Spam and scam. That was my immediate reaction to the following email:

Hello Richard Cleaver,

It is a privilege to inform you that you are being considered for inclusion into the 2009/2010 Princeton Premier Honors Edition Registry.

This recognition is an honor shared by only the most accomplished professionals who have demonstrated excellence within their careers and communities.

Inclusion into the Princeton Premier global network is considered a benchmark of achievement. Once accepted, your successes are documented and preserved for all time in the hardcover registry, which is distributed throughout the world.

There is no cost to be included in the registry. Simply complete your application form and submit it within five business days to be considered for publication.

On behalf of the entire Princeton Premier community, best wishes for continued success.

Sincerely,

Frank Thomas
Managing Director
Princeton Premier

This offer from Princeton Premier complies with 15 U.S.C. §§ 7701-13

My first course of action, aside from wondering how they got my email address, was to hit their website. The website is fairly weak. A few dead links — notably the “Apply to Princeton Premier” and a sense that the business model is to sell “beautiful hardcover Honors Edition” books. Not much else to better understand the organization.

Google provides better insight. Consumer Reports WebWatch’s Blog has a good overview of the scam here. And this website has some interesting insight as well.

Oddly enough, the reference to 15 U.S.C. §§ 7701-13 in Princeton’s email is the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. How ironic.