ELI5: How does spam get to my email if no one knows my email address?
Is Microsoft (I use outlook) selling my info to companies? Do ad companies just make up emails and hope they exist?
Posted Mar 19, 2014, 1:20 AM UTC
23
The most common way people get it is by sending basically every address emails with images. When you open that email, if your email service automatically downloads the image they know your email is real. If it isn't automatic and you choose to manually download it, that happens as well.
Other than that it's due to giving it to someone who sells it, or posting it publicly.
2
Every website you visit stores a cookie and then other websites take information from said cookies. Show and tell share of cookies for all!
1
Spammers send e-mail to every address they can think of. If the address exists, great. If it doesn't move on.