Spamvertizing for the Principal Investigators Association

This page lists 45(!!) spams claiming to be from the "Principal Investigators Association", all sent during the period November 2009--March 2010. (That is about three per week!) Some identifying information has been X'ed out.

They have a toll free number, 800-303-0129.

I never heard of them until the spams started coming, and I certainly never signed to to receive anything from them, nor did I have any prior business relationship with them. I therefore believe that spamming is part of the Principal Investigators Association's business model.

On 24 March 2010, I received this email message (some identifying information has been X'd out) claiming to be from Leslie Norins at the Principal Investigators Association. Apparently the spam complaints I submitted to SpamCop resulted in a listing at SpamHaus. The email message doesn't even pretend to claim that I ever signed up to receive anything from the Principal Investigators Association. Instead, it says,

In full compliance with CAN-SPAM rules, every email from us has an "Unsubscribe" button at its bottom, ...
and,
... this is the first time I, personally, became aware you apparently are having some difficulty effectively getting our email mechanism to "unsubscribe" you
Short of having them say outright they send bulk unsolicited email, it is hard for me to imagine a clearer admission of spamming. It seems obvious that they got my email address from somewhere (my best guess is off the US National Science Foundation's website) and simply started spamming it, at the rate of about three spams per week.

The message from Norins also claims, "We have a 34-year reputation for excellence and probity, ...". Coming from an organization whose business model appears to involve sending unsolicited bulk email at the rate of about three times per week, this is utterly laughable.

  1. Spam, dated 05 Nov 2009, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org.
  2. Spam, dated 11 Nov 2009, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  3. Spam, dated 18 Nov 2009, claiming to be from editor@principalinvestigatorsadvisors.org or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  4. Spam, dated 24 Nov 2009, claiming to be from editor@principalinvestigatorsadvisors.org and also containing the email address editor@principalinvestigators.org.
  5. Spam, dated 09 Dec 2009, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email addresses subscribe@principalinvestigators.org and unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  6. Spam, dated 15 Dec 2009, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email addresses subscribe@principalinvestigators.org and unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  7. Spam, dated 17 Dec 2009, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email addresses audio@principalinvestigators.org and unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  8. Spam, dated 22 Dec 2009, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email addresses nsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org and unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  9. Spam, dated 23 Dec 2009, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org.
  10. Spam, dated 29 Dec 2009, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email addresses subscribe@principalinvestigators.org and unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  11. Spam, dated 30 Dec 2009, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org.
  12. Spam, dated 05 Jan 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  13. Spam, dated 07 Jan 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org.
  14. Spam, dated 12 Jan 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  15. Spam, dated 14 Jan 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org.
  16. Spam, dated 19 Jan 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  17. Spam, dated 20 Jan 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org.
  18. Spam, dated 21 Jan 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or Director@principalinvestigators.org.
  19. Spam, dated 25 Jan 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  20. Spam, dated 27 Jan 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email addresses iounsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org, audio@principalinvestigators.org, and audiounsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  21. Spam, dated 28 Jan 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or Director@principalinvestigators.org.
  22. Spam, dated 02 Feb 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  23. Spam, dated 03 Feb 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org.
  24. Spam, dated 04 Feb 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or Director@principalinvestigators.org.
  25. Spam, dated 09 Feb 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  26. Spam, dated 10 Feb 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org.
  27. Spam, dated 11 Feb 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or Director@principalinvestigators.org.
  28. Spam, dated 16 Feb 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  29. Spam, dated 17 Feb 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email addresses audio@principalinvestigators.org and unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  30. Spam, dated 18 Feb 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or Director@principalinvestigators.org.
  31. Spam, dated 22 Feb 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  32. Spam, dated 25 Feb 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or Director@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address irector@principalinvestigators.org.
  33. Spam, dated 26 Feb 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address audio@principalinvestigators.org.
  34. Spam, dated 02 Mar 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  35. Spam, dated 03 Mar 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email addresses audio@principalinvestigators.org and y@principalinvestigators.org.
  36. Spam, dated 04 Mar 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or Director@principalinvestigators.org.
  37. Spam, dated 09 Mar 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email addresses unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org and cribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  38. Spam, dated 10 Mar 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email addresses audio@principalinvestigators.org and y@principalinvestigators.org.
  39. Spam, dated 12 Mar 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or Director@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address tor@principalinvestigators.org.
  40. Spam, dated 17 Mar 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  41. Spam, dated 18 Mar 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address audio@principalinvestigators.org.
  42. Spam, dated 19 Mar 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or Director@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address tor@principalinvestigators.org.
  43. Spam, dated 23 Mar 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or editor@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email addresses subscribe@principalinvestigators.org and unsubscribe@principalinvestigators.org.
  44. Spam, dated 24 Mar 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or mary@principalinvestigators.org.
  45. Spam, dated 26 Mar 2010, claiming to be from mmreturn@magnetdev.com or Director@principalinvestigators.org, and also containing the email address tor@principalinvestigators.org.