FR Exclusive: Wes Clark supports Spammers

Wes Clark | 1/29/04 | rit

[rit]

I received an email from Wes Clark's campaign, even though I never signed up indicating I want such email. The email contained embedded HTML with links to trk.emsemail, and images from kinerta.com. It appears that Kintera is hosting the web site, and emsemail is generating the email.

Looking at the source header of the email, I found Return-Path: . The whois database shows that emsemail1.com is registered to:

Registrant:
   Domain Administrator
   PO Box 11478
   Delray Beach, FL 33483
   US

Registrar: DOTSTER Domain Name: EMSEMAIL1.COM Created on: 24-OCT-03 Expires on: 24-OCT-04 Last Updated on: 27-OCT-03

Administrative, Technical Contact: Administrator, Domain EMSEMAIL1.COMrZUmsM@privacypost.com PO Box 11478 Delray Beach, FL 33483 US 561-658-0833

Domain servers in listed order: NS1.EMSEMAIL1.COM NS2.EMSEMAIL1.COM

End of Whois Information

Search Google for EMSEMAIL, the first returns are about receiving spam from EMSEMAIL. So, Wes Clark's team is using a known spammer to send his message, even though his message complies with the CanSpam Act.

[GeronL]

tell Drudge

[rit]

If you receive the email from Clark's team, I would not recommend clicking on any of the hyperlinks. If you do, there is tracking information encoded that is sent to the known spammer. They then know your email id is valid, and will continue to spam you. The images are pulled from Kintera, and do not appear to have tracking information.

What is annoying is that your option to be taken off of the list appears at the bottom. You have to send a letter via US Postal Service. This is stupid. They spam you, and you have to take time to write a letter, buy a stamp, and put it in the snail mail. you just gotta love the CanSpam Act.

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

So, why does your link go to the spammer site?

[rit]

I am not sure what you meant by "why does your link go to a spammer site?" The email I received was apparently authorized by Wes Clark's team. It came from a known spammer. The email contained embedded html. The HTML includes anchor tags, and if somebody clicks on them, it sends tracking information to the spammer. Hope that clears it up.

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

I asked because your link says, "Wes Clark" yet does not go there, instead it does go to the very site you're complaining about.
If a Freeper clicks on it, their browser will send info to the site and may get them added to a spammer's list unless the outbound HTML is filtered or obfuscated.

[rit]

That is why I said "If you receive the email from Clark's team, I would not recommend clicking on any of the hyperlinks". The From Name says Wes Clark, and the body of the email is asking for your support. The email itself, however, originates from a known spamming house.

[rit]

A little slow here on my side. I now understand what you are saying. The "Wes Clark" link on the story I posted had the URL to the known spammer.

ADMIN MODERATOR: Please change that URL link to wes clark. That link (by itself) does not have tracking info. The email that I received includes tracking info in the embedded html.

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

Again - your link says "Wes Clark."
The actual site you have is e m s e m a i l 1. com.
When you make a request for a page your browser can send information such as the referring page, your OS & browser, even your email address. So why send ANY traffic their way?

If someone blindly clicks on a link in an e-mail they are a moron.
With your link a Freeper can easily assume that it's a link to "Wes Clark" and not realize his info may be harvested.

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

LOL, never mind.
I should type faster and explain quicker!