Beware The Do-Not-Spam Scam: FTC

Spam and scam go together like grand and slam, and if you've submitted your e-mail address to a "National Do Not E-Mail Registry," you've been scam slammed but good, the Federal Trade Commission warned Feb. 12.

The alleged culprit, the FTC said, is a Website called unsub.us, which imitates the look, language, and navigation of the federal government's National Do-Not-Call Registry aimed at the telemarketing industry. The site isn't an FTC-run or -authorized site, the agency continued, saying they fear it part of a high-tech scam using the site to trick people into revealing their e-mail address or other sensitive information – and provoking even more spam.

"Or it may be even worse – some scammers have collected information through bogus Websites like this one that mimic those of legitimate organizations, and then used the information to commit identity theft," the commission said.

As it happens, the FTC is already studying how feasible it might be to create a legitimate do-not-spam registry modeled along the do-not-call registry, and is expected by law to submit a formal report on the idea in June.