Posted by Mr Spamalicious | Posted in Vanity Spam - Who's Who Directories, Awards and Other Ego Strokers | Posted on 07-22-2010
This one is interesting because they use a a big JPG image to present the information and uses gibberish in the HTML to get past the spam filters. Oh Canterbury, what a clever scoundrel you are! You can check out their application form in this handy PDF file.
First the image…
Now the hidden HTML text:
Invitation to Canterbury Who's Who update your e-mail settings opt out here canterbury who's who image needs to be turned on for complete offer and contact info Send looked blue gave for home. Paper region egg piece effect govern. Through black spend while pound tiny. Among chick worry poor answecry. Mine hit cough late stick step sshall son. Something job across must stone remain figure. Baby instrument certain event knew wild engine school. Matter one method loud case race. Process plan locate village. Box avoid road cough sun. Better catch green search bread together. Cold father helped wait thing supply would. Back reflect hurt steel. Hold valley cloud probable depend remain cover. Called energy equate start ease. Belong land will when jump too. Describe verb fall material letter. Turned melody clear vowel will. Short why term it fit operate.
Can anyone tell me how to report this f-ing business? It’s driving me nuts.
Thanks.
I thought I’d have fun with this and filled it out. I actually got a call from a girl who did a questionairre.
Eventually, she told me I was accepted and quoted an $800 package.
I said no money, and she came up with a $500 deal. Again, no money, then a new $250 deal.
She eventually layered it down to $50. very persistent. I said, “your email says no cost to join.” she said that I could have a simple listing and that I would be included.
Never heard back.
Big ego scam.
Thanks Don for giving it a go and reporting back.
Susanne Dunlap these are your reporting options:
419@419scam.org
Forward the message and in the subject line start with [419] then leave the text there or change it but [419] must be in the subject line.
thank you for this information. This group has definitely gotten annoying.
go to Better business bureau type in better business bureau in google and type in that business it will rate it and if it’s not in your area send you to the BBB branch that you can report it. I just got the e-mail from I am assuming careerbuilder.com and a third party but it went to junk mail and I googled the company and found this site.
you guys are stupid. Cantebury didnt write that html, it was modified by the email publisher. Cantebury doesnt mail their own offer, its pubbed out through affiliate networks. If you have a problem, contact the owner of the sending domain and ask to be removed from their list.
PS, get a life
Yeah, like that would work. It’s all spoofed addresses.. a complete shell game. The whole thing is a scam from top to bottom. Canterbury is the head of the snake, so yes that’s who you should whack. And yes Canterbury is responsible because it’s their affiliate program and they are the ones who wrote the code and supplied all images and the instructions.
So you go get a life mister smarty pants!
Nice one! From a fellow already-have-a-life anti Canterbury Scam. Even their name suggests how spammy they are…Can’t bury!
Wow – look who’s being the stupid one. What is your problem? Are you one of the scammers who is having his profit margin squashed by these great sites that report your abuse? Or were you had by a scammer and feel like a jack tard for being had? Something is definitely wrong with you, just speculating on what it might be.
Just got one. There really s/b a place to report these creeps where there are actual consequences. Most agencies are so loaded up w/reports, they really can’t get to most of them. Maybe we should just start a website called, “Get a life,” and list all the spam-holes.
I just got this email this morning. Thanks for having this information available; I was more than skeptical, and had no intention of “applying,” but still . . .
Sheesh.
Well, since I’m relatively new 2 the internet, I ALLOWED MYSELF 2 B SUCKERED N2 OPENING THIS SITE. It didn’t appear n my SPAM so I thought I was safe 2 open, & even apply, simply, & then ESPECIALLY since I repeatedly saw the word FREE! Next time, I’LL B EVEN MORE SELECTIVE, no matter how many times I c the word FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi, I got this to and I am always wary when the company name is not in the email address, so I googled and came across your diary.
I know all the rubbish words are spam but can you please explain what these words are used for?
Thanks!
The gibberish is used to fool the spam filters. Since it’s actual words, but meaningless, the spam filters can’t assign a pattern to the language and use it as a marker to catch it or any variations of it. And since it’s gibberish it won’t trigger off any previous spam algorithms either. If they would have used the text in the image as readable html text, your spam filter could easily assign a marker to it and stop subsequent sending of it. So a human can read the text in the image just fine but a spam filter can’t. However, we can’t see the gibberish, but the spam filter can. Two different tactics in the same email. I hope that makes sense.
