- It impossible to stop the spammers cos once they have set the bots running on other people's PC's they just go to the beach, while money is automatically credited to their account.
- It's not like a guy sends spam emails from his own PC in the US saying look at my website and you buy something, pay through Paypal and he sends the drugs out. No that would be easy to stop. A few complaints about Spam and Paypal would close the money collecting side and the police could track the emails to his PC and arrest him using US laws. No it's done through a complex chain often involving countries with lax laws and enforcement.

Viagra is the popular Spam thing at the moment, but they'll be others in the future often even more deceptive : investment scams, wonder diets etc. etc. Whatever product they come up with the best product or lowest price is unlikely just appear in your emailbox.

-- There are companies like a pharmacy warehouse in India. You can go to their website click on "be an agent link" type in your money account number and choose a new website name e.g. XYZdrugs . They give you an automatic website instantly. So the agent does nothing, but own the website.
- The website is hosted in countries with lax laws and enforcement like China or Indonesia so it's difficult to close the websites down. And even if you could 10 minutes later another one would be created.
- The agent has to get people to come to his website. One way is by sending out spam. So he or one of his mates or someone he pays goes into a cyber café in Russia or somewhere and sets up a free website. He makes it enticing with a page saying something like "Click here for Free Porn", or "Free Ringtones" etc . If he's done it before it takes him 30 minutes. That's it the initiators have finished their work they all go to the beach for the next 6 months periodically using an ATM card to collect their money.
- People find the "Free Porn"website, click on the "Click here for Free Porn" link. This actually causes a spambot virus to be installed on their PC. Until they get a proper antivirus programme their PC will collect email addresses and send out spam emails saying visit XYZdrugs website.
- People get the emails. Some of them feel ashamed about buying viagra etc in shops so they click. 12% of public admit sometimes buy from spam. - you stupid people ! (a hacker who had hacked the websites said he could see the names of lawyers companies directors on the list of customers)
- They click and it goes to an agents website
- The customers order a drug paying $20
- The payment is done through a 3rd party internet transaction credit card company. After commission they forward the money to the Pharmacy Warehouse company.
- meanwhile the agents automatic website forwards the order to the the Pharmacy Warehouse company.
- They package the 50c of drugs and send them out.
- The commission is forwarded to the agents money account.
- So you have a chain of people, all of which say they haven't committed a crime. The customer has just bought some over-priced drugs.
- The crime is the spam in the first place, but their is no proof to connect the spambot program with the agent. It's as if you bought a handbag off an agent of Gucci website. Gucci would be innocent, the agent would say we are innocent we don't how you came to our website.

- The BBC programme with help of Police and Banks did mange to trace some agents. One was a guy in New Zealand who had previously convicted for Spam. They phoned him and he just said "no, I'm just an agent, I don't send spam" .
- The police can't do anything against guys like him. No laws will work.

- I guess if people had uptodate virus and malware software on their PC it might help with the volume sent out.

- The programme concluded : the only way to stop Spammers sending 160Bn spams a day is never to buy from them.

1. They rip you off : The only way they can justify the risk is by selling products at super inflated prices.
2. You don't need the stuff : I don't know what else they are selling these days besides penis enlargement, viagra types and other wonder drugs, but I am pretty sure we don't need them. If you are concerned about your health go and see a doctor this is the 21st century you don't have to be shy anymore. * see below
3. You'd get better results if you go and buy a sex manual on Amazonbooks.com
4. Health Risks There is a reason why drugs are controlled, it cos they are dangerous to your health. You wouldn't buy tablets from a strange guy on the street why would you trust the same guy over the internet ?
5. Wonder drugs don't work and maybe dangerous -
6. It's cheaper to search : The lowest price doesn't just appear in your emailbox.
7. If it's too good to be true, then it isn't true.

Spotting Spam : Viagra is the popular Spam thing at the moment, but they'll be others in the future : investment scams, wonder diets etc. The basic rule is don't rush, if an an invitation comes from someone you don't know, but sounds a good deal then do your homework checking their reputation and competitors prices. The lowest price is unlikely just appear in your emailbox.

Be Skeptical : a guy in America wakes up in the morning to find this message "Hiya, this is Hilary Clinton, I just wondered if you'd be able to help in my election campaign", The guy spends half a day thinking how to reply to this special invitation .. and then finds out 300,000 people that night in that state had received the same message on their answering machines.

"Doctor my husband, can't screw like he used to before",
- to which the doctor will reply "Mrs Jones
- 1. He smokes 40 cigarettes a day
- 2. He doesn't sleep enough
- 3. He's overweight
- 4. His diet's bad with too much salt and sugar
- 5. He doesn't exercise enough
- 6. He's too stressed
- 7. He needs a holiday
- 8. He probably spends too much time viewing internet porn.
- ....and 9. he's 83
-
- ... and 10. Your neighbour Mrs Smith was in here yesterday saying exactly the same thing about him"

... "I suppose you also expect me to prescribe some wonder drug for him so he can shag like a teenage bunny rabbit ? ... try wearing lipstick in bed and tell him to go easy on the cigarettes. .... oh and make sure his health insurance is upto-date and make sure you know how to do cardiac massage."