Just got this email. Interesting twist on an old scam. Shame on them for targeting the unemployed on top of it all.

--------- scam email below --------- Dear Prospective Representative,

I am looking for someone to employ in the position of a Personal

Assistant for me part time or fulltime. I need someone who would attend

seminars and conferences all expense paid, receive and handle phone

calls. YOu would also receive and issue payments on my behalf as at when

due (Utility bills and allowances), These payments are in form of bank

transfers and they would be paid into your Bank Account or a designated

account.

JOB DESCRIPTION?

1. Receive payment and issue payments.

2. Receive and make phone calls

3. Receive and forward letters and documents.

4. Attend seminars and conferences, not mandatory. But there is extra

pay for attendance.

HOW MUCH YOU WILL EARN?

The pay is on contract basis.. It depends on how much work and efficiency

with which you work.

The pay is very lucrative.

ADVANTAGES

You do not have to leave your house unless there is a seminar or

conference to attend. And attending such comes with great reward and

benefit.

NOTE

You must be located in the UNITED STATES.

If you are interested, please signify your interest by

sending your full name,address and phone number. I will be expecting to

hear from you as your utmost consent will be awaited.

Regards....

ROBERT FLAX

We all get a lot of spam.  Most of it is filtered by gmail for me (we use google apps for email).  One got through and the irony is really pretty sweet.  Read on and I am sure it will be clear why.  BTW this is at least the second exact same email I have gotten in a week.  I especially like that their mechanism to be removed from the list is a link to an email with no directions as to what to say/do.

I went to their home page, and at the very bottom is a whole lot of white space (lots of BR tags), then a login blurb for some reason, then a counter! Yes a counter.  I haven't seen a counter on a corporate site in a good long time.  BTW it is at 93371 (I reloaded a few times just for old times sake).

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I just relaunched my Spam Stock Tracker web site.  New design, more data, links to other useful sites and more importantly I am starting with a fresh batch of data to track.

My last batch of stocks ended in near total disaster.  I think I lost 90% of the value or more.  Plus most are out of business or simply changed too many times for me to track.

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This summer we should be seeing some good press for my Spam Stock Tracker.  Be on the look out for Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine as well as something from Consumer Reports.

On a side note I have done a quick update to the design, and plan on adding more features to the site shortly.  A lot of the spam is from old ticker symbols that have changed (though the values are all real time).  Any suggestions, let me know.

As many of you know I run a spam stock tracking site that is somewhat popular. For the most part these securities seem to get a pass regarding the spam. It is hard to tell who is pushing the spam and if the companies are directly responsible.

Looks like the Securities and Exchange Commission is finally taking a stand called "Operation Spamalot". According to this article they have suspended 35 securities due to the spam.

Just how obvious was the manipulation? From the article:

"In one case, shares of Apparel Manufacturing Associates Inc. (APPM) closed at 6 cents, with a trading volume of 3,500 shares on Dec. 15.

After a weekend spamming campaign distributed e-mails proclaiming "Huge news expected out on APPM, get in before the wire, we're taking it all the way to $1.00," trading volume on Dec. 18 hit 484,568 shares with the price spiking to over 19 cents per share.

The price reached 45 cents on Dec. 20, before falling back to 10 cents on trading volume of 65,350 shares on Dec. 27."

Thanks to daddy Dan for the heads up.

Update: Dan sent me a more detailed article. Here are a list of companies affected.

Many people are theorizing the increase in spam stocks lately. Is it Pump and Dump? Is it to position for Shorting the stock? Is the company doing it, or are they blameless?

I just got this email today. In it they offer to affect stock prices for a fee! This is the first time I have seen the overt offer that is triggering all the spam. Why did they send to me? Who knows. It is an email address unrelated to this blog or my spam stock tracker site.

Email in yellow box now. Note the email at the end to write too.

Joshua Cyr 866.870.6358 www.besavvy.com

For all those people interested in my Spam Stock Tracker site, it was mentioned in Economist Magazine this month. You can read the story here.

In related news I am getting more stock spam email than ever lately. I keep going back and forth from frustrated to impressed by the volume.

It is easy to look at sites like mine and say 'of course you wouldn't buy that penny stock'.  But we all know people do it.  Probably your cousin, secret invisible friend, or boss.  Maybe even you have been tempted.  I mean, you never know right?

I just got another email from a reader with his own story.  Buyer beware, and if you are one of the people who did buy, your not alone.  Just don't do it again.  That is, unless it is 'HOT' and ready to 'break' or perhaps a 'Micro Cap Miracle'.

Update: My spell checker recommends the stock symbol below (FPPL) as 'fool'. Too funny.

Hey, good website/blog.  I got directed to you via an article about spam OTC stock "tips".  The reason that it caught my eye is because I got sucked into one of these about two months ago.  I received the 'tip' on my earthlink email (since canceled) that indicated to me that FPPL (first petroleum and pipeline) was about to go 'big time'.  So I looked at the stock on my Ameritrade website, saw that it was indeed on the upswing, and bought 2000 shares at a total cost of 510.00 (not a HUGE investment...but hey, 500 skins can buy some cool stuff....mountain bike, stereo, etc.).  Well today that stock is worth about 12 bucks...a net change of -97%.

I'm pissed at myself, mostly...but more ticked off at the company itself and the email promoters, whoever they are/were.  I'm holding the stock now, because it would be foolish to sell it for 12 dollars, in the hope that i might get at least a few bucks back on it.  Thanks for your little 'experiment' however...although a little late for me, I hope it will resonate with some other would be suckers.

As of 1:30pm I have received 42 spam stock emails today.  42 in one day.  The bulk for EGLY.  The email I got was sent to all various email addresses I have, not just one.  It is out of control.

The five day chart for them shows a big drop from 2.6 to 2.00 on Tuesday morning, and it is crawling back up today currently at 2.48.  Just about the same time the emails came out.  Hmm.  According to the email, by next month it should be at $5.00.  check out my spam stock tracker site to keep track and see just how well its doing.