Google CR-48 Notebook Owners (And Hopeful Owners) Besieged With Flood Of Google Group Spam

We’re still trying to figure out exactly whats happening, but Google CR-48 Notebook owners, and even some people who just signed up to get one but haven’t yet, started getting hit with dozens, and then over 100, emails this evening. It all started at around 12:23 am PST.

Why? It appears that people were automatically added to this Google Group – http://groups.google.com/group/chrome-notebook-pilot-users – and then the emails started flowing every minute or two. And then many times a minute as people started posting asking for the spam to stop, which was then sent out to every member. One tipster unsubscribed to the group after over a hundred emails came in over 20 minutes. Another person said they got 89 in rapid fire before unsubscribing.

From one tipster:

Just a few minutes ago I started receiving A LOT of notification emails from the google chrome pilot users group chrome-notebook-pilot-users@googlegroups.com. From some of the comments I don\’t think I am the only one. It seems someone added people to the group automatically and the email notifications started coming in one after another. It was 89 emails from 2:14am to 2:40am. I had to create a filter to stop the onslaught of emails and then go to the google groups settings and set it to \”No Email\” but I never signed myself up for it myself. Seems somebody was being bad.

We’ll update with more info as we get it. Here are some of the messages being posted:

Subject: What the fuck is this?
To: Chrome Notebook Pilot Users
Why am I getting so much spam from this? Jesus Christ!

Subject: This Group
To: Chrome Notebook Pilot Users
Has made me want to hurt someone more then I ever have before!

Subject: Really Pissed Off!!
To: Chrome Notebook Pilot Users
0345 in the morning and my Droid starts Blowing Up!!!
I’m really getting pissed off!!!

> > I never got a Chrome OS notebook, but I recently started getting
> > emails from this group. Does it mean I have been selected and should
> > expect a Chrome OS notebook soon? I applied last year in early
> > December or end of November and didn’t hear anything until now.

> I’m in the exact same boat. Just started getting flooded with emails
> from this group 5 minutes ago yet never received a notebook. Should I
> be on the lookout for one?

Update: Google Explains, Apologizes For, CR-48 Spam