Former spammer reveals secrets in new book

StonyandCher writes: A retired spammer is looking to make money from a tell-all book rather than fleecing people dependent on pharmaceuticals and people with gambling problems. In this Computerworld article, "Ed," a retired spammer, predicts the spam problem will only get worse, aided by consumers with dependencies and faster broadband speeds.

From the article: He sent spam to recovering gambling addicts enticing them to gambling Web sites. He used e-mail addresses of people known to have bought antianxiety medication or antidepressants and targeted them with pharmaceutical spam. Response rates to spam tend to be a fraction of 1 percent. But Ed said he once got a 30 percent response rate for a campaign. The product? A niche type of adult entertainment: photos of fully clothed women popping balloons.

"Yes, I know I'm going to hell," said Ed.