creepiest spam email I've ever had (re: Walker recall)

[harmonicon]

So, I got this email today:

Time: 7:07 p.m. EST

Briefing call: [phone] [Access code: 209986 #]

Help page: www.CallOutTheVote.com/HowTo

Login page: www.AmericaVotesVAN.com

You will receive your login information on the orientation call.

For assistance: email [e-mail]

Hello (deleting my own name which was here),

Thanks for signing up to make calls tonight for our Wisconsin recall efforts through the Call Out The Vote (COTV) program!

We'll have a briefing call 20 minutes before your shift, where we'll give up-to-the-minute updates on Wisconsin and what we're saying to voters. Our records indicate that you are signed up for a shift today, Tuesday August 9 at 4pm EDT. Your briefing call will begin at 3:40 pm EDT. The call-in number is: [phone] [Access code: 209986 #].

On today's briefing calls, we'll have special guest Rep. Donna Edwards joining us to say thanks for all our hard work, and explain how critical these calls are.

We'll give you a call before your shift to help make sure everything's working, but if you have any questions at all, just reply to this email ([e-mail]) and we'll get back to you right away.

Thanks for volunteering--we'll be in touch soon!

-- Michael Snook, and the Call Out The Vote team



How to activate your account:

Go to our help page at www.CallOutTheVote.com/HowTo/ -- and please bookmark that page for future reference! During your shift, you'll be able to refer to this page for help, and a live chat box to ask questions and get answers from our organizers in real time. You can also use this page for more in-depth instructions on how to activate your account.
To log in to your account, go to www.AmericaVotesVAN.com.
If you do not already have one, a user name will be assigned to you. The default password (if you have never changed it) is cotv2011.
If you have any trouble, please reply to this email--or just write back to say everything worked fine! ([e-mail])
Then, just make sure to join the briefing call 20 minutes before your shift, using the call-in number and access code on the help page: www.CallOutTheVote.com/HowTo/

I find this to be quite disturbing. Sure, I get my email address exchanged between different liberal groups (which gets them all sent to the junk folder upon receiving their first piece of spam), but this is the first one that's been sent out as some sort of guilt-laden quasi-phishing scam. I signed up for what?! No, sorry, I didn't. I find this to be very disturbing.

If anyone knows anything about any of these websites, I'd suggest questioning them about this corrupt practice:
www.AmericaVotesVAN.com
www.CallOutTheVote.com
BoldProgressives.org (the email was sent from "ethan" at this site)

[Syrinx]

1. websites two and three are from "Progressive Change Campaign Committee"

The other is from "Voter Activation Network." Which is a GOTV operation.

Why do you call them "phishers?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Change_Campaign_Committee

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_database

[harmonicon]

2. quasi-phishers

Because, they sent me an email claiming that I'd signed up for something which I had not, also giving me log-in information for some account that I don't want. I think this is a dirty tactic, no matter what cause they're working for, and they should be called out on it.

Sending me junk mail is one thing, but lying is something else.

[Syrinx]

3. this doesn't mean anything, but I just busted a gut laughing

Your complaint seamlessly melded into "click here to buy valentines." It sorta, kinda, looked like that was part of your post.

[harmonicon]

4. Hello, Syrinx. Thank you for purchasing valentine hearts.

Below, you will find instructions on how to log into your account and pay for said hearts.

[Scuba]

5. Yeah, that would tighten my jaws a bit too. And I agree with the "quasi-phishing" description.

[Downwinder]

6. Sounds as though someone used your name and email

address to sign you up for something.

[harmonicon]

7. I think it was more likely sold/swapped

I get on shit-loads of lists that I don't want to be on: Jennifer Granholm (yeah, I voted for her twice, but I don't give a damn what she's doing now), Carl Levin (maybe I can stomach voting for him again, but his emails won't change that), etc.

I just wonder if others have received this same email, and how they feel about it.