It’s time for spam filters to employ photo recognition software.
Google gmail filter catches it, I only saw it because I check my junk mail to be sure good mail didn’t get dumped into it.
Google is probably using a more sophisticated database to identify it as spam ( IP, routing, etc). They (Google) have more computational abilities and a greater access to information than anyone else in the world.
Hi I have received this email too just now. It was so appealing. But I just got curious and opted to make a search first. Thank God for your site I was cleared.
Has anyone actually applied for the “free” listing a comp gifts? If so to what end?
Taking advantage a ‘free’ offer from a scam company will only invite trouble. However, if you want to find out please report back your findings.
I just play along, if you fill the form they will call you. The call me, and after 15 mins of getting your profile, you get to the payment part. What card do u prefer? expiration date? .. well I stop there. The price of fame, lifetime 889, 5 years 689, you still say no, 3 years 200. Well I got bored and just say no, no, no, they hang up. I live outside US so it was a good opportunity to use my english,
.
Funny stuff. Apparently these telemarketers are not working from a tight script. Probably have a broad, “get as much as you can” directive from the boss man.
I sent something back not expecting any free gifts and bthere is no way I will send any money. I figured there is no harm and it will pad my resume.
Hi. I hope everything is ok.
The importance of any email without real address (no appear in google maps) and a suspect company relationships(no credit or real links prove the content), sounds fake at first instance. Before to use my money, everybody can make the own research… have a nice day
What timing. I’m pursuing my MBA and I’m needing all the help I can get in sprucing up my resume and I get this one. I’m glad I did some research.
My email had an address on it, so I Googled it. The address appears to be an abandoned lot. I didn’t trust it anyway, since I never heard of the Canterbury Who’s Who. Some people will do anything for a buck…
Hi,
I, too, got this today. I noticed right off that I couldn’t click any links.
Also, the company on the bottom of the email is not the same as the Who Who is.
I searched Google for info and came right to your site.
Glad I did! Goes to show you what ends some people
will go to to hurt others!
Yep, got this one just now and immediately Google’d and found this site. Love it!
However, I also just received an email yesterday from “Americas Career Center” which was also identified as spam on other blogs, but did not find it referenced on Spam Diary. Any chance you guys can look into this one as well?
Thanks Jason. How this site works is I just post spam that I feel is particularly interesting for various reasons or one that is clearly a global phenomenon. Since I have so many active email accounts I know when a new piece of spam is hitting big because I get them to every address. However, this is not an authoritative guide on all things spam. It’s more about spam from a psychological and cultural perspective and I only post spam I personally receive. It’s also completely updated by myself and this is non paying labor of love. So unfortunately there are no “guys” to look into it. It’s just me, Mr. Spamalicious.
So, what happens if you accept? And submit ur info?
A little elf comes over to your house and kicks you in the nuts of course!
Ha Ha gotta love that elf.
Can we send the elf to the spammers’ nuts?
Thanks for your labor of love. You deserve a medal. I would never open this email – my ego left long ago.
It’s along the same lines as Madison’s Who’s Who……
WORTHLESS
Google maps show it as an EMPTY LOT.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=180+FREEMAN+ST.,+ISLIP,+Y+11751&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=180+Freeman+Ave,+Islip,+NY+11751&gl=us&ei=X3X5TOqANsT38Aawy7CWCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ8gEwAA
Hi there,
Thank you for posting this.
I received an invitation today, but sent back a “No thank-you” because the site looks almost like Stanfords Who’s Who, which already suckered me!
I told them how it seems “so much like Stanfords Who’s Who.” It will be interesting if they respond!
You were recently chosen as a potential candidate to represent your professional community in the 2010/2011 Canterbury Who’s Who Registry
among Executives, Professionals & Entrepreneurs.
We are pleased to inform you that your candidacy was approved. Your prompt response is needed to ensure your correct professional information. For accuracy purposes, please be sure to visit your, personal website to verify your biographical informaion.
Remember, there is no cost to be included.
Click here On behalf of the Managing Director, we look forward to your appearance
in this year’s edition.
Best wishes for continued success.
