Gmail & Spam Question

Lucky Cynic

I don't know about you guys, but uh, what's with my spam folder on my gmail account. I mean, I empty it like once a week, but it fills back up with about 100 emails a week. All for the same stuff, like v1@gr/\ and p1llz for (HeAp1!! What's the deal with these? I mean, I didn't distribute my gmail address more than my comcast address. Or is this something like google testing it's own filter or what?

Not like crisis or anything, but just a question I felt needed asking.

DarkPrimus

My gmail account was gloriously spam free up until the point it became widely available. I now have perhaps 100-odd spams floating around in there at any given time, since I don't delete them manually.

I never get any in my Inbox, mind you.

If you have an email account, it will recieve spam eventually. It's just one of those things.

Lucky Cynic

That's something I should clarify, these are all in the 'spam' folder/tab or inbox or whatever.

Thanatos

They spam the domain. Like, put a few billion different combinations of random characters in front of @gmail.com, and you hit a bunch of valid addresses. Stick the ones that don't return "invalid e-mail" into a file, sell to other spammers.

Lucky Cynic

Okay then, I was just wondering and couldnt find out anywhere. Thanks.

contraband

What is the purpose of spam emails? I don't understand the validity of someone sending out a billion penis enlargement emails that no one clicks on. Are they really out for just the spyware aspect, hoping to turn your PC into a zombie?

Shurakai

If you at any point get a google page, expect tons of spam in your gmail inbox.

Bots crawl along valid googlepage addresses and pick up your username so they can send spam to you. I had no spam Whatsoever until I did this.

Aurin

Shurakai wrote:

If you at any point get a google page, expect tons of spam in your gmail inbox.

Bots crawl along valid googlepage addresses and pick up your username so they can send spam to you. I had no spam Whatsoever until I did this.

If you actually have your email posted on the site itself, yup, you'll get spam.

Best way if you want people to be able to contact you, set up a form with a captcha system to shut down the spam. You'll still get the ones you have, but you won't get new ones.

vonPoonBurGer

contraband wrote:

What is the purpose of spam emails? I don't understand the validity of someone sending out a billion penis enlargement emails that no one clicks on. Are they really out for just the spyware aspect, hoping to turn your PC into a zombie?

No, it's not for spyware. Spammers spam because spamming works. Email is so cheap compared to other forms of communication, even if only 0.1% of the recipients are stupid enough to buy into what you send out, you're still making a profit.

Veevee

I currently have 2885 spam messages in my gmails spam folder. They come at a rate of 100 a day upwards of 300 a day. Nothing gets put into my inbox, and when it does I mark it as spam and forget. You really don't have to worry about that spam folder.