Strange religious find in an online ad

While searching for a used vehicle for my son today, I came across an ad on Craigslist. There was nothing notable about the ad itself, but I noticed a discoloration on my screen. I clicked to highlight the area of the page and found some text that was extraordinarily out of place. I'm not sure what the purpose of including this on the ad was, or why it was deliberately made so very hard to see.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/698061b7d369.jpg[/atsimg]
Original Screen Capture

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1580e5b41b4a.jpg[/atsimg]
Highlighted Screen Capture

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/5330d63ef959.jpg[/atsimg]
Text (zoomed in and added contrast for clarity)

Original Ad

A Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, he ruled for 17 years and died in 1336 BC or 1334 BC. He is especially noted for abandoning traditional Egyptian polytheism and introducing worship centered on the Aten, which is sometimes described as monotheistic or henotheistic.

Amenhotep IV

was the disk of the sun in ancient Egyptian mythology, and originally an aspect of Ra. He became the deity of the arguably monotheistic — in fact, monistic — religion Atenism of Amenhotep IV, who took the name Akhenaten.

Aten

I did a few quick searches on the names included in the text and am very confused as to a possible motive. Was the owner of this ad trying to subliminally introduce a strange religion to Craigslist users? I wonder how many times I have looked at advertisements and not noticed something similar. Any theories from fellow ATS'rs?

Maybe it's a secretive way to share knoweledge.

The sender might think his new found evidence will de-bunk religion, so he's cautious.

reply to post by Sinter Klaas


He doesn't seem to have any new found evidence. What was written in the ad was easily found with a Google search. The theory of a secretive way to share knowledge makes sense, but sharing with whom? Is there some kind of cabal that communicates through craigslist? If not, then he/she is sharing it with people like me that are unknowing recipients. Then again if the purpose was to share info, why make it so hard to notice and then harder still to read?

Alot of the ads posted on CL are spam, and they will include strange messages like this.

OR, we can try simply emailing the poster and asking him directly?

reply to post by Zeta Reticuli


Very good idea! I don't think I will use my normal email address, though. I will set up and email and ask him directly. Then I will post whatever response I get.

Have you found other ads with postings similar to this? Are all of them concerning the same Pharoh or different subjects?

There are many possibilities. One of the possibilities is that the poster realized that Google crawlers would find that particular text, which people interested in that topic will search for... thus, they are directed to the ad instead of a meaningful page or whatever they were searching for.

Just a way to spam, really. People use tags, key words, sentences, etc. they know will come up in search engines all the time.

Not saying this is the reason why, but it's a possibility that this is what happened here.

I think that a lot of ads on Craigslist are not real. Lately when I responded to ads I received no response to them, but I did start getting a lot of spam to my Inbox. I think that maybe these ads are computer generated by spammers just to harvest our email address. I can't prove it, but I'm beginning to suspect this is the case. That hidden text you found just makes me more certain it's machine generated.

OK, here is the text of the email I sent to the poster:

While looking at your ad I came across the following text and was wondering about the meaning and the reason for it being there. Would you mind explaining it to me?

In Year 4 of his reign (1346 BC) Amenhotep IV started his worship of Aten. The king led a religious revolution, in which Nefertiti played a prominent role. This year is also believed to mark the beginning of his construction of a new capital, Akhetaten, at what is known today as Amarna. In his Year 5, Amenhotep IV officially changed his name to Akhenaten as evidence of his new worship. The date given for the event has been estimated to fall around January 2 of that year. In Year 7 of his reign (1343 BC) the capital was officially moved from Thebes to Amarna, though construction of the city seems to have continued for

As far as this being tags used to get results from search engines, it seems that this would not contain often searched terms. If that is the case, does the poster think it will do him/her any good to find those interested in Egyptian religions and Pharohs to buy his car? I guess the selling of the car could be a ploy to harvest email addresses to spam. Still it seems they would use more commonly searched terms to get the most replies and more automobile driven terms would supply more addresses as those are the people that would reply most often. Hopefully I will either get an explanation back from him or some crazy spam sent to this brand new email address. Either way it would give me some form of answer.

There's always the possibility that the poster was just trying to be clever and hide a geeky Easter Egg in his post, perhaps trying to start a new meme.

reply to post by Cameoii

This info is not new...
...it is from a work on the Dead Sea Scrolls that I read only recently.

The Dead Sea Scolls Deception - The Explosive contents of the Dead Sea Scrolls and how the church conspired to suppress them.
Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh.

I am not endorsing the contents...
...I thought some of the content had a sensational and ideological bias.



[edit on 12/2/10 by troubleshooter]

reply to post by troubleshooter


I wasn't aware that this came from the Dead Sea Scrolls. When I looked up the exact text, it only came back with websites dealing with Nefertitti (sp?).

Anyway, the man finally replied to my email, but he did not answer my question regarding the text. Instead he made it very appearant that his car for sale was a scam. Big suprise, huh. Here is his reply:

Hello Kris,

You have to know that the 1993 Toyota Camry I am selling is 100% working and great looking, no flaws or dents, no scratches or any kind of damage. The title is clear. It has 78,000 miles, automatic transmission, leather and many options. This vehicle engine runs very very smooth. No electrical problems on this beauty. This detailed vehicle makes the exterior look like it just came off the assembly line. As I know that my current situation is pretty special I want the deal closed only through eBay's Buyer Protection Program in order for you to be 100% protected. You will make the payment to eBay and they will hold the money until you receive the car. ONLY AFTER you receive the car and inspect it (for 10 days) eBay will release the payment to me; in this way we are both protected. Anyway i am sure that if you won`t be satisfied with the car i will surely find another buyer in your area and there will be no need for you to ship the car back. I am located in Athens, Greece and I was sent here to improve the military relationships between our country and Greece. One month ago, my wife moved here with me and brought the car with her, but now we have to sell it back in the United States because we are unable to register this car here because i would have to pay very high import/custom taxes. My final price on it is $ 1150. If you will take it for this price, I am willing to handle the shipping. It will be shipped from here by plane with US Air Military Cargo so it will not cost me anything. You will get it to the nearest airport in your area and then it will be trucked forward to your place. You will receive the car in about 4 days. Please get back to me asap if you decide to buy, and include in your e-mail your full name and address where you want it shipped so I can start the deal with eBay. You will receive all the transaction payment and shipping details from them.


