I don't know that anyone has gotten spam email supposedly from me at the addy I use here, but I get spam mail to that address. It is only listed on a couple of sites, and I never use it to register for or buy anything online. I started getting them almost immediately when I changed my listings to the new email.
These spammers use software to surf the net and collect lists of email addresses. One way to help keep from having this junk mail is to set up a disposable internet email account through someone like
www.sneakemail.com. They allow you something like 10 email addresses. When you set one up, they create it with random letters and numbers, you don't get to specify what you want. These forward into your regular inbox. If you start getting a lot of spam, just delete that account and set up a new one. That way you can keep your permanent address without it getting on too many spam lists.
I have several of these set up and I use them for various types of subscriptions. I always mark that I will not allow their "partners" to solicit me and usually also that I do not want their "special offers" either. If I subscribe to something and start getting spam, I pretty much know who did it. I (not so politely) forward the spam to the originating company and inform them that I will no longer do business with them and that they are responsible for removing my name from any list they put it on. Also, that I will start charging them $5 for each and every email that comes to me because of their company and they will be billed monthly for my time and trouble. And that if the bill is unpaid after 15 days I will turn it over for collection in their state. Sometimes this works. If not, I just delete that email and create another one. No, I haven't actually billed anyone, but I got the idea off of a spambuster site
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