Some webmasters have warned of a new technique which search engine spammers are employing in order to gain a large amount of inbound links to domains under their control.

The method begins with an email similar to the one below

From: webmaster[at]umich.edu webmaster[at]umich.edu>
To: webmaster[at]example[dot]com
Subject: Moving domains

Dear webmaster

We`re writing to you, because our web address www[dot]exampleuniversity[dot]edu/ will undergo a change of domain on [specified date] We would be grateful if you could change the link on your site to our new website www[dot]exampleuniversity[dot]com/

Yours sincerely
Mr Example
webmaster[at]exampleuniversity[dot]com

The new domain may look authentic, but some time after all the new links have been collected, the content of the page will be changed. The new content could may be selling products that a webmaster would not want to link to,. In the worst case scenario it can include malicious code delivered through an iframe which allows the spammers to take control of unpatched or unprotected PCs turning them into 'Zombies' or becoming part of a botnet.