It wasn't AirForums but....

[Buttercup]

I believe that somebody sold my email address. Here's the story - it is still evolving at this time. I got an email today for a "Safety Ball Mount" hitch contraption. I am not going to say what the device is or where the message actually came from. Normally I would have marked it as spam, reported it to the reporting service I use for spam and deleted this message. But for some reason, having it be a hitch device made me think twice. I looked into the product and wondered how this message got to me. Was it a coincidence?

There was no "opt out/unsubscribe" button on the message so I suspect that the person who sent out the message did it with his own email client. I believe he created the message and sent it out from his computer or web site directly. I emailed the address listed on the message to ask how he got my address.

The "owner" did reply to my questions but has been quite evasive about where he got my address from. I offered a list of sites where I am registered on and one additional site I have never joined but whom I do suspect has my address and do suspect would sell it to make a buck (hint - it ain't AirForums). He indicated that it was not from any of the sites I was registered on, but did say that it was an RV site.

Has anybody else gotten a message like this recently?

[Buttercup]

I do have an update - I have been emailing back and fourth with the vendor and he stated he simply found my email address on the web after searching "recreational vehicles" online - he found a page on the VAC's web site he claimed.
I actually tried that search string and the VAC's web site did not show up after several dozen pages of Google search results so I am not feeling that information credible. It is a little different than what he initially told me.

[DanielB]

How is this different from any other spam?

[Buttercup]

It is a case of whether or not my address was sold from another web site of which I am not registered user. The site I have in mind has my email address all the same. I don't have to name the site, but I can say that WBCCI did give my email address (and thousands of others club members) to a website that used to be operated for the club. That site is no longer operated for the club BUT still retains all of the registered users and email addresses provided to it.

And IF my address was sold by this site owner, that is what is inappropriate.

[Boondocker]

Was it Professor Plum in the library with a candle stick?

[Buttercup]

Originally Posted by Boondocker

Was it Professor Plum in the library with a candle stick?

That's what I was afraid of!

[NevadaGeo]

Cool! Right now there are 23 potential customers reading about this problem of ethics. If I had an RV business, I'd sure rather have 23 potential customers reading HAPPY ehical comments about my business.
How neat is that!

[DanielB]

If that is the worst thing that happens to you on the internet, count yourself lucky.

[NevadaGeo]

Tim, could you give me and other newbies a short synopsis of what we're talking about here? I think it's basically an RV shop owner took over the WBCCI forums site "gratis" , then stopped and is now using the personal information of the member database for profit, without permission of the members.

[Buttercup]

I suspect that may have indeed happened.

[Boondocker]

Sleazy people suck.

[Forrest]

Funny you should bring this up. A week ago I logged into that site using my old WBCCI member forums name & password and it accepted it. A few days later, I couldn't log in. I couldn't even create a new account using my email address. Do you think that is the denial of service other members described when it was the club forum?

[Gene]

I am fairly sure I know who you suspect (and I would too if it were me) but there are other RV sites you may have bought from using e-mail and they may have sold the info or have been hacked. I don't think this is anything you haven't thought of, Buttercup. The evasiveness of the vendor shows he is not a good liar, but a liar all the same.

Gene

[DaveFL]

Now with that cleared up, I need to know why I get so many viagra and breast enlargement emails, some hit my spam but even with filters my reg email gets them, they know enough to misspell so that it is missed.

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by DaveFL

Now with that cleared up, I need to know why I get so many viagra and breast enlargement emails, some hit my spam but even with filters my reg email gets them, they know enough to misspell so that it is missed.

I get salt peter and penis reduction spam. Its uncanny how they can target their potential customers...

[47WeeWind]

Originally Posted by DaveFL

Now with that cleared up, I need to know why I get so many viagra and breast enlargement emails, some hit my spam but even with filters my reg email gets them, they know enough to misspell so that it is missed.

. . . a sexuality identity crisis??

[rock60]

Originally Posted by Boondocker

I get salt peter and penis reduction spam. Its uncanny how they can target their potential customers...

you wish

[Buttercup]

Well, the guy I was emailing about the spam told me that someone from that site recommended that he send it to me... because I was a site admin. It was sent to my personal address, not my site admin address so I suspect that if what he said is true, he was also given an email address to send it to.

Forrest, the "denial of service" in the form of the "Miserable Users Hack" I experienced is different, it would basically deliver blank pages after a minute or longer wait. What you describe sounds like a straight out block from registering or using the site. You can however proxy into the site with no problems whatsoever.

[Coloradobus]

Buttercup, I didn't receive this advertised piece of ferris material. However, I used my own email address when I logged onto the defunct site.
Chris, on the other hand received this ad, and didn't join the defunct site.
So, his email was given out with knowledge.

[Buttercup]

Sorry to hear that. I do know it happens, but it just isn't right and decent.