Hi Doc,

> It's not clear to me that changing email addresses is an effective
> strategy.

That's my own site, so it does not cost me anything - other than a
little time.

> When I first got this email address, I didn't use it for several days.
> When I first checked the mail, there were about 60 spam emails!

Sounds like my msn address! :-)

> So my address wasn't being harvested from any groups that I had been
> on.

Yeah, but perhaps an IT guy somewhere selling lists of new addresses
established for the day? :-)

> I'm sure there are a number of different techniques used to build up
> those lists. One seems to be just going for addresses that are sure to
> be used by someone.

pictuff@sdalcorn.com <- what a guess! I have a gut feeling that either
a) hosted web sites are being hacked for lists of valid email addresses
(user accounts) or again - b) enterprising staff looking at accounts or
having sniffers to access lists of valid accounts on particular
domains.

> And I'd be really surprised if sniffers weren't being used.
>
> Sympatico (my provider) installed spam filters for all their customers
> and the junk mail dramatically dropped.

Yeah. I changed to a provider based on this alone, but I need to
maintain it myself. So once I get tired of all the messages trying to
sell me vicodin, I actually have to go and setup a rule to filter all
messages with 'vicodin' in the subject. Then, there is v1codin and
vic0din and vicod|n - and I am back to square 1

Also the filter simply trashes any unwanted email. So the sender is not
getting a bounce or invalid address error. It probably still seems like
a valid address to them. I fear the day I lose my filters! I will
probably be crushed in an avalanche of SPAM

> But since then it's been climbing slowly but surely.

There are a lot of smart people on this list. The answer has got to be
incredibly simple! :-)

Cheers,

Sean

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