Sometimes spam is funny, and sometimes it just makes you wonder. Like this one, which came to the email address I’m using with CJ (the ads I have on my page here - I refuse to make my page unreadable by burying everything in ads, but a few here and there are okay…to be honest, though, I don’t know how long I’ll keep trying those, since they don’t seem to be making me any money) and with one or two other sites. It’s not a widely used email address, so the fact that this email came through it is…odd. I suspected at first that CJ sent it, as they often send messages from new CJ affiliate clients that want me to add their program to my CJ affiliate account, but when CJ does that, they come from CJ’s domain. This didn’t.

What’s more, when I decided to take a look at their affiliate page, it wasn’t there. According to WhoIs, it was registered last October, but Seamonkey told me there was no such domain. Couldn’t find it. Very odd. Their sales site came up just fine, however, which had me wondering if they did this as a sideways tactic to try to sell me one of their products. Also had javascript and invisible images in it to track mouse movements.  Sneaky spam.  What keeps my hackles up, though, is the fact that the domain is registered through a privacy proxy. (Actually, both domains are. Didn’t check the third domain his email uses.) A legitimate company has no need to do this; a business address does not need to be sheltered like a personal home address does.

Out of morbid curiosity, I searched Google for these people and the word “affiliate” - I found them listed as participants in the 2008 Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas and one reference to a member of LinkedIn who claims to be an affiliate manager for this company. Interestingly, it’s not the same name as the guy who emailed me, and if they’ve been running an affiliate program, there really ought to be more references to them alongside the word affiliate.

At any rate, they really should have checked my site(s) first; I talk about film/video, writing, email, tech, geeky stuff, fanfic, cats, and my personal life. Their product is not my style:

From: Levi Kurtright
Date: 1/11/2008 4:38:57 PM
To: (one of my lesser-publicized email addresses)
Subject: FrontPoint Security Affiliate Program - Earn $200 Commission

Hi,

My name is Levi Kurtright, with FrontPoint Security Solutions. Right now you can earn $200.00 per sale by marketing FrontPoint through your website. Now is the time to start earning commissions and join one of the highest paying affiliate programs in the industry!

Here at FrontPoint, we pride ourselves on being The Next Generation of Total Home Security. We can say this because traditional alarm systems only protect (as long as the phone lines haven’t been cut). Front Point systems not only provide better protection, but also let you connect with your home and family while you’re away. We use the latest home security technology to keep your family safe.

Take a look at our website www.frontpointsecurity.com to get more information on our products and services.

Now for the business match! FrontPoint has an exciting program that gives you the opportunity to further monetize your web site’s existing traffic. Our program offers:

· Free to Join
· $200 Commission per sale
· 90 day cookies
· Marketing materials
· Latest affiliate tracking technology
· Experienced affiliate management team

We are confident in our company, products, and services. Placing our confidence for these into an affiliate program only makes sense. Please take the time to look over our program.

Join our program: http://www.fpsaffiliates.com/signup.aspx

If you have any questions concerning FrontPoint or our affiliate program, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to partnering with you and your company.

Warm Regards,
Levi Kurtright
FrontPoint Affiliate Team

Badly targeted, badly written, badly supported, badly planned.  Sneakiness does not make me trust them.

on them.

(and what is up with the comment spam wannabes?  I had something like 40 spam comments in my queue tonight, just since my last post, all full of random text cut/pasted from news and blogs, and with the CAPTCHA in place, they have to type the text for each one!  Why take the time for something that won’t even be displayed?  Sigh.  I’ll never understand spammers.)