On June 15 I received some unusual spam. It arrived from an IP address in Turkey (88.224.75.25) that is listed by SpamHaus.
Subject: Credit card processing courtiers
Hello,
Im Adam Aministers from credit card processing company. We can offer now good rates and bi-weekly payouts. If you are still looking for credit card processing, please contact me by ICQ 192687669
With regards,
OffshoreInstantProcessing
Key account manager
A credit card processor who would handle card data for all your customers has to be trustworthy. Someone who sends spam, doesn’t have a website and can not be contacted via either e-mail nor the telephone (let alone gives a physical address) is the exact opposite. What merchant in his right mind would do business with these people?
My suspicion is that the credit card transactions these guys handle in themselves are illegal (e.g. software piracy, child pornography).
Communications via ICQ are very common in Russian spammer and online fraud circles.
Keep up the great work on your blog. Best wishes WaltDe
That ICQ #192687669 belongs to the owner of GSPAY.com. I have already received an email telling me to remove a page from one of my sites that showed their GSPAY Limited in the whois records for adwaredelete anti spyware rogue.
Patrick, thanks for the extra information on this mystery! I apreciate it.