Never-used email address getting spammed.

Question

When I signed up for BT Broadband they made me choose an email address [email protected]. I have never used it to send an email, not even to BT.
Within days of getting connected I began to receive spam emails on the new email address from a company called dabs.com. I worked out that they are the contractor BT uses to supply modems to customers. All dabs.com needed was my street address to post me the modem but BT told them my email address as well and they decided to abuse it. After I complained, BT said they would arrange for the emails to stop within 28 days but they've missed that deadline.
Now I am receiving spam advertising male libido boosting tablets.
How can my never-used email address have leaked? Can I blame dabs.com for selling it on to a spammer? Can spammers get them in other ways?

Answer 1

Fathom wrote:
When I signed up for BT Broadband they made me choose an email address [email protected]. I have never used it to send an email, not even to BT.
Within days of getting connected I began to receive spam emails on the new email address from a company called dabs.com. I worked out that they are the contractor BT uses to supply modems to customers. All dabs.com needed was my street address to post me the modem but BT told them my email address as well and they decided to abuse it. After I complained, BT said they would arrange for the emails to stop within 28 days but they've missed that deadline.
Now I am receiving spam advertising male libido boosting tablets.
How can my never-used email address have leaked? Can I blame dabs.com for selling it on to a spammer? Can spammers get them in other ways?
Hi.
dabs.com is not only a modem company, they sell all sorts of tech stuff. They used to be a separate company, but BT bought them a few years ago.
Spammers get their email address in a vast number of ways. Even if you've chosen a new address, this address could still actually be on a spam list.
For example spammers can assume if [email protected] exists, then so does [email protected] and [email protected] etc. They can also use dictionary methods, make all sorts of assumptions based on other user names (e.g. with or without a "period" and add/remove it). Also the email address can also have been used before, either as a primary or sub account - this means that the email address is already known and on spam lists.
Similarly [email protected], [email protected] etc, as well as slightly mispelt ones [email protected] ....
If the email address was dormant until you "picked it", then any bounces returned as email address not existing will never end up at the sending spammer, as the email addresses they use as the "From" address are never theirs and are either spoofed as someone elses (and they get the non delivery reports) or just random addresses.
There are other methods e.g. virus/trojan infected computers relaying email addresses to spammers without the user even knowing, and this virus infected computer could be a contact who has your email address, and not necessarily your computer infected.
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