*Important* info regarding Magazine Ad; where to complain

[Doug Yanega]

> >   From: yoshio at osak.ac.jp,agc03445 at niftyserv.or.jp,agc03455 at niftyserv.or.
> >          jp,abd03395 at niftyserv.or.jp,nak at sinnica.edu.tu,chu at aoone.net.au
> >          ,jt-w at dialicks.co.nz,harry at nitec.ac.jp,leeni at osaka.ac.jp,gar at un
> >          ee.edu,seng at pll.my,ox04894 at niftyserv.or.jp,er at pl.my,jh at bn.net
> >          (Yoshio Koseki)

Taxacom has just been visited by one of THE most despised and long-lived
e-mail spam-scams known. The header information is *all* forged, there is
in fact NOWHERE you can complain directly (no one at UNEE.edu has anything
to do with it, nor anyone in Japan), and certainly do not reply to TAXACOM.
If you want to know more details, read on:

For those of us - ANY of us who are disturbed by mass commercial
advertisements, the FIRST step is to look for messages in the newsgroup
news.admin.net-abuse.misc
to see what is being done, if anything, about the message in question
(since, as a rule, THOUSANDS of copies are sent out, and as such are fair
game for automatic cancellation - I'll bet most of you were unaware that
the Net had an "immune system" keeping the newsgroups relatively
Spam-free). In the present case, there is NOWHERE to complain, because
if you trace this ad, it goes back to krazykev at kjl.com; the postmaster at
kjl.com *IS* krazykev (his name is Kevin Jay Lipsitz, in Staten Island, New
York, and he has forged some 100+ false identities and false accounts in
the months he's been running his e-mail scams). This particular person is
one of the most remorseless and devious entities on the Internet, and has
even taken to scanning the Net for articles written about his activities,
and illegally forging cancellations of those incriminating messages to
cover his tracks. About the only person who can lodge a complaint in this
case is the TAXACOM list manager, to wherever his feed is coming from.
Folks like "Krazy Kevin" make a *living* parasitizing the Net, though, so
it's very hard to track them down or stop them completely.
   One thing I *should* point out for reference, is that complaining about
off-topic *content* is often viewed as the weakest possible argument for
disciplinary action on the Net; either the message must represent an
illegal activity (the most common are pyramid schemes), or it must be part
of a mass-mailing (most easily spotted when there is a LONG list of
cross-posted newsgroups in the header; TRUST me, this particular message
has *dozens* of people trying to stop its proliferation) to generate any
genuine
intervention by administrators. Complaints based on content are, perhaps
correctly, viewed as censorship. There is a war being fought over this,
much of it behind the scenes (again, just like an immune system), but a
war nonetheless which will determine the future of the Internet.
Sincerely,