Sincerely,
Marissa Karlson
Profile Coordinator
Canterbury Who’s Who
180 Freeman Street
Islip, NY 11751
unsubscribe
Thanks for catching this. Thought it might be worth just having another link to my website out there. I know that even the official directories try to charge people to buy them after they are listed.
After going through the posts here, I checked out their address. According to Google Maps, there isn’t even a Freeman St. in Islap, NY. Only a Freeman Ave. and a Freeman Rd.
Google maps show it as an EMPTY LOT.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=180+FREEMAN+ST.,+ISLIP,+Y+11751&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=180+Freeman+Ave,+Islip,+NY+11751&gl=us&ei=X3X5TOqANsT38Aawy7CWCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ8gEwAA
George Ogilvie wrote this earlier. It is common to have a bogus address, name, etc. These are cybergames. View 419scam.org for further information. If you 419 someone online it is the same as page 6ing them in print! Enjoy the game
I actually received an unsoliciated phone call from this lot and the guy was very hard sell regarding the qualifications for acceptance. I had some extra time, so I enlightened him with a minimal amount of vague information about myself, as well as my company.
Not surprisingly, I was accepted and then came the sell. Similiar to what was mentioned by “Don” (9/17/10) above, the refused $800.00 package continued downward from a wooden laser inscribed plaque to an offer of a “nominal $50.00″ package that had a paper certificate. After refusing that also, the guy just hung up on me!
I laughed to myself because if someone with an “8th Grade Diploma” who worked for a company that cleared “almost $35,000.00 last year” can qualify for this “honor” how can it not be legit?? ;o)
People running this type of scam, who prey on the vulnerable – to borrow a line used by Nels Oleson from the television series, Little House on the Prairie – “Should be put in a cage, led thru the center of town and fed with a stick”!!
Thanks for relaying your experience R.P.D.L.! Love that last line!!
A check of the Suffolk County GIS map for this address shows that it’s an empty lot that’s owned by The Town of Islip, parcel number 0500249000200028001. And a WHOIS domain search lists the registrant as:
Jim Hobbs
1001 16th Street #106
Denver, Colorado 80265
United States
The phone number associated with this registration is 949-436-9411, which is in Laguna Beach, CA.
I can’t help it. I’m a private investigator
George
just recieved a phone call from a “Lynne A.” wanting to ‘interview’ me over the phone before I could be ‘qualified’, and called me at work no less! She asked could she interview me on my lunch break? Well, no. She left me this #516-535-1515 to call her at a more convenient time for this interview (ext#1244)
I’m so very glad for internet – without it, some of us more ‘olderly folk’ would be clueless as to just how agressive spamming has become; they sound so Official and look so Impressive to the total and semi-computer illiterate persons. Greatly apprecieate sites like this one, who are a Great Help to us all.
You are quite welcome. Exposure is the best defense against scammers as they can only succeed under cover of ignorance. Except for the people who keep sending their money to Nigeria to get their multi-million dollar inheritance. They are without hope and no amount of information will protect them from getting shafted.
Heidi,
You really can’t complain that they called you at work since you were the one that provided them with the number.
Sorry
I just searched that phone # at YP.com and got 2 returns ;Empire Executive & Professional Registry Inc
1539 Franklin Ave, Mineola, NY 11501 » Map (516) 535-1515
0.0 stars Be the first to review
Empire Who’s Who
498 Rxr Plz, Uniondale, NY 11556 (516) 535-1515
0.0 stars Be the first to review
I haven’t gone any further ,have to get to work.
might google map them latter.
So I got this email and for once decided to screw with the spammers.
Well, I just called the 516-535-1515 number and got “Lynne A.”‘s voicemail. I left my message stating that I am John W. from Canterbury Who’s Who and that she had been selected as a potential candidate to represent her professional community. I left the NY federal district courts number. Hopefully she’ll have a fun call to make on Monday.
For those interested, Canterburys website also has a broken MySQL query….
http://www.canterburywhoswho.com/
You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ‘s+who&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&ei=hjwNTd3QB9ONnQfopbjRDg’,”,’NA’,'cww’,'cne’ at line 3
Priceless!
OK, I had to laugh when I read Mr. Spamalicious’s retort to Tod’s query “What happens if you accept and submit your info?” Mr. Spamalicious writes, “A little elf comes over to your house and kicks you in the nuts of course!” Ha ha ha ha! Must not be one of Santa’s elves — or perhaps it’s one of Santa’s elves gone bad?!? Mr. S., your headshot is something else!! Glad I got the spam email; otherwise, I wouldn’t have tripped into this humorous site.
