I understand what Mike is talking about..spammers "generate" email addresses just by using the isp...in other words (for non techies) everything after the @ sign.  If your email user name is simple enough they can get lucky and you get an email from them.  Example: mike @ hotmail.com.....the spammers use @hotmail.com and generate thousands of names to put in front of it and mike or john or whoever gets spam.  They are only looking to get ppl to respond so they will know if the address is legitimate.  And when they do this..they do it in bulk so when you get the email you don't even see your address because they either BC'd it or it's so far down the CC list that you have to go to the properties of the email to even attempt to find it.
But rest assured..its there somewhere.
Another thing ppl forget is that if you put your email on a page..ANYWHERE where ppl can see and read it or use it..You open it to the bots that do nothing but scan pages and harvest email addresses....that's why I seperated the address above..the bots won't recognize it and I'm sure there is a mike at hotmail somewhere..lol
For instance if you have a blog or a webpage and you put your email address within a link that says 'contact me'  a bot can get it unless you alter it in such a way as to not look like an address..and I find that using a java button hides it too...the address is within a code that is assigned to the button to make it work...and not "out there" for the bot to recognize.

And like I said before..I've been here for over a year..bought stuff from the marketplace..sent and recieved mails within the site. ..my last name starts with a D and so is at the top of lists usually..and I've never had a problem with spam...but I also don't put my address "out there" anywhere in its real form.
So, if someone here is doing this...they are choosing who they are doing it to..and I find that very hard to believe.  If the database is compromised...it would be affecting everyone I would think.

 

“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.”

[Stuart Chase]