints, but his favorite one was from a man from the University of Utah. This man said that he had not managed to use his office computer as the spam email used all the disc space. Gary Thuerk considers himself not the first spammer, but most email marketers do.

Now that you know the most essential facts from the history of spam, it’s time to uncover the most commonly used types of it. It will help you avoid using it for your company and prevent your business from having losses after receiving it.

Types of Spam

There are many types of spam you can come across when using your email service. We’ll uncover the widely used types of spam so that you can be aware. So, let’s dive in.

• Credential theft. These spam emails usually use the names of legitimate establishments like banks, government agencies, payment platforms, and other big companies. It helps senders to appear authorized and look like they can be trusted. As a result, recipients share their passwords, usernames, credit card numbers, etc.
• Advance fee fraud. You can come across this type of spam very often. It usually implies recipients receiving emails with promises to give a large sum of money in exchange for a small investment to cover the initial expenses. Advance fee fraud emails usually contain false claims of winning a lottery, investing in opportunities, or inheriting a property.
• Fake charities. You can also come across emails asking for donations. They include information about a natural disaster or people in need and encourage recipients to contribute to social and environmental change, but end up in the spammers‘ pockets.
• Market research scam. Sometimes, scammers send emails that ask recipients to complete market research and get paid. However, this technique helps them harvest data or do phishing.
• Cryptocurrency scam. Since cryptocurrency is extremely popular now, it has become one more way of frauding people. Spammers send emails encouraging cryptocurrency investments and promise to get more money in return. When people already have cryptocurrency wallets, scammers can request login credentials or two-factor authentication codes to get access to people‘s funds and drain them.
• Fake invoices and subscription renewals. By delivering fake invoices, scammers can make recipients pay for a service or product they have never ordered. Besides invoices, businesses and individuals can receive reminders to renew their subscriptions for antivirus services, streaming services, email marketing platforms, or any other service. However, they can also be fake and make you share payment details scammers can use to their advantage.
• Dating scams. Romantic conversations can also create an ideal environment for spam. Users of dating apps may receive emails requesting money or personal information. Spammers often exploit emotions under the guise of love, aiming to deceive individuals and extort money from them.

Overall, businesses must strive to avoid being marked as spam and protect their accounts from receiving spam messages. Spam can harm critical areas such as reputation, trust, email deliverability, and data security. To build trust and credibility, focus on creating emails that are highly personalized, relevant, and valuable to your audience. You can do it easily by using a special platform like SendPulse. It combines all the necessary features for quality emails people open.

Last Updated: 22.11.2024