The economics of spam Viagra
A team of California researchers found that more than half of U.S. spam purchases are for knockoff Viagra.
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Three out of four email messages sent today are spam, said Karen Weise in Bloomberg Businessweek, much of it viruses or cash requests from scammers. But some messages are from companies that “sell real goods,” mostly prescription drugs. To better understand the spam business, a team of California researchers tracked billions of spam messages and made more than 200 random buys. They found that “a surprising 91 percent of purchases are ultimately delivered.” More than half of U.S. spam purchases are for knockoff Viagra, which can sell for just $3 per 100 milligrams versus $20.70 retail—though often without any active ingredient. Most spam links come from just a few Russian merchants, who employ customer-service reps to remind previous buyers to refill their drug orders. “They have better customer service than most real businesses,” said one researcher.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Asteroid sample on way to Earth may help answer Big Bang questions
Speed Read Capsule of dust from Bennu will probably show signs of water and carbon: the building blocks of life
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
Properties of the week: riverside retreats
The Week Recommends Featuring an enchanting mill house in Hampshire and a converted boathouse in Cornwall
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why some critics are so horrified by Alabama's new execution method
The Explainer State officials have petitioned to execute Kenneth Eugene Smith with a largely untested method of killing
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
The news at a glance...International
feature International
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The bottom line
feature Youthful startup founders; High salaries for anesthesiologists; The myth of too much homework; More mothers stay a home; Audiences are down, but box office revenue rises
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The week at a glance...Americas
feature Americas
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The news at a glance...United States
feature United States
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The news at a glance
feature Comcast defends planned TWC merger; Toyota recalls 6.39 million vehicles; Takeda faces $6 billion in damages; American updates loyalty program; Regulators hike leverage ratio
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The bottom line
feature The rising cost of graduate degrees; NSA surveillance affects tech profits; A glass ceiling for female chefs?; Bonding to a brand name; Generous Wall Street bonuses
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The news at a glance
feature GM chief faces Congress; FBI targets high-frequency trading; Yellen confirms continued low rates; BofA settles mortgage claims for $9.3B; Apple and Samsung duke it out
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The week at a glance...International
feature International
By The Week Staff Last updated