Don't be fooled by new variety of spam in inbox

Spam may change, but our reaction needs to stay consistent. And something that appears to be a new variety of fauna should be ignored, deleted or reported.

Recently, I received dozens of letters from different people, all offering the same irresistible deal. My life experiences can translate into academic credit, and I can use what I've learned throughout my professional years as enhancements to prestige and marketability.

Presumably, this will lead to a larger salary.

The drawback seemed to be the lack of Ph.D. options. So my mother still won't be able to say, "My son, the doctor."

On the other hand, if I were to actually pursue this option and apply for such recognition she could say, "My son, the idiot who never learns from his mistakes and is doomed to keep getting ripped off by the same thieves, over and over."

It doesn't require an advanced degree to figure this out, that the diplomas are not worth the pixels required for their display.

Additionally, there is the education rule learned on the very first day of class: What you get out of school is directly proportionate to study time.

The letters all state: "Our life experience degrees are the same degrees we present to our full time pupils, but we base them upon your past knowledge, no exams or schooling required." Many of them misspelled "February." As if there was a way to make the degree worth even less.

The multiple mails — the same content from different people — had no Web page contact. Rather, it provided the (same) toll number with a promise of service around the clock. So I called the number at about 12:15 a.m., intending to accomplish some late night extracurricular research. I reached a tape, asking for my name and telephone number with a promise to call back within three business days. I left a dissolute message, imagining the role of someone who would actually answer such a query.

"Why do you even respond to this stuff?" said J.A. Hitchcock, author of "Net Crimes and Misdemeanors." "All they are looking for is evidence that the e-mail address has someone on the other end, and then they can sell it over and over."

My answer was, of course, that it was a research project. As it would be hard to imagine people who would seriously respond to this offer, these messages would hardly increase the depth or breadth of the e-mail harvest.

But Hitchcock said people do respond to these scams, which is the only thing that keeps them alive. If one person out of 1,000 buys a fake degree, then it covers their marketing costs. As for the multiple identities, Hitchcock guessed, "They are probably all from the same person."

New varieties of spam come in waves, incorporating subtle changes to the basic scam. In truth, the first iteration always grabs your attention. Those of us who received a Nigerian scam letter before the fraud was reported read it with interest. (I remember answering eagerly but this, again, was all for research.)

But the degree scam is pretty sad. You don't even scold these people for avoiding their potential, saying, "if you put half this energy into something constructive you might do something with your life."

The only reason to mention this is the sheer volume of recent messages, the same way you would comment about the increased mosquito population. And like mosquitoes, as long as they get fed, they will keep hanging around.

If you have questions or suggestions for Charles Bermant, you can contact him by e-mail at cbermant@seattletimes.com. Type Inbox in the subject field. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.