# Received a Spam Email Referencing my Username...Concerning? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 13, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091 "2017-03-13T14:54:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091/1 "2017-03-13T14:54:10Z")
I like to look at my spam mail from time to time because it’s funny and sometimes useful stuff ends up there. I looked earlier and noticed a Nigerian Prince email referencing my username on here. I don’t use that name anywhere else, so they obviously got it from here, is that something the webmasters should know/be aware of? I’m not that concerned about it personally because, you know, spam and all. But I don’t know if someone just sold a list of emails to people or if there was some kind of hacking thing. ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091/2 "2017-03-13T15:18:35Z")
Your email address is displayed in your user profile. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091/3 "2017-03-13T15:20:38Z")
Your e-mail address is listed in your profile. Someone could register, go through profiles to gather e-mails, then go to town. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091/4 "2017-03-13T15:44:50Z")
Oh, I didn’t even realize. Is there a way to remove that? I looked all over the CP and can’t find anything ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091/5 "2017-03-13T15:50:43Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Oh, I didn’t even realize. > > Is there a way to remove that? I looked all over the CP and can’t find anything Yeah. I was disappointed that I also appeared to disseminate my email address to anyone who cares to look. I think “User CP”, “Profile Privacy”, “Contact Info” works. Set “Contact Info” pulldown to anything more restrictive than “Everyone”. :rolleyes: I set mine to “Friends” because that’s the lowest degree of acquaintance I’d allow to email me, short of board administration kinds of things. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091/6 "2017-03-13T15:51:31Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Oh, I didn’t even realize. > > Is there a way to remove that? I looked all over the CP and can’t find anything In your profile, go to “User CP” in the upper left hand corner Go to the Control Panel column on the left side Go to “Edit Options” Uncheck “Receive email from other members” Save ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091/7 "2017-03-13T16:13:50Z")
Perfect! Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091/8 "2017-03-13T17:04:55Z")
Isn’t that option unchecked by default? Mine was unchecked and I’m sure I didn’t do it. I seem to remember when I registered the only email option that was checked was Receive Email From Administrators. Has that changed? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091/9 "2017-03-15T13:39:02Z")
Ages ago I bought a domain with free email forwarding. The main purpose back then was so that if I changed my ISP, I could change the address it was forwarded to and would not have to send out an email change for my friends and subscriptions. The past few years, though, I have been using it as a spam defense. If I for example, register to read an article on the New York Times website it’ll be with the addy nyt@\.com That way if spam starts coming in to that address, whether it was sold by the original site or harvested by some sumbitch, into the cornfield it goes. If I want, I will subscribe again using nyt2 or something. It costs a bit but in my mind $13 a year is well worth it, not even counting some of the other services rendered. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091/10 "2017-03-15T19:14:40Z")
I’ve often found of weird that even trolls will have an email address visible. It’s interesting how many people just don’t notice. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091/11 "2017-03-15T19:20:55Z")
Wasn’t the SDMB user database hacked a while ago? 1 year? They asked us all to change our passwords. If someone stole the user database, they’d have your username and email. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091/12 "2017-03-15T20:35:23Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Wasn’t the SDMB user database hacked a while ago? 1 year? They asked us all to change our passwords. If someone stole the user database, they’d have your username and email. And we would have many, _many_ more people complaining about this problem than we now do, I’d think. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/received-a-spam-email-referencing-my-username-concerning/782091/13 "2017-03-16T00:22:35Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Wasn’t the SDMB user database hacked a while ago? 1 year? They asked us all to change our passwords. If someone stole the user database, they’d have your username and email. [https://www.databreaches.net/the-straight-dope-forum-hacked-reset-your-passwords/](https://www.databreaches.net/the-straight-dope-forum-hacked-reset-your-passwords/)