[PUBLIC] Spam Befuddlement
So today in my Inbox when I awoke was an email:
Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 13:25:45 +0100
From: "Sustainable Development Scheme"
Sender: unjobs.103@gmail.com
Attachment: filename=UNSDS_JOBS.pdf
POSITIONS OPEN FOR RECRUITMENT.
Its not unusual for me to get more or less cold-call emails regarding job offers, but this didn't seem to be an official UN communication. Whatever else you think of them, the UN is certainly professional in its paperwork's appearance. So I checked out the attached PDF (after a right proper virus scan -- you can never be too careful with complex document formats these days.) It was a long document -- 31 pages, with the UN seal on the header of the first page, claiming to be issued from the UN Sustainable Development Scheme (it takes little effort to discover no such organization or program exists, or appears to have ever existed. The closest is the Division of Sustainable Development, DSD, but they are based off a un.org subdomain.) To my surprise, though, the document doesn't ask for an "application fee" or "suggested donation" or anything similar -- I can only assume those come down the pike after you've responded to the address they tell you to.
The Sender label on the email showed it came from a GMail address, pretty much laying to rest any niggling concerns that we may be dealing with the Real Deal here. So I tried hitting www.unsds.org, to see what was there. Unsurprisingly, there's no webserver running on that domain. So I did a WhoIs on the domain.
Domain ID:D153228542-LROR
Domain Name:UNSDS.ORG
Created On:06-Jul-2008 09:38:27 UTC
Expiration Date:06-Jul-2009 09:38:27 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Advanced Internet Technologies, Inc. (AIT) (R232-LROR)
Status:TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:AITOrgORG13621
Registrant Name:Stephanie . Migliore
Registrant Street1:132 Heald Street
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Carteret
Registrant State/Province:NJ
Registrant Postal Code:07008
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.5075735264
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:rsmith5243@gmail.com
That's gnads of steel or real incompetence right there. Even I don't publish my address and home phone number on my WhoIs listings. Of course, it entirely possible the data is bad in this case, but given the level of technical knowledge shown in other places of this "Scheme", I suspect the address is as right as rain. Checking the public listings, there is indeed a Stephanie Migliore at 132 Heald Street, Carteret, NJ, although the phone number is different (unsurprising -- 507 is in Minnesota.) There's also the question of who rsmith5243@gmail.com is, but I suspect he or she is the owner of the 507 number.
So what do I do? I suppose I could ignore the whole thing, let it drop. I could also place a phone call to Stephanie Migliore or the mysterious Registrant Phone number, and ask what exactly they thought they were doing. I could bundle up all my research and a copy of the original email and send it on to UN Legal, whom I'm sure would be very interested to know that somebody is impersonating them. The first would be the easiest, on the other hand, its Labor Day and I have nothing to do...
Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 13:25:45 +0100
From: "Sustainable Development Scheme"
Sender: unjobs.103@gmail.com
Attachment: filename=UNSDS_JOBS.pdf
POSITIONS OPEN FOR RECRUITMENT.
Its not unusual for me to get more or less cold-call emails regarding job offers, but this didn't seem to be an official UN communication. Whatever else you think of them, the UN is certainly professional in its paperwork's appearance. So I checked out the attached PDF (after a right proper virus scan -- you can never be too careful with complex document formats these days.) It was a long document -- 31 pages, with the UN seal on the header of the first page, claiming to be issued from the UN Sustainable Development Scheme (it takes little effort to discover no such organization or program exists, or appears to have ever existed. The closest is the Division of Sustainable Development, DSD, but they are based off a un.org subdomain.) To my surprise, though, the document doesn't ask for an "application fee" or "suggested donation" or anything similar -- I can only assume those come down the pike after you've responded to the address they tell you to.
The Sender label on the email showed it came from a GMail address, pretty much laying to rest any niggling concerns that we may be dealing with the Real Deal here. So I tried hitting www.unsds.org, to see what was there. Unsurprisingly, there's no webserver running on that domain. So I did a WhoIs on the domain.
Domain ID:D153228542-LROR
Domain Name:UNSDS.ORG
Created On:06-Jul-2008 09:38:27 UTC
Expiration Date:06-Jul-2009 09:38:27 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Advanced Internet Technologies, Inc. (AIT) (R232-LROR)
Status:TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:AITOrgORG13621
Registrant Name:Stephanie . Migliore
Registrant Street1:132 Heald Street
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Carteret
Registrant State/Province:NJ
Registrant Postal Code:07008
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.5075735264
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:rsmith5243@gmail.com
That's gnads of steel or real incompetence right there. Even I don't publish my address and home phone number on my WhoIs listings. Of course, it entirely possible the data is bad in this case, but given the level of technical knowledge shown in other places of this "Scheme", I suspect the address is as right as rain. Checking the public listings, there is indeed a Stephanie Migliore at 132 Heald Street, Carteret, NJ, although the phone number is different (unsurprising -- 507 is in Minnesota.) There's also the question of who rsmith5243@gmail.com is, but I suspect he or she is the owner of the 507 number.
So what do I do? I suppose I could ignore the whole thing, let it drop. I could also place a phone call to Stephanie Migliore or the mysterious Registrant Phone number, and ask what exactly they thought they were doing. I could bundle up all my research and a copy of the original email and send it on to UN Legal, whom I'm sure would be very interested to know that somebody is impersonating them. The first would be the easiest, on the other hand, its Labor Day and I have nothing to do...