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Drats! Decade old spam-free email address just got spammed!

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by r35352, May 30, 2005.

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  1. r35352

    r35352 Member

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    Just yesterday, I received a couple of spam emails in an account that I had been using for nearly a decade. It was extremely frustrating and upsetting because this was one email address that I tried to be careful in using and safeguarded. I never use it for internet shopping, on any signups or as a return address in Usenet or any forum. I admit I probably haven't been as super-meticulously careful as possible, but my effort was good enough for nearly 10 years.

    Now this past month, I don't recall doing anything that would have "outed" my email address. I didn't use it other than the way I've always used it, as a address for personal mail sent to known, trusted friends and family. But somehow the spammers got to it!

    I was hoping to use this email address and keep it completely spam-free until death (mine or at least the service provider's). I know I can use whitelists and filters but I'm afraid of trusting it entirely due to possibly having a legit email deleted. And if I don't have it deleted so I can browse it, then the filter has little value added over just manually scanning all email unfiltered and deleting the spam ones.

    I do know that if you post your email address anyway, the spammers have bots that will examine every possible place to harvest them. But I have avoided posting it anywhere it could be harvested. But somehow they still got to it. How???

    Is it possible to have an email address free of spam for life or is that very difficult to achieve? Anyway, just writing this to vent my anger and frustration!
     
    #1 r35352, May 30, 2005
  2. giddyup

    giddyup Member

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    I think you have proven that it is impossible. Congratulations on a good decade, though!
     
    #2 giddyup, May 30, 2005
  3. codell

    codell Member

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    #3 codell, May 30, 2005
  4. wakkoman

    wakkoman Member

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    I don't know if you can find a perfect email place, but I have been nothing but happy with Gmail

    The spam filter works great
     
    #4 wakkoman, May 30, 2005
  5. vwiggin

    vwiggin Member

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    Yeah, gmail has worked pretty well for me so far as well. If you want an invite, let us know.
     
    #5 vwiggin, May 30, 2005
  6. DonnyMost

    DonnyMost Member
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    my new hotmail accounts get only mild amounts of spam.. (maybe one or two a week)

    I got an incredibly well done fraud email from a paypal scammer today.

    It said my account access had been limited due to suspicious activity and they needed to verify my creditcard numbers and addresses etc, i almost fell for it at first, then reported it
     
    #6 DonnyMost, May 30, 2005
  7. the futants

    the futants Member

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    gmail has been the best webmail i've ever used with respect to spam.
     
    #7 the futants, May 30, 2005
  8. Another Brother

    Another Brother Member

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    I'd love an invite.

    cop2comic@aol.com
     
    #8 Another Brother, May 30, 2005
  9. v3.0

    v3.0 Member

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    Hotmail has a feature which only allows email addresses from your contacts folder in your inbox, and another setting where you can have other emails not in you contacts folder deleted immediately, not just go temporarily to a junk folder. So no junk at all in hotmail if you set your settings right.

    Yahoo does not have this type of feature where only emails from my contacts folder reach my inbox, still get the occasional spam in the inbox.

    Have gmail, haven't gotten around to using it yet.
     
    #9 v3.0, May 30, 2005
  10. SirCharlesFan

    SirCharlesFan Member

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    another thing, it is possible for a friend to sign up for some list or website...and in the process, give a bunch of friends email addresses. maybe it was something like that.
     
    #10 SirCharlesFan, May 30, 2005
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