how do people get/find my email address?

[Josh]

So i get alot of spam from people i dont know. How did they eva get my email address? i do not post contact info on my social media. Like for example i got a email from ghanda or some place like that saying someones gonna give me money but when i searched up the area, there known for stealing money from people. So i know this lady is just trying to steal cash but how the hell this she get my email address? I got a letter from a MIT professor and 1 from a bussiness man i dont even know.

[mary c]

Actually, I wonder the same thing. I will be watching the answers to your question because someone will know the answer!

My guess is that there is some sort of 'service' or 'clearing house' that sends emails to everyone -- kind of like how we receive junk snail-mail. They probably try every possible email address that they can generate and get a lot of 'hits' from doing this. Also, just like the old fashioned 'mailing list,' I would bet that companies sell their email lists. I also think that if you go to a Website, you will start getting spam from similar businesses or organizations.

One of my first computer experiences was years ago when I got a pot-bellied pig. I went on a website called "Pigsaspets." Immediately, I started receiving all sorts of spam about Penthouse Pets; all kinds of porno stuff; as well as spam from and about the police! I always thought that "Pigsaspets" triggered all that spam although the pot-bellied pig people probably were not responsible for it.

I frequently hear from the African Prince wanting me to help him get his millions to the U.S. I'd love to help him but am just not comfortable sending him my credit card #.