Spam courtesy of paypal

Azari

I've just received a spam email to an address that has only ever been used for a paypal account.

Not at all impressed.

Nilrem

How do you know it was from PP?

I've got addresses that have never been used, but get the odd spam message!

Depending on the domain, and format of the address there are spam programmes that will basically go through every common/semi common permutation of an email address.
Ie if you had the domain mydomain.com and a spam bot becomes aware of it, it could end up with every possible email address it's found at other domains being tried (IE if it has a list of addresses that includes myname21346@one domain it can try it at @mydomain).
This is especially true if the email address is in the format of a traditional name, ie joe.bloggs21.

I ended up turning the catch all option for unknown email addresses on my domain off a few years ago, as I was getting loads of spam to addresses that had never been used on the domain (it was obvious a bot had become aware of the domain, and way trying names at random).

Azari

Nilrem wrote: »

How do you know it was from PP?

Because it is a meaningless jumble of letters @ mydomain.

Only paypal have been given that address.

It is in no way a 'common/semi common permutation of an email address'.

They definitely got the address from paypal.

I ended up turning the catch all option for unknown email addresses on my domain off a few years ago, as I was getting loads of spam to addresses that had never been used on the domain (it was obvious a bot had become aware of the domain, and way trying names at random).

In this case, if it was a robot it would have had to pick a single random combination such as 'xrg7t' and get it exactly right on the first attempt.

That didn't happen.

starrybee

Anyone who you've ever paid/received a payment from via that paypal account will have seen that email address.
And who knows who has access to their accounts
Etc, etc...