Large Fierce Mammal

Author’s Note: The manufacturers of Spam have been cleared of all wrongdoing in the matter under discussion in this article.

On Saturday I received an e-mail allegedly from “East Link Web Mail” that I’ll quote in full below exactly as written, complete with bad spelling, inappropriate word capitalizations, poor punctuation, and childlike formatting:

Subject: Dear Web mail/E-mail user

From: “East Link Web Mail” <eastlink@customercentre.net>

Date: Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:53:44 -0000 (UTC)

To: undisclosed-recipients:;

Dear Web mail/E-mail user,

This message is from our Web mail Messaging Center to all our account owners. We are currently upgrading our data base and e-mail center. We are deleting all unused web mail account to Create more space for new accounts.

In order to ensure you do not experience service interruption during this period; you will have to confirm your web

mail account details by providing the following:

1. User name: . . . . . . . .
2. Password: . . . . . . .
3. Date of Birth: . . . . . . . . . . .

You will be sent a newconfirmation alphanumerical password that will only be valid during this period and can be

changed after this process.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience this may cost you.

Please respond to this notice to enable us to provide you better online services with our newly improved web mail

features and enhancements.

Support Team

Warning Code  :ID67565434

Contact email:web account

Email: webupgrading209@yahoo.com

In case you have received this yourself and feel compelled to believe it, at the very least ask yourself why Eastlink would provide a Yahoo e-mail address instead of one of their own as a means of contact. Man, their e-mail service must REALLY be in need of upgrading!

As your security advisor I remind you all that your bank, your internet service provider, your telephone company or power utility;  anyone who provides you with any secure password protected service, will never request your password in an e-mail, ever. They may provide you with one by that means, but they will never request it from you.

The matter has been duly reported.