Basic
Spambots are designed to send spam emails and typically work by automated means, hence the word "bot." The messages are pre-typed and sent en masse to various email addresses. Responding to a spam bot will result in a return message that mimics a person, but is in actuality just a program. The emails will frequently contain links to where people can purchase the services or products the spambots claim to offer.
Forum Bots
Spambots will also post on forums and message boards. They will submit bogus content in an attempt at target marketing or display advertisements; promote a particular product or service while pretending to be an actual person. It may be difficult at times to discern whether or not a post is genuine or spam.
Email Harvesting
Spambots collect email addresses from postings on the Internet. Forums, blogs and websites may contain email addresses of potential consumers, which the spambot scans and adds to its database. It uses programs called spiders that scan the posted email addresses from web pages. The bots can use these email addresses and the web pages they were found on to send unsolicited advertisements to customers or even fake web pages designed to look official. These fake pages are meant to provoke customers into entering login information, which can lead to identity theft. This technique is called "phishing."
Reference
Brenton Shields, Facts on the Spambot, retrieved June 27, 2011
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