Signing up for Adwords = Spam

Recent signups have triggered tons of spam to my e-mail

[bears5122]

I've created a few different Adwords accounts in the past few weeks. These e-mail accounts had been around for awhile, were gmail, and had names no one could possibly come up with.

After signing these e-mails up for Adwords, I was struck with spam. The spam came from the same areas and were for the same stuff.

I would have chalked this up to an all out spam attack, but I had never received spam until signing up for Adwords. In fact, I've never used these e-mail accounts for anything, EVER.

Anyone with any ideas on this?

[ogletree]

When I got my gmail account I did not give it to anybody and never used it and got lots of spam quickly. I think people are quite literally sending email to every conceivable combination of letters and numbers. No big deal for them they still press a button and go to bed.

I signed up for adwords using a brand new email that was only created to use for adwords. I have never received spam on this emal address.

[patient2all]

I think people are quite literally sending email to every conceivable combination of letters and numbers.

I can guarantee that happens. My wife and I work at different institutions and have gotten tons and tons of spam in our workplace mailboxes. Yet neither of us ever use the 'net to play around during the day nor give the address out to anyone except for business reasons.

Of course, people have insinuated that we must be visiting websites that are capturing our information or signing up for questionable offers since they don't get similar.

I finally figured out that the reason we're targeted is because our surname is the 5th. most popular in the US. I was called to another department where Mrs. White complained she was getting every manner of junk and viruses even though she didn't even know how to surf the Internet. She asked why her co-workers, Mrs. Palamountain or Ms. Balloute didn't have the same problem (names changed). There must be programs that once they get their hands on a domain name try [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], etc.

Well, it keeps us employed!

patient2all

[ogletree]

Use a unique domain that is used for email only and don't use a common name. Never use it to fill out a form or put it on a business card. Ask family to never put it in an address book and you may be able to go a while without spam.