# How do Spam Bots Get Their Email Lists?

**URL:** <https://www.sotonians.com/t/how-do-spam-bots-get-their-email-lists/794>\
**Category:** Tech\
**Created:** [30 July 2016 12:50 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/how-do-spam-bots-get-their-email-lists/794 "2016-07-30T12:50:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lifeintheslowlane](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/lifeintheslowlane/32/690_2.png) [@lifeintheslowlane](https://www.sotonians.com/u/lifeintheslowlane)\
**Post date:** [30 July 2016 12:50 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/how-do-spam-bots-get-their-email-lists/794/1 "2016-07-30T12:50:31Z")

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I got a couple of Spam emails this morning, supposedly from my Missus. They were sent out from two different addresses, one from dot com dot AU and another from dot com dot BR.

I know they haven’t hacked my wife’s account but she gets stressed when this happens and I can reassure her there’s not a danger to her account and most aren’t destructive just spamming one website or another.

## How do the bots get their addresses…do they have to hack accounts to do this?

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**Author:** ![PhilippineSaint](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/philippinesaint/32/3978_2.png) [@PhilippineSaint](https://www.sotonians.com/u/PhilippineSaint)\
**Post date:** [31 July 2016 08:15 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/how-do-spam-bots-get-their-email-lists/794/2 "2016-07-31T08:15:59Z")

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Pap sells it to them

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**Author:** ![BTripz](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/btripz/32/75839_2.png) [@BTripz](https://www.sotonians.com/u/BTripz)\
**Post date:** [31 July 2016 19:59 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/how-do-spam-bots-get-their-email-lists/794/3 "2016-07-31T19:59:37Z")

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Big random word generators, email domains are well known so they’re easy to append at the end of a large list of random words, 'tis all.

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**Author:** ![pap](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/pap/32/74795_2.png) [@pap](https://www.sotonians.com/u/pap)\
**Post date:** [1 August 2016 05:42 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/how-do-spam-bots-get-their-email-lists/794/4 "2016-08-01T05:42:03Z")

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> Originally posted by @PhilippineSaint
> 
> Pap sells it to them

Meh. Partly true. I don’t sell shit.

There are people out there that do, though.

Mostly the cumulative result of hacks and people being silly enough to put their email address on a web page. That’s the reason that many companies prefer you to enter information on a contact form, and many people say stuff like “my email address is polka dot com”, or whatever.

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**Author:** ![ericofarabia](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/ericofarabia/32/91_2.png) [@ericofarabia](https://www.sotonians.com/u/ericofarabia)\
**Post date:** [1 August 2016 05:53 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/how-do-spam-bots-get-their-email-lists/794/5 "2016-08-01T05:53:48Z")

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Bingo … just sold [pap@polka.com](mailto:pap@polka.com) to some dodgy geezer down the souq for a Rollex Watch.

Expect Incoming soon Pap!! 🆒

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**Author:** ![PhilippineSaint](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/philippinesaint/32/3978_2.png) [@PhilippineSaint](https://www.sotonians.com/u/PhilippineSaint)\
**Post date:** [1 August 2016 06:01 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/how-do-spam-bots-get-their-email-lists/794/6 "2016-08-01T06:01:51Z")

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Of course not it is well known that you smear it around the Pap testicles :lou_lol:

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**Author:** ![pap](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/pap/32/74795_2.png) [@pap](https://www.sotonians.com/u/pap)\
**Post date:** [1 August 2016 06:24 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/how-do-spam-bots-get-their-email-lists/794/7 "2016-08-01T06:24:41Z")

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Please give up the day job and go into comedy.

I’d like to see you destitute :lou_wink_2:

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**Author:** ![PhilippineSaint](https://www.sotonians.com/user_avatar/www.sotonians.com/philippinesaint/32/3978_2.png) [@PhilippineSaint](https://www.sotonians.com/u/PhilippineSaint)\
**Post date:** [1 August 2016 06:48 UTC](https://www.sotonians.com/t/how-do-spam-bots-get-their-email-lists/794/8 "2016-08-01T06:48:41Z")

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> Originally posted by @pap
> 
> > Originally posted by @PhilippineSaint
> > 
> > > Originally posted by @pap
> > > 
> > > > Originally posted by @PhilippineSaint
> > > > 
> > > > Pap sells it to them
> > > 
> > > Meh. Partly true. **I don’t sell shit.**
> > > 
> > > There are people out there that do, though.
> > > 
> > > Mostly the cumulative result of hacks and people being silly enough to put their email address on a web page. That’s the reason that many companies prefer you to enter information on a contact form, and many people say stuff like “my email address is polka dot com”, or whatever.
> > 
> > Of course not it is well known that you smear it around the Pap testicles :lou_lol:
> 
> Please give up the day job and go into comedy.
> 
> I’d like to see you destitute :lou_wink_2:
> 
> Destitute I can do every month, after the Mrs pays the local labour force to keep me in the manner to which I have become very acustom to.