When Spammers Attack

So, a few weeks ago, the wife decides to check out health insurance plans so she can make an intelligent decision about whether she is currently paying too much. Unfortunately, the website she used to request a quote for Blue Cross/Blue Shield did not disclose what they do with the information they collect nor to whom they sell those lists. What followed was two to three calls per day from varied insurance providers around the country and a veritable flood of daily emails which went directly into the Junk box.

One such email came several weeks after the initial inquiry from the man you see pictured above. His name is Carlos Bastardo and a more sinister name for hated spammers could not be more appropriate. His first email was the standard form letter seeking to “follow up” as if he had ever been personally approached. However, he caught the wrong woman on the wrong day to attempt an insurance sale. She decided to email him back and request to be taken from his contact list. This was his approach to her:


Hi , I received your online request for an insurance quote. Like you, I find the internet a great place to compare prices and make a quick decision saving time and money. I shop online for everything I can. Shopping online is easy for products with the same model and manufacturer, however when it comes to insurance, it?s a whole different story and most people find out when it is too late.

Followed by blah, blah, insurance quote, blah, blah.


The wife responded thusly:

No, you didn't. What you received was my name through spam. The truth is; I simply filled out a request for a premium quote from ONE carrier. Then, that carrier sold my name and contact information to everybody. Frankly, if you just received this lead, then your firm is ripping you off. I did that nearly TWO months ago. Just try and guess how many reps have called, emailed, or tried to contact me. If you are just getting around to it, then either the company you work for is too cheap to pay for a quality lead for you, or.... Well, the truth is still the truth. Good luck in your career, Don't contact me again. Thanks,


Carlos couldn’t take no for an answer, however, and wrote this in response:

You are right, you are definitely not a quality lead. I couldn't have said it any beter! I am removing you from the email server. And by the way, my career is AWESOME even though i have to put up with many NEGATIVE people who we only try to help based on THEIR request for coverage. I know you requested information over 3 months ago, becuase i have all the notes on your sheet from all of the many times i tried contacting you to only help you. I figured i wold send out one last email before closing your file because i don't like to give up on people until i hear from them. Sorry for being concerned. It's so hard to help people now a days, i tell ya. But it's the % of people who truly want to be helped that we do a great job for, is what really makes me enjoy my career. Best of luck to you and God bless. You will not be contacted again. Carlos


The emphasis in the last sentence is mine, for reasons which will soon be made apparent. Following this smarmy jack-ass of a response, I decided to wade in with my own comments in reply:


Helping me is a matter of perspective. What you claim is help is seen as a supreme annoyance by the majority of people who use email. Why you were stuck on a lead not showing any clear intent is beyond me, but I hope your company sponsors some form of career counseling to help you know the difference enough to better focus your efforts. If you were as magnanimous and sincere about helping people as you say you are, then your career would not be tied to those who fill out a form on a website. By the way, please do consider using a spell checker on your emails to other, real clients. It's just professional.
What followed from Carlos Bastardo was a daily barrage of the same spam form letter he sends out to every other outdated lead he is apparently forced to chase down due to his total lack of sales ability otherwise.

Carlos’ signs his spam with these tidbits of information:

Carlos Bastardo
Licensed Insurance Agent
cbastardo@comcast.net
www.cbas-ins.com
www.naseweb.com (My personal web site)


The privacy policy listed on the template site Carlos’ uses has this to say:






So, aside from joining the ranks of the most despised members of the online community, Carlos violates his own privacy policy and that of the companies he represents. If you are as pissed off about this behavior as we are, then do as we did and input his name and information into every health insurance quote request page you can find. Make up an address and use his phone number, which is 1-866-786-0759. I am sure some of you more ingenuous kids can find other places to request information in his name.

Carlos, if you are reading this after I sent you the link to this post, I advise you to play your online cards a little more carefully. You aren’t trying to help anyone and you are no better than an ambulance chasing lawyer or a predatory funeral home director, out to profit from another’s misfortune. I will do everything within the considerable power I have to promote, distribute, and otherwise draw attention to your unethical business practices to as many people as I can so long as you continue spamming my wife.