In other words, you'd have to not only email everyone in Chicago but the entire state of Illinois in order to sell a handful of Viagra bottles. That expenditure may seem costly, but consider that 80% of spam is distributed by botnets; networks of infected computers that unconsciously spread spam, as well as their virus, to contacts found on their host computers (yes, including possibly yours). This expanding tree of distribution is much more efficient then an auto-dialer and a hell of a lot more cost effective then hiring telemarketers.Yet as efficient as spamming is, clouds appear to be looming over the awful, awful viral industry, thanks to new research that points to the spammers' Achilles heel: the triad of banks around the world (including this modestly advertised one) that handle these transactions. Although spam as we know it could be in trouble, be sure that the market of naïve impotent middle age men who are just getting onboard with this whole Internet thing won't be disappearing anytime soon.
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