Thanks. My head shot is quite awesome. It took Sears portrait studio a half an hour just to light it correctly. Then they tried to charge me a “over sized head” fee. Bastards!
Thank you for this wonderful service you provide. I was suspicious and googled “Canterbury” and your site came up first – you do a great job and I will be checking your spamdiary site often.
Thanks for this site. You’ve saved me from yet another scam. I wish we, as internet users, could impose some meaningful penalty on scammers like this.
Just how many times have you been scammed on the internet? Just wondering.
Thanks for having this info available. It came to me this morning, and though it looked much more professional that the usual spam that makes it past our formidable fire wall, I just had to wonder that I would have been “nominated” when I am simply a middle-level compliance burocrat (hardly the type of person others want to give recognition to
Always gotta ask yourself, “Why am I getting this offer?”
I can’t understand why you would be nominated if you cant even spell bureaucrat…..LOL
Hey now. That one’s just plain mean. Bureaucrat is difficult to spell. Especially for a burocrat.
Ok, now I’m being mean. See what you made me do!
Heck, as for spelling, the latest garbage coming through under the name of Cantebury says “your invited”…not “you’re”.
At this point I assume that my address has been sold to many different spam “distributors”. They are coming from dozens of different addresses. I’m guessing they are given something every time someone actually clicks on the url. As for myself, I assume ANYTHING that comes through is bogus, unless I’m familiar with the sender.
Mr. S. -
I have received a few dozen of the Canterbury Who’s Who emails over the past month or so – at least one a day. Finally decided to Google it and came up with your site, of course.
“Obviously this is a scam, as are all the Who’s Who offers I have received over the years by snail mail as well as the more recent emailed ones. I happen to be a licensed professional but I have always worked for others so my name has never been on anything that has been published or built. I am in a professional fraternity that very few people have heard of. I have never – really – done anything noteworthy in my professional career. And my college degree isn’t even related to my profession. Oh – and I have never had a website (wouldn’t know how, can’t figure out why) nor am I on ANY social networking sites.
All these facts have always made me wonder why anyone would want to put me in a Who’s Who directory – something that actually meant something 30 or 40 years ago. Nowadays, it is just a way for them” to get more of your personal information – which just opens the door to more identity theft, burglary and, of course, more spam!
So – for those of you who thought that it couldn’t hurt to respond to the offer or to actually give them your personal info – think again! How often do you think you should put your name and/or phone number on the internet? Considering how easy it is for ANYONE to do a reverse look-up on your phone number, then Google-earth or Mapquest it. After all, it probably didn’t take much for many of you to figure out that the address in the email was an empty lot. Your real address is just as easy to discover.
Thanks again, Mr. S., for maintaining this website and doing the research as a Labor of Love. You deserve a medal! And all the spammers out there deserve to be hanged by their thumbs until gangrene sets in – then coated with honey and left on an ant hill as the main course – or dessert – I don’t care which. Don’t you wish there were some EASY way to put the spammers on each others’ lists?
Ah well, I suppose it is the price we pay for freedom of speech and the anonymity of the internet, right?
Ahhhh, the sweet benefits of underachievement. I immediately knew that no legitimate “Who’s who” would include a broke, unpublished writer.
Silver linings are everywhere!
I am a broke, unpublished writer as well and, like Amy, just received this “invitation” … they are apparently preying upon writers who have submitted their works to Agents, obviously supposing we are desperate enough to stoop to a fake inclusion somewhere in order to beg someone to read our work. Fuggeddaboudit Canterbury. The world can just download one more vampire book to its Kindle if that’s what it wants, and we, the unwashed, unpublished-but-morally-intact will just open one more can of soup …. at least we’re not stupid enough to fall for such a ploy ….
On behalf of the Managing Director, we look forward to your appearance
in this year’s edition.
Best wishes for continued success.
Sincerely,
Marissa Karlson
Profile Coordinator
Canterbury Who’s Who
180 Freeman Street
Islip, NY 11751
the hidden html included everything except the “secret” handshake..ha
Figured was just another scam… amazing how pathetic so many are these days to have their name on “a List” and their title extended with more points of expertise… whatever happened to honesty and modesty? Thanks!
