Multimedia Spam - Unwanted Ads Infect MP3s

Spam on your iPod is here. SpamStopsHere, Inc. has announced a new spam message appearing on MP3 files. Believed to be the first multimedia spam, the spammers have attached a message to the file that touts a stock. The message encourages the listener to invest in a particular company much like typical email spam. It’s a pump and dump in your ear.

SpamStopsHere, Inc., the industry leading provider of e-mail security and spam filtering solutions, announces the detection of a new spam tactic in which MP3 files are used to promote stocks.

In the first multi-media spam, spammers have begun attaching MP3 files which are named after popular recording artists and songs. After a recipient has opened the attachment, an electronically enhanced voice delivers a message promoting a stock for a particular company. The message is designed to encourage the recipient to invest in a particular company. The spam perpetrators then sell their shares after the stock price has risen briefly. This is typically known as a “pump and dump” scam.