@lookingforward -I think that only works for legitimate sources. I don’t think that is what veryhappy is talking about. Common advice for spam is not to use opt out as that only confirms your email address and results in more spam.
I received four more spam emails overnight.
Mine really picked up about 2 months ago. I get about 50/day now. I use Outlook, but my internet provider asked me to block the email from their site. I find myself doing this twice each day. It has helped, as now only about 5 get through to my inbox. Most of my spam messages list senders with a first and last name, making me suspect they are from the same source.
I have to allow my work email to send spam through to me (otherwise, there are a lot of emails from students - and the Department of Education - that would never get to me, thanks to the way my employer filters). It is marked as spam in the subject line, so I have a heads-up. Today I got this email:
“One million dollars donated to you,
Kindly reply back for payment details.”
Figures … it was marked as spam.
I never see spam…gmail does a great job putting it in the spam folder.
I also have 2 accounts. One I give to my personal contacts, the other I give to businesses or mailing lists (I do want to see the latest sale at my favorite stores but I don’t want it cluttering up my personal email). I just peaked and notice that my personal email has very little spam in the spam folder, while my other email has a lot of spam in the spam folder (and unfortunately a few items that are not spam). But in either case I never see spam in my inbox.
All of the recent influx is coming from [Someone’s Name]@onmicrosoft.com. Does anyone know anything about that domain name? I’m afraid to look it up.
I do not think you’re being paranoid. I just think it’s the least likely of all possibilities. More likely some company you gave your email to sold it to a spammer list.
Could be the contact list (or FB account) of someone you know got hacked. I’ve gotten spam that looks like it’s coming from a friend or even from myself!
Or your email could have been grabbed off a website (have you ever put your email on a website as a contact person for something?) or maybe a social media site (is your email public on Facebook?)
As for the domain name…they make domain names that look like reputable companies so you will open it (same with links in an email…)
It’s hard to make things completely fool-proof. Best practice is to make sure you have a good spam filter and don’t open the emails!
@VeryHappy: I noticed some troubling spam from a place with a charming, boutique name, and then some really weird things happening in my inbox. I was getting spammed by even myself, and myself from my other accounts. Changed that password and sent a note to my email provider. The outfit was coming out of Korea. Surprisingly, of all the spam I get each week, that one was shut down from coming to me after my notification to the email provider.
I have 3 email accounts I use. DH has one. He and I get the same spam on the accounts that we used for Facebook. I suspect that Facebook is easily and regularly hacked. I even changed the listed email account to try to stop it, tried changing passwords, but I think that email is “out in the wild” now so it just keeps coming. Oddly, it gets through Verizon spam filers but if I try to forward it to their spam reporting site it doe not let me, since it is spam. Duh!
Spam usually comes about through several different paths. Some spammers buy lists of user id’s from other businesses and they are paid by businesses to spam you. Others hack websites of retailers or the db of ISP’s, get their list of e-mails for their customers/members, and then spam them. Sometimes I see an uptick in spam, then it dies off, either the spammers got tired or the ISP ends upblocking the sending IP’s.
I think there was a “scam warning” posted here a while back. First the scammers get hold of your online banking passwords, then they change your online banking information, like your phone number and email address. This action will generate an email from your bank warning you that a change has been made. The scammers flood your inbox with so much spam that you miss the legitimate warning email from your bank. Something to be aware of - @VeryHappy , check your online banking.
And now my computer is as slow as molasses in winter. 
My spam folder gets a LOT of traffic…but I can quickly look at all the senders…and in one button I can delete them all. I don’t get spam in my inbox.
I’ve been getting that spam as well @VeryHappy. I also think it’s more than I use to get. I was wondering the other day if there was way to strengthen spam filter or if system had updated and changed some settings
We have so many types of firewalls, virus protection, malwarebytes, etc…that it’s a miracle I get emails from my friends.
Gmail does a very good job of filtering spam. That said, my whole family has been getting spam text messages. The first was supposedly from our bank - saying our ATM access had been locked down due to a problem. The message contained a link it asked you to access. S actually did click on the link and immediately realized it was a scam. He warned the rest of us.
I’m much more worried about having my cell number ‘out there’ than I am about my email. I figure after years of the same email address and using it for purchases at many different vendors, it’s bound to get into the wrong hand. But how the heck are they getting my cell number?
Sorry to say, dietz, but they can scan your cell in public. I went to the mall, walked through Nordstrom, no trying anything on, no purchase. That evening, texts from Nordstrom. Genuine, but unwanted. This isn’t just them.
Lookingforward, are you sure you never used their free wifi in the past and have your cell on file as a rewards #?
I’ve been using free Wi-Fi in a number of airports, hotels and restaurants…hmmmm…maybe I’ll just stick with cellular data from now on.