The email domain I use in my consulting business has well over a hundred email addresses. When I begin a relationship with a new vendor, say Widgets Inc., I provide a contact email address to them of widgets@mydomain.com.
This freaks out some, impresses others. The point is that when I start receiving unsolicited offers from legitimate companies or unsolicited commercial offers (SPAM), and it is addressed to widgets@mydomain.com I know who sold, traded or leaked my email address. I then have the option of deleting that address and that source of spam goes away.
Six months ago I was forced to delete an address created for a German company who sells, of all things, security products. I informed them of the spam I was receiving at the address that only they have and received a “not me” response.
Recently I have had two other foreign companies, one a major South Korean monitor company and another a UK/German maker of – you guessed it – antispam products, have their custom email address at my domain be the target of spam.
Could it be that any company that large has someone employed who isn’t trustworthy or is there an easy way for hackers to monitor the open text flowing through international internet pipes that allows them to harvest email addresses?
Unfortunately at this point I have only questions and not answers. And one suggestion. When spammers are caught, execute them.
