tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post5714396748794418539..comments2024-03-14T10:31:26.918+00:00Comments on DCblog: On identifying phishermenDChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-59958680111369485442011-08-13T06:51:09.858+00:002011-08-13T06:51:09.858+00:00I think a lot of this sort of thing arises from th...I think a lot of this sort of thing arises from the omission of grammar in school English curricula over the last few decades - in Australia at least. Spelling is another matter :-(Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-450581904689058192011-07-27T16:18:19.332+00:002011-07-27T16:18:19.332+00:00I have become fascinated by the comments left on m...I have become fascinated by the comments left on my blog posts by 'spambots', precisely because the language they use is so weird and arcane and nonsensical: "That is a super-peachy-keen post. Thanks for really blathering on like that! Seriously, I don’t think I could have spent more effort wishing for something heavy to fall on me to erase that nonsense from my mind!"<br /><br />http://www.quicksilvertranslate.com/2213/best-of-spambotsJohn Z. Komurkihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362739306769423706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-86244260133611305622011-07-23T21:21:42.696+00:002011-07-23T21:21:42.696+00:00That's a really interesting example, Stuart. M...That's a really interesting example, Stuart. Many thanks.<br /><br />The spam examples are less interesting, linguistically, precisely because they are so obvious.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-71119665318783492772011-07-23T10:50:48.549+00:002011-07-23T10:50:48.549+00:00This is certainly the case in French. This extract...This is certainly the case in French. This extract is a typical example from the dozens of emails in my "courrier indésirable" folder: <br />'Cher client Paypal, Votre compte a ete signale au hasard dans notre systeme une partie de nos mesures de securite de routine. C'est un must de veiller a ce que vous etes le seul a avoir acces et l'usage de votre PayPal compte et a garantir la securite de PayPal experience. Nous avons besoin de tous les comptes battant pavillon de verifier leur des informations sur le fichier avec nous. Pour verifier votre information a ce moment-la, s'il vous plait visitez notre serveur securise par formulaire en cliquant sur le lien ci-dessous'<br />Note total absence of accents, scrambled grammar and what look like translation howlers (the weird "comptes battant pavillon", for example). No spelling mistakes, however!Stuart Brownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-85385757175121473182011-07-22T23:05:42.374+00:002011-07-22T23:05:42.374+00:00I often receive emails of much a more obviously du...I often receive emails of much a more obviously dubious nature with subjects such as "750 is a Gr eat Score! | Check Y our Credi t Sco re for $0!"R A Harlessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-17931443389682744722011-07-22T00:08:43.871+00:002011-07-22T00:08:43.871+00:00That wasn't my question.Of course phishing is ...That wasn't my question.Of course phishing is widespread across languages. The question was whether phishers in other languages can be detected through their use of non-standard forms.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-9094465774790656222011-07-21T11:57:43.423+00:002011-07-21T11:57:43.423+00:00I have no doubt that spelling mistakes and poor gr...I have no doubt that spelling mistakes and poor grammar can significantly damage a company's online sales. The report in question, however, hinges on the speculation of one person who assessed data from one website, presumably without paying due heed to many relevant variables. So the estimated cost, as far as I can see, is utterly unreliable.<br /><br />I'd like to see a proper study into this. I know of none, aside from a survey the Royal Mail carried out along these lines some years ago.Stanhttp://stancarey.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-4043210217355445282011-07-21T07:57:52.171+00:002011-07-21T07:57:52.171+00:00The short answer to your question as to whether ph...The short answer to your question as to whether phishing occurs in other languages is, yes. I suspect that tools such as Google Translate may be playing a role in this, and have written about the subject in more detail on my blog:<br />www.cneifiwr-emlyn.blogspot.comCneifiwrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08767078276794410524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-12340192498898086612011-07-19T17:28:31.042+00:002011-07-19T17:28:31.042+00:00Yes, I was thinking of the SfEP when I made that c...Yes, I was thinking of the SfEP when I made that comment. However, I should perhaps point out that I do not publicize my professional links with organizations on my blog, so your final exclamation mark is unnecessary.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-43030558158042435052011-07-19T13:24:25.871+00:002011-07-19T13:24:25.871+00:00You say: 'Quite clearly, firms need to employ ...You say: 'Quite clearly, firms need to employ proof-readers if they sense they have a deficiency in the spelling department. There are plenty of free-lancers out there willing to help.'<br /><br />Perhaps it wouldn't be inappropriate here to mention that a directory of more than 440 such freelances (my preferred spelling)<br />can be found at www.sfep.org.uk/directory - the website of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders of which you are honorary vice president!Nancy Duinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-14745381263528020882011-07-18T20:13:28.214+00:002011-07-18T20:13:28.214+00:00Well agreed... but your messages don't help. I...Well agreed... but your messages don't help. Is the implication that one should do nothing, therefore? I take the view that we need to publicize these issues as widely as possible, to increase awareness. And who knows, issues of this kind may actually motivate learners to go that extra mile in acquiriing a sense of what counts as standard English.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-7490760116512543762011-07-18T16:59:42.960+00:002011-07-18T16:59:42.960+00:00What you say is fair but I suspect that quite a lo...What you say is fair but I suspect that quite a lot of phishing is sent to people who do not have English as their mother tongue and might not spot the mistakes.Peter Harveyhttp://www.lavengrobooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-63253131408315875532011-07-18T14:11:06.202+00:002011-07-18T14:11:06.202+00:00Professor Crystal:
The examples you give underlin...Professor Crystal:<br /><br />The examples you give underline the problem; however, each of them - to be flagged as spurious by the reader - presupposes a level of sophistication which cannot, sadly, be presumed. At the other end of the spectrum, many of these bogus attempts to steal our money are very sophisticated, and assume an equal, or greater level of sophistication, to be found out. In the end, the old caveat remains true: Let the buyer beware.<br /><br />Marc Leavitt<br />marc1940@verizon.netMarc Leavittnoreply@blogger.com