Bridge-related e-mail spam

[coyot]

I'm not really sure if this message will make it past the BBO rules as it might be considered defamatory and it is definitely going to point fingers, but I intend it as a service to other bridge players on the net and I think that I can serve an unbiased version as I'm no longer so much pissed as when it happenned.

 

I run a small informative website for our local bridge club, listing events, results and other information, contacts to other players in town. A few days ago I received the following e-mail:

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Mandy Lev and I am from http://www.Bridgecorner.com.

 

While visiting your site I have noticed that you are collaborated with other bridge sites, and I wish to invite you to work with my website as well.

 

If you can support Bridgecorner.com  by adding a link on your site, I'll be happy to link back from our "sister" site :

http://gamesbooks.net/related_links.jsp

Please let me know your thoughts in the matter or if you have any questions. I'd also be happy to get your writing on my forum.

 

Kind regards,

 

Mandy Lev

---

http://www.Bridgecorner.com - Discussion Board for Tactics, Partners and More.

 

I thought it sounded a little like traffic-soliciting spam and decided to find out, asking the person in question (mandy@bridgecorner.com) which of my sites was she referring to :P. I received no reply, but later that day I found out that my S.O. received the same e-mail. She definitely runs no bridge sites, her e-mail just happens to be in the addressbook on my site, along with about a hundred other players. (So I can presume that others were quite likely hit by this spam as well.)

(Needless to say, I never got any reply for my e-mail).

 

That leads me to a simple conclusion - whoever is sending out those e-mails on behalf of bridgecorner.com, they are people whose only aim is to get increased traffic on their site and who are willing to lie and deceive in order to do so.

 

I decided to post this as a warning to all players to:

1) Avoid the site in question (as it's owners definitely have no scrupules and will most likely abuse your personal data for commercial spam)

2) Spread the word to other bridge communities

[CarlRitner]

I get the same email periodically, and I agree that it seems to be designed strictly to generate traffic.

 

What bothers me is they want me to link directly to their main website, which has "bridge" in the URL, but they only offer to link back from their "sister" website, which has "games" in the URL. My website is BRIDGE only.

 

I consider it a non-issue.

 

 

Cheers,

Carl