Every so often I get e-mail from people – often people of whom I have no memory every having met – who send me an address-change form via plaxo.com:

Hi Alec,

I’m updating my address book. Please take a moment to update your latest contact information. Your information is stored in my personal address book and will not be shared with anyone else. Plaxo is free, if you’d like to give it a try.

Click the following link to correct or confirm your information: (URL ELIDED FOR SAFETY)

Name: Alec Muffett
Job Title:
Company:
Work E-mail: alecm@____.com
Work Phone:
Work Fax:
Work Address Line 1:
Work Address Line 2:
Work City, State, Zip:
Mobile Phone:

Home E-mail:
Home Phone:
Home Fax:
Home Address Line 1:
Home Address Line 2:
Home City, State, Zip:
Birthday:
My current contact information:

P.S. I’ve included my Plaxo card below so that you have my current information. I’ve also attached a copy as a vCard.

Notice that this e-mail shares no information about the sender, and of the information it does have regarding myself, it is only one of my e-mail addresses which I now deprecate as a spam target.

Basically: the above is a form of phishing, most probably by a headhunter, bulk-mailer, or a spammer.

I know that one friend of mine (JC/Arashi) has once sent out a “legitimate” Plaxo message, but I now blacklist Plaxo.com and all e-mails that utilise it, on principle.