Spam!

[Joff]

Over the past few months I've noticed more and more unsolicited email from companies that have used an email address I used for another company.

If that doesn't make sense, let me try it another way...

I bought something from Thorntons and used the email address thorntons@myemaildomain.com
Now I've just had an email through from The Body Shop who I've never registered with (I find their products smell and make me sneeze) using the thorntons@ email.

So either Thorntons have sold their mailing list, despite me always checking the "I don't want you selling my f***ing details" box or someone has managed to get a copy of all of Thorntons data.

I had something similar with IPC Media where I'd subscribed to one of their magazine titles. Then a year or so later, I get some spam to that address.
When I reported it, they offered me compensation, which I took.

Last month I had an email using my Namesco / NDO specific email address, but it was serious unsolicited spam trying to sell me M.EDS or V.I..AG.R.A... or some other shit.
I sent an email to Namesco support (and even posted on their forum - must check that) but had no response... which is appalling in my opinion.


I wonder what Thornton's response will be... I can be bought with chocolate!

[Brian Turner]

Don't forget the small claims court.

[Joff]

Why, do they like chocolate too!?

[DavidToohey]

Joff - very interesting though. Get hit with so much spam it is ridiculous but I always just accept it.

Next time I might setup new email, just to check it like that...

David Toohey
The Accountants Circle
Accountant & Bookkeeper Forums | Find Me an Accountant

[monaghan]

I had a similiar problem with my estate agent 7 or 8 years ago, fortunately I had a photocopy of the forms with the "don't sell my details to spammers" box checked, so I complained, I no longer get spam on that address.

[An Oasis]

LOL

Originally Posted by Joff

Why, do they like chocolate too!?

We use mailwasher pro we don't care how much spam we get, well we do but it certainly helps to cut through the crap.

[Joff]

I've used Mailwasher Pro in the past but found I'd end up just having to approve everything beforehand anyway.

Now I've got my spam filter set to max and just skim the contents of the junk folder once or twice a week.

[bumfluff]

It may not have been done on purpose. There's a number of worms that scan contact lists from email clients.

[Joff]

But if it picked up the email from the Thorntons list, it somehow got into the hands of The Body Shop...

[bumfluff]

Yeah, but email harvesting worms are generally used to build up mail lists which are then sold on to marketers. The marketers don't necessarily know how the addresses were gathered. They could in turn sell on the list, or part of the list, to other groups... and so on.. So the initial worm owner could have sold the list on to someone who then perhaps sold portions on to someone else who compiled it with some other lists and sold it on to the Body Shop. The Body Shop would simply be purchasing what they thought was a legitimate list of email addresses, they wouldn't know the history.