Yesterday I found a spam mail in my inbox. I inspected it in order to find out why DSpam and SpamAssasin failed. You can find the raw German mail here, here's a translation:


  Good Morning. We got to know each other on the website of acquaintances. I want to continue communicating with you, that's why I sent you my picture. I live in RU, the distance is no problem for me. We can communicate us. How old are you? Write me please and send me your photo. I'll be waiting.


The text has poor grammar and lacks any German umlauts. 

What actually made me wonder was the purpose of the mail. Usually a spammer wants you to click a link or something, probably to infect one's PC or verify an active mail at least.

Why would a spammer want to know my age and a picture of mine? 

There was a psychology experiment where two groups of homeowners went door-to-door and asked, ironically, for people to consent to display a large and ugly sign in their yard that said some form of, "Keep America beautiful."

What distinguished how the two experimental groups were treated was that one group was asked beforehand to agree to display an index card in their front window with the same theme. Almost everybody agreed to display the index card.

Agreeing to display the index card had a notable effect. People who were asked up front to display the sign in their yard usually refused (about 30% of them agreed). People who had displayed the index card usually agreed (about 70% of them agreed).

The point made in reference to this experiment has been called the "foot in the door effect." Agree to something little, and you are much more likely to agree to much more.

Add in this case that if someone is trusting, and perhaps like many people online a little lonely, sending a picture may not seem too much to ask. And you have a foot in the door opening up to problems much worse than mishandling of the German language.