Thank you and have a nice day,
Steve Hudson


P. S : You can view the pictures here : www.use.com...

I guess the Egyptian references are going to remain a mystery. Be sure I will be keeping a more keen eye on the ads from now on.

That ad has been spammed to many places, probably by a software program. Just search for quotations from it on google. The invisible (random) text has been added most likely by a software program to prevent the website from recognizing it as a known spam and filtering it as such. Nothing new here but someone trying to beat spam filters.

reply to post by Cameoii


Never heard of such a thing, I do like the spammers story though...So after reading this thread I imeadiately went to craigslist and entered in the search box "a pharaoh" and got this add....

I'm not smart enought to post screen shots, but here's a link to the add...
portland.craigslist.org...
I didn't see where it said pharaoh, so I highlighted the add, and sure enough this text is exposed at the bottom of the add

"Wheels, Wheel, Rims, Rim, wacjr, ackay, TIRE, TIRES (17" 18" 19" 20" 22" 24" 26" 28") AnÐ all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt [alreaÐy].
AnÐ Joseph Ð, anÐ all his brethren, anÐ all that generation.
AnÐ the chilÐren of Israel were fruitful, anÐ increaseÐ abunÐantly, anÐ multiplieÐ, anÐ waxeÐ exceeÐing mighty; anÐ the lanÐ was filleÐ with them.
Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
AnÐ he saiÐ unto his people, BeholÐ, the people of the chilÐren of Israel [are] more anÐ mightier than we:
Come on, let us Ðeal wisely with them; l they multiply, anÐ it come to pass, that, when there fall out any war, they join also unto our enemies, anÐ fight against us, anÐ [so] get them up out of the lanÐ.
Therefore they ÐiÐ set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burÐens. AnÐ they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom anÐ Raamses.
But the more they afflicteÐ them, the more they multiplieÐ anÐ grew. AnÐ they were grieveÐ because of the chilÐren of Israel.
AnÐ the Egyptians maÐe the chilÐren of Israel to serve with rigour:
AnÐ they maÐe their lives bitter with harÐ bonÐage, in morter, anÐ in brick, anÐ in all manner of service in the fielÐ: all their service, wherein they maÐe them serve, [was] with rigour. "


Crazy man...

reply to post by Xcouncil=wisdom


That is crazy. I'm really liking theyreadmymind's explination. It does make sense that the random text would keep spam filters from jumping on the ad. Very ingenious to make it hardly legible so that humans don't report it.

Originally posted by Cameoii
reply to post by troubleshooter

 

I wasn't aware that this came from the Dead Sea Scrolls. When I looked up the exact text, it only came back with websites dealing with Nefertitti (sp?).

I made an error in my haste to travel and quoted the wrong book...sorry.

Where I read it was in the following book...

Act of God - Moses Tutankhaman and the myth of Atlantis - Graham Phillips.

reply to post by Cameoii


That is shady.
Nobody would go into detail about his business like that. ''I am located in Athens, Greece and I was sent here to improve the military relationships between our country and Greece. One month ago, my wife moved here with me and brought the car with her, but now we have to sell it back in the United States because we are unable to register this car here because i would have to pay very high import/custom taxes.'' That is all shady. He should have just told you he was in Nigeria and he was going to send you a 2010 Mercedes Benz if only you would make nice like banking friend.

If you are in the military will they fly your car around the world? Then back again? Come on. Is that really true???

It sounds like the opening of a phishing scheme to get your name, your physical address, your email, etc. Why your address? Is the military cargo plane going to land in your front yard? Shady.

Next thing you know, he'll be all like ''I'm so sorry, Greece is bankrupt, let's make alternate arrangements for payment''. Shady business.

Or how about you tell me your drivers license number so I can be sure you are legal to drive my beautiful car? Shady.

That response is just too hokey.

And ebay Buyer Protection? He'll probably send you a link to a page that will phish for your credit card number.

Run away.


[edit on 15-2-2010 by Cabaret Voltaire]

his thought are more in the realm of "metaphysics" than religion; but its cool people havent forgot about him.

that is strange and unusual I never found something like that on craigs list and i am on there all the time it makes me wonder if there are more out there like that or mybe it was just a glich. Maybe i will have to watch what i look at from now on it seems just so out of place. thanks for the post and a heads up on the secrects to uncover on creigs list

This thread is a great example of why I love ATS. I'm thinking the spammer's explanation is a good one.

We really should make more people aware of this. Nicely done...

Thank you all for your thoughtful posts. I am fairly certain we have this one nailed as I found another ad from the same individual today with different out of place and hard to see text.

On 18 June 1953, the Egyptian Republic was declared, with General Muhammad Naguib as the first President of the Republic. Naguib was forced to resign in 1954 by Gamal Abdel Nasser – the real architect of the 1952 movement – and was later put under house arrest. Nasser assumed power as President and declared the full independence of Egypt from the United Kingdom on 18 June 1956. His nationalization of the Suez Canal on 26 July 1956 prompted the 1956 Suez Crisis.

Ad

As you can see, nothing to do with religion this time. Just good old fashioned human sneakiness at work.