Looks like Canterbury changed in 2011 and is now Business Who’s Who. My wife just got the same e-mail without all the freebies for signing up, but the exact same picture and M.O. The domain is http://www.businesswhowho.org again registered to Mr. Hobbs at the same address in Denver, with the same phone number in Laguna, CA.
Thanks also good to know
LOL, at least they had the courtesy of filling out the form! I just got this literal message today:
{Today’s date}
Dear {Name}
Then the usual blarney
Funny, I’m such a distinguished candidate that they don’t know my name!
he he
i got this email from them at least 20 times already
so i finally decided to check them out
to no great surprise i found out that it is a spam
ehh life is hard, huh?
take care folks and dont trust the dark side
I got this request in my e-mail box. Thanks for setting up this web site. I always become suspicious when they say it’s free. It comes under the heading of too good to be true. I just Googled is it free and up you came. Again thanks.
DCA
This is really funny, did anybody tried to Google the address on Google Maps? Try it, it comes out on a vacant piece of land in the middle of nowhere, it is located next to a pistol range, across the street from what it looks like a motor cross dirt tract and some big warehouse. So what kind of legitimate business runs out of a vacant piece of land in the middle of nowhere?? Too funny. Folks do you research before you even go to their website or click on any of their links. They may carry viruses as well. Trust me, I almost got a very bad one a long time ago from a scam that looked like a true thing. Do yourself this favor. Hope this helped you.
This popped up in my Yahoo! Spam folder today. Having been in receipt of similar Who’s Who email scams in the past, I knew it was bogus, and was from a “Notifications@beezul.com”.
Right under it in my spam folder was a message from “eHarmony”. The originating email address? Right.
Looks like Yahoo’s spam filter is doing its job.
The above address was “beejul.com”.
Typed too fast.
I received the email today and deleted it as soon as I Binged it. As I didn’t apply to join their little who’s who I figured it for a scam. Kind of like the BS email I received last week soliciting for my credit card info. That email got forwarded to the FCC. If you can’t make your money in a legit fashion, stay broke. Jack tards.
Yeah, I don’t mince words – being a Marine I find it saves time and energy.
The big tipoff is at the beginning. They don’t know my NAME. If an email says “Hello Ken Jones” it’s more likely to be legit.
Got sucked into opening the first email I got from them because the name listed as the sender was the same as our human resources person, and the subject line was “update your biography.” The images did’t show up on my phone, but when I pulled it up, I had to laugh! The “invitation” began with “Dear{Name}…”
Thanks for all the info. My corporate (baracudda) filter seems to let this one go by all the time, now i will report to 411!
I put the email to good use. I recently had a Craig’s list buyer? show interest in a bunk bed. by second email it was an obvious phishing attempt using two gmail accounts. I have signed them up for Canterbury – let a snake bite it’s tail.
Thank you guys so much for this! I received this just this morning and was so confused. I get it now…what’s more, the pic on their website is so blurry. A real company wouldn’t have a pic that blurry
I just got this email today too. I am always skeptical of any emails I receive unless I know for sure who it is from. After reading your comments, I reported it to 419scam.org. It will be interesting to see what happens.
A little more interesting information. Check out the address they provide: 180 Freeman street, Islip, New York. When you pull up the address you’ll discover a vacant lot with nothing but a communications tower on it. Lol. These guys are really pretty pathetic.
I got this one today and found it interesting that Marissa Karlson, the Profile Coordinator who it was coming from had it sent to me by Lisa Smith . Hmmm – that’s what clued me in. Oh, and wait – that at the bottom it says “This message was edited by: Lisa Smith’s Daily Picks for MDM Inc.” And what does the bottom say about who MDM is? Some place in Port-Louis, Mauritius. All that should be enough to make people suspicious. I WISH Miss Lisa had my number and called me … I’d start messing with her like asking her about what kind of underwear she was wearing today and if they were crotchless panties or not … If scammers ahd phone frauds want to be a pain – I say have some fun back with them at their expense.
BTW – thanks for this site … I’m glad I looked into it and read all the interesting/funny comments.
Oops – this got left out of the above comment … that Lisa Smith’s email address is friend@mycouponworld.com … So Lisa is moonlighting for CWW while she’s supposed to be working at My Coupon World? Shame on her …
I think she needs to be given a good ole fashioned wedgie to REALLY get her panties in a bunch …
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