Spam or Scam?

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Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:09 pm

In the past year, I have gotten several emails like the one below from many email addresses. They all get past my spam filter.

There are no links, no directions on what to do, no one asking for a reply, nothing.

I just ignore them all.

Now that I have been baiting, I am more suspicious about it. Can anyone tell me about this? Is someone posing as a broker hoping I will reply asking for info, and then I will be asked to 'invest' in this stock? Thanks!

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Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:48:38 -0400
From: <[email protected]>
User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.6 (Windows/20070728)
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To: [email protected]

Quote:

Subject: The News Everyone has been waiting for.

Hot News Finally Hits On ERMX, And It Was Worth The Wait.

EntreMetrix Inc. (ERMX)
$0.089 UP 11.25%

ERMX Acquired Gladiator Challenge. With over 200 recent events, it is
mixed martial arts biggest promoter. One of the first steps in ERMX's
over all plan of Asset expansion to increase dividend opportunities.
Read the release and get all over ERMX Tuesday!

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:13 pm

Just spam.

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:16 pm

Spam intended to creat excitement over penny stocks usually for someone to profit. The stocks are always junk.

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:46 pm

Thx, thought I'd check to make sure. I guess becoming a baiter has made me a slight bit more paranoid! Rolling Eyes

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:49 pm

I get those a lot- they're spam. Usually penny stocks- just plain junk.
Each one is guaranteed to appreciate 300% in 9 months Wink

Usually if you can find the stocks listed on smaller exchanges, eg., Canadian, and the email is NOT asking you to buy shares via WU:wink: - they're just spam.

Regards,

LaBrea

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Aug 2007 Posts: 30

I would call it a "scam" in the sense that many of these email-hyped penny stocks are vehicles for pump-and-dump schemes. Although the promoters are not asking you to send them money directly, they are encouraging you (and lots of others) to put your hard-earned money in this HOT stock. If enough "investors" buy in and drive the price up, they can dump their shares at a huge profit and leave all those suckers holding an empty bag. Seen it happen many times.

BTW, pump-and-dump schemes are also illegal (and, therefore, a scam) but difficult to prove.

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:56 pm

You might see these microcap frauds referred to as Pump-n-Dump schemes.

edit: late by a few seconds ^^^

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:55 pm

As Tommo Shanter would say, Pump and Dump is like... Shocked