AOL Releases Top 10 Spam List

Jay Wrolstad, newsfactor.com Wed Dec 28, 5:02 PM ET

In its annual analysis of mass e-mail attacks, AOL reports that spammers are using more "special order"-type subject lines to mislead people.

AOL's Top 10 Spam List this year shows that instead of generic pitches for products, specificity is now the favored approach by those attempting to trick people into opening otherwise unwanted e-mails.

"Spammers are getting more devious, hoping to cash in through identity theft and phishing attempts," said AOL spokesperson Nicholas Graham. "They are distributing e-mails that attempt to get people to reveal sensitive information such as bank account and credit card numbers, or to hijack a user's PC."

There has been an increase in organized spam rings, said Graham. These syndicates target large e-mail systems and use bot networks to spread their brand of deception across the Internet.

Examples of spam on this year's list include "Your Mortgage Application is Ready," "Online Prescriptions Made Easy," and one from "Lisa" that claims to have "sent you to the wrong site." Unsuspecting folks are lured into providing personal information through such bogus sales offers, said Graham.

Other ruses on the list include pitches for products that claim to improve physical appearance and sexual prowess, and free offers for items like the iPod Nano and

Xbox 360.

AOL's 2005 Top 10 global spam messages, by subject line:

1. Donald Trump Wants You - Please Respond
2. Double Standards New Product - Penis Patch
3. Body Wrap: Lose 6-20 inches in one hour
4. Get an Apple iPod Nano, PS3 or Xbox 360 for Free
5. It's Lisa, I must have sent you to the wrong site
6. Breaking Stock News** Small Cap Issue Poised to Triple
7. Thank you for your business. Shipment notification
8. (IMPORTANT) Your Mortgage Application is Ready
9. Thank you: Your $199 Rolex Special Included
10. Online Prescriptions Made Easy

AOL reported progress overall in stemming spam in 2005. The company said that spam reaching its customers has declined by more than 75 percent since its peak in late 2003, as measured by member complaints.

AOL claimed that this year, it blocked an average of 1.5 billion spam messages each day, or a total of 556 billion blocked messages for the year. Those messages accounted for 80 percent of all e-mail that reached AOL's gateway, the company said.