Subliminal html in spam?

[John Sage <jsage () finchhaven com>]

I sent this first to the intrusions list, and then I went back and
looked at some more html-formatted spam I've received lately, and I've
got at least four more like this.

This is odd enough that I'd like to get some more eyeballs on the
question to see if _anyone_ has an answer as to what the hell's going
on here.

What this is, is text embedded within html comment tags that are
embedded within the body text of the spam itself.

This one example, below, is prattling on about movies and The King and
Siam and Jody..

..another one completes a passage about Jody Foster, and a third (I
am_not_ making this up..) has "Mary had a Little Lamb" embedded in it.

All embedded within comment tags, within the body text.

WTF?

----- Forwarded message from John Sage <jsage () finchhaven com> -----

OK: I really know I haven't seen everything yet, particularily when it
comes to spam, but here's one for the books.

What does anyone think is going on, here?

What is we have is text embedded withing <!-- --> html comment tags
that is embedded withing the actual visible text of the email

html is munged so that the html code is surrounded with [ ]..

[font face="Arial" size="4"]
Takeover Tar[!--Check out--]get 
A[!--the movies--]lert 
Pro[!--more--]jected
[/font]

[font face="Arial" size="4"]
By Institutional Research Firm to Reach $[!--often--]7.00!
[/font]

[font face="Arial"]
SY[!--The King--]MBOL: (O[!--Anna--]TC[!--and--]BB: SN[!--of--]NW)
[/font]

[font face="Arial"]
S[!--Siam--]TR[!--was an--]ONG [!--The King--]BU[!--excellent--]Y/AG
[!--movie--]GRE[!--both--]SSIVE G[!--The original--]RO[!--Tand
the--]WTH
[/font]

[font face="Arial"]
R[!--She has--]EC[!--a son--]ENT PR[!--redo--]ICE: $.40
[/font]

[font face="Arial"]
LI[!--The King--]NCOLN EQU[!--with--]ITY RESEARCH 12-MONTH TA[!--Jody--]RGET:
[/font]


So the explicit text reads:

"Takeover Target Alert Projected

By Institutional Research Firm to Reach $7.00

SYMBOL: (OTCBB: SNNW)

STRONG BUY/AGGRESSIVE GROWTH

RECENT PRICE: $4.00

LINCOLN EQUITY RESEACH 12-MONTH TARGET:"


and the embedded text within the comment tags reads:


"Check out the movies more often

The King Anna and of Siam 

was an the King excellent

movie both The original Tand 

the

She has a son redo

The King with Jody"



I'm at a complete loss to explain this...


- John
-- 
In those days, you could not buy a $2000 200MHz Pentium server.

----- End forwarded message -----

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