'SPAM'

[Gunfighter]

Can anybody explain why I am getting loads of e-mails with a '.fr' source coming into my VM e-mail address? I don't give this address to anybody so whoever is sending them must have access to the VM system. I also keep getting reminders to renew my MacAfee subscription, which I have never had so this must be dodgy also.

[用心棒]

---

@Gunfighter wrote:

Can anybody explain why I am getting loads of e-mails with a '.fr' source coming into my VM e-mail address? I don't give this address to anybody so whoever is sending them must have access to the VM system.
⋮

---

Other explanation to consider are:

• data breaches on which the email has appeared. Check known data breaches here, Have I Been Pwned: Check if your email has been compromised in a data breach
• if email address username is common name then it may have been auto-generated

-- 
I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge, I don't work for Virgin Media. Learn more
Have I helped? Select Mark as Helpful Answer or 🖒 Kudos to say thanks

[coenoby]

---

@Gunfighter wrote:

whoever is sending them must have access to the VM system.

---

That's not the case at all. Obtaining email addresses from data breaches is just one of the many ways your email address can fall into the wrong hands

Here's a link that gives a nice summary of some of the many ways that spammers and scammers can get your email address. https://clean.email/blog/email-security/how-email-spammer-gets-your-address  (but see my comment at the end of this post)

Scroll down to the section "How Do Spammers Get Your Email Address?" and it lists 6 ways which spammers / scammers can acquire your email address without having access to your email provider's data.There are others as well, malware on your device for example.

I am not suggesting you should use the Clean Mail product. I never have and I am not recommending anyone to use it. I have posted their link simply because it  provides a nice straight forward summary of the situation.

Coenoby