On Mon, 1 Sep 2008 08:44:01 -0700, Janetb wrote:

"PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote:

Janetb wrote:

I suddenly started getting a huge amount of spam not addressed to my email
address (I'm not in the TO: line). They are all to different addresses. I
don't know if there is any connection, but it started after I used my
service provider's website to view my mail when I was on vacation. What
can have caused this and is there a way to stop getting these letters? At
present I have a message rule to delete them, but I would rather not get
them. Can't have them deleted at server because of my AVG. In any case I
sometimes do get wanted letters not addressed to me, so I would like to
find something common to all the new ones that will allow me to deal with
them separately.

Message Rules Tips
http://www.insideoe.com/tips/rules.htm

Why doesn't my rule work?
http://www.insideoe.com/faqs/why.htm#rules

Filter /in/ your messages
http://www.mindspring.com/~majik/messagerules.htm

Thanks for your reply.
I am familiar with all three articles and have my rules set up according to
them. They have always worked very well. I have my rules set up to delete all
letters which do not contain my email address and then to stop prossessing
rules. It works fine. That is not my problem....

I wanted to know why this would have suddenly started and how I can get
myself off whatever list or lists cause all these ne wletters to be sent. Or
at least how to prevent getting on even more such lists over time.

There are a number of ways an email address gets on spammer's lists; there
is no known way to get off. One of the hallmarks of spammers is that they
believe they have the right to any, and every, email address in existence.
It is for this reason that they are considered by some to be sociopathic.

Once your email address is known to spammers, it is shared with other
spammers. The volume just grows, and grows, and grows.

One other observation: The "To:" email address in your headers as nothing to
do with where the email goes. It is not even delivered to the server until
after the SMTP handshake is well under way. Where the email is delivered is
determined by the SMTP "RCPT TO:" command, very early in the SMTP handshake,
and well before the "To:" email address is ever sent. In fact, it is
possible to have a completely different "To:" email address from the "RCPT
TO:" email address. Not all email systems will preserve the "RCPT TO:" email
address. Look in the headers for something like an, "X-Delivered-To:
/email_address/" line. Yahoo! Mail preserves it as, "X-Apparently-To:
/email_address/".

--
Norman
~Shine, bright morning light,
~now in the air the spring is coming.
~Sweet, blowing wind,
~singing down the hills and valleys.