>X-Sender: yoshio at osak.ac.jp (Unverified)
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>Approved: moderator
>X-Priority: 1 (Highest)
>Date:         Mon, 6 Nov 1995 01:05:40 +0900
>Reply-To: set at UNEE.EDU
>Sender: Biological Systematics Discussion List <TAXACOM at CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU>
>Comments:     RFC822 error: <W> More than one sender was specified. Second and
>              following senders discarded.
>From: set at UNEE.EDU
>Comments: To: yoshio at osak.ac.jp
>To: Multiple recipients of list TAXACOM <TAXACOM at CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU>
>
> (Association of International Students, Executive Board of Directors,
> Japan Chapter)
>Subject: ===>> FREE 1 yr. Magazine Sub sent worldwide- 295+ Popular USA Titles
>
>-----> NOTE:   Please first read my note which appears below the "Request
>for more info Form."  Then, to get more info, just fill out the "Request
>for More Info" form completely and email it back to the company.  To make
>it easier for you to reply, I have put their address in the "Reply-To"
>field, which means you can just use your email software to reply to this
>message in order to get that address to pop-up in your "To:" field. <-----
>
>
>*------------cut here-----------------------------------------------*
>REQUEST FOR MORE INFO:  please return *only* this section only via
>internet email to:
>
>potential_new_members_FREE_catalogue_by-email at 0.5.5.1.7.6.9.8.1.7.1.tpc.int
>
>Sorry, but incomplete forms *will not* be acknowledged.  If you do not
>have an email address, or access to one, they will not be able to help you
>until you do have one.  If you saw this message, then you should have one.  :)
>
>Name:
>Internet email address:
>Smail home address:
>City-State-Zip:
>Country:
>Work Tel. #:
>Work Fax #:
>Home Tel. #:
>Home Fax #:
>Name of USA mags you currently get on the newstand or in the store:
>Name of USA mags you currently get on a subscription basis, through the mail:
>Name of USA mags you would like price quotes on when they call you:
>Catalogue format desired from below two choices:
>(1. 19-part email message;    2.  atttached file by email;  see below on
>which format may be best for you).
>How did you hear about us (name of person who referred you or the area of
>the internet that you saw us mentioned in):   Yoshio Koseki's referral
>110495-l
>*------------cut here-----------------------------------------------*
>
>
>{{{Note-  19-part email can be received by anyone with any computer.
>Attached file format may not be for you:  it is sent as an uncompressed
>525K file formatted in Microsoft World on a Mac;  if you don't use
>Microsoft Word on a Mac - you will have to know how to convert into a
>usable text format.  They cannot help you with this.   If in doubt, they
>suggest you go with the universally acceptable 19-part email message.  You
>can always manually spend a few minutes pasting the parts into one
>whole.}}}
>
>
>
>
>Hi fellow 'netters,
>
>My name is Yoshio Koseki and I recently started using a magazine
>subscription club in the USA that has a FREE 1 yr. magazine subscription
>deal with your first paid order- and I have been very pleased with them.
>They have over 1,500 different USA titles that they can ship to any country
>on a subscription basis.   As for computer magazines from the USA, they
>more of a selection than I ever knew even existed.  They have magazines for
>most every area of interest in their list of 1,500 titles.
>
>Within the USA, for their USA members, they are cheaper than all their
>competitors and even the publishers themselves.  This is their price
>guarantee.
>
>Overseas, on the average, they are generally around one-fourth to one-half
>of what the newstands overseas charge locally for USA magazines.  On some
>titles they are as little as one-tenth of what the newstands charge.  They
>feel that mgazines should not be a luxury overseas.   In the USA, people
>buy magazines and then toss them after reading them for just a few minutes
>or hours.  They are so cheap in the USA!   Well, this company would like to
>make it the same way for their overseas members.  They are also cheaper
>than all their competitors in the USA and overseas, including the
>publishers themselves!   This is their price guarantee.  Around one-half
>their business comes from overseas, so they are very patient with new
>members who only speak limited English as a 2nd language.
>
>Their prices are so cheap because they deal direct with each publisher and
>cut-out all the middlemen.
>
>They will send you their DELUXE EMAIL CATALOGUE (around 525K-big and
>juicey) !)...if you completely fill out the form above.  It has lists of
>all the freebies, lists of all the titles they sell, titles broken down by
>categories and detailed descriptions on nearly 1,200 of the titles that
>they sell.
>
>Please do not email me as I am just a happy customer and a *busy* student.
>I don't have time to even complete my thesis in time, let alone run my
>part-time software business!  Please fill out the below form and email to
>them at:
>
>potential_new_members_FREE_catalogue_by-email at 0.5.5.1.7.6.9.8.1.7.1.tpc.int
>
>*NOTE:   to make it easier for you to reply, I have put their address in
>the "Reply-To" field, which means you can just use your email software to
>reply to this message in order to get that address to pop-up in your "To:"
>field.*
>
>They guarantee to beat all their competitors' prices. Sometimes they are
>less than half of the next best deal I have been able to find and other
>times, just a little cheaper - but I have never found a lower rate yet.
>They assured me that if I ever do, they will beat it.
>
>They have been very helpful and helped me change my address from the USA to
>Finland and then back again when I moved last month.  They are very
>knowledgeable about addressing mags worldwide.
>
>They have a deal where you can get a free 1 yr. sub to a new magazine from
>a special list of over 300 popular titles published in the USA.   They will
>give you this free 1 yr. sub when you place your first paid order with them
>to a renewal or new subscription to any of the over 1,500 different popular
>USA titles they sell.
>
>They can arrange delivery to virtually any country and I think they have
>clients in around 35 or 36 countries now.  Outside the USA there is a
>charge for foreign postage and handling (on both paid and freebie subs)
>that varies from magazine to magazine.  I have found their staff to be very
>friendly and courteous.  They even helped me with an address change when I
>moved from one country to another.
>
>The owner thinks of his service as a "club" and his clients as "members"
>(even though there is no extra fee to become a member - your first purchase
>automatically makes you a member) and he is real picky about who he accepts
>as a new member.   When he sets you up as a new member, he himself calls
>you personally on the phone to explain how he works his deal, or sometimes
>he has one of his assistants call.  He is kind of quirky sometimes - he
>insists on setting up new members by phone so he can say hi to everyone (I
>sure wouldn't want to have his phone bills!),  but you can place future
>orders (after your first order) via E-mail.
>
>He has some really friendly young ladies working for him, who seem to know
>just as much as he does about this magazine stuff.  If you live overseas,
>he will even call you there, as long as you are interested, but I think he
>still makes all his overseas calls on the weekends, I guess cause the long
>distance rates are cheaper then.
>
>He only likes to take new members from referrals from satisfied existing
>members and he does virtually no advertising.  When I got set-up, they had
>a 2-3 week waiting list for new members to be called back so that they
>could join up. (Once you are an existing member, they help you immediately
>when you call. )  I think they are able to get back to prospective new
>members  the same day or within a few days now, as they have increased
>their staff.  I am not sure about this.........but if you email the above
>form to them, that is the way to get started!
>
>They will send you their DELUXE EMAIL CATALOGUE (around 525K-big and
>juicey) !)...if you completely fill out the form above.  It has lists of
>all the freebies, lists of all the titles they sell, titles broken down by
>categories and detailed descriptions on nearly 1,200 of the titles that
>they sell.
>
>They then send you email  that outlines how his club works and the list of
>free choices that you can choose from, as well as the entire list of what
>he sells;  and then they will give you a quick (3-5 minute) friendly,
>no-pressure no-obligation call to explain everything to you personally and
>answer all your questions.
>
>Once you get in, you'll love them. I do.
>
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Yoshio Koseki
>
>
>ps.  please forward a copy of this message to all your friends on the net
>who you think might be interested in it!  It is a great deal!  If you join
>and then they join after you, you will earn a free 1 yr. subscription for
>each new person you get to join after you join!   If you exceed 25
>referrals, they let you use them to give away as gifts, for Christmas,
>Chanukah or any other occasion.  Please be kind enough to mention my name
>when you join.   I will then get a free magazine for a year for referring
>you.
>Thank you.
>

Doug Yanega       Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Dr.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA      phone (217) 244-6817, fax (217) 333-4949
 affiliate, Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Dept. of Entomology
  "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
        is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82