Apple store sell your email address?

[Yaboze]

I know this sounds crazy, but I just wanted to get some feedback. My wife got a MBP in July 2011 and it's working fine. I was not with her at the time, but I wrote down what she needed, etc.

Anyway, the Apple person there was very nice and helped her get some things set up. She doesn't remember giving her email address for any kind of records or anything. I know OSX asks for it when you install, but I'm just not sure where it could have been released.

The thing is, she said that ever since she got her MBP, she's been getting tons of spam email and she doesn't surf that much or go to the sites she's getting emails from.

Has anyone heard of anything like this? I'm not convinced it's related, I think it's a coincidence but I can't convince her otherwise.

 

[Tumbleweed666]

If you cant convince her otherwise, how would you expect strangers to?

Spam seems to come in clumps. and you only need for your email to get out once, for it to get passed around. I have an email of the form amazon@mydomain.com, had it for years, only used it on Amazon, for the past two or three months after 10 years spam-free, I'm getting spam on it.

I'm sure Amazon didn't pass it on, but occasionally I have bought stuff from third parties within amazon and likely one of their databases got compromised. Now I get a ton of spam on that address even though in all likelihood it was only from one source. I'll be changing it shortly and then autodeleting anything that goes to that address.

Most probably same for your wife, her email got out just once, to one bad supplier (either they sold it or more likely were hacked), one spammer passes the email to 2, 2 to 4, in a few days its hundreds.

FWIW when she got her macbook did she also buy accessories, some software, a new bag, whatever,and use the same email? I know I tend to buy new stuff when I buy a new PC or camera or whatever. If its associated with the macbook purchase it will be associated in that way, she doesn't really think Apple would want to reap a storm of utter death by doing such a thing does she?

Not to mention, why is she so special, if its happening Apple never sold my email address, whats wrong with me, am I also not as worthy of being spammed

 

[rdowns]

You sure she didn't give them her email address to have a receipt emailed? In any case, Apple doesn't sell your info, they keep it all for themselves.

 

[ChristianVirtual]

I'm also switching to service-specific email addresses right now in my own domain. Easier to change in case it got compromised. A bit work to migrate but hopefully helpfull in the long run.

On a side node: when I got my first iPad on its launch day I used my credit card to activate inside the Apple Store. I'm not sure if linked but shortly after I had someone buying on my card in another country. As I didn't traveld the card company locked the card and reversed the payment. But to be really honest I also belive it was linked to the inshop activation for my iPad. It neverhappen all the years and transactions before.
Not saying the Apple staff is involved but I rate their shop Macs as "contaminated" and dont enter my private info there anymore. When they asked me to activate my iPad2 this year I kindly rejected and did that at home in my steril environment. And told them why.

 

[Yaboze]

If you cant convince her otherwise, how would you expect strangers to?

Haha, well, first off, I don't believe Apple did anything to her, but she knows I'm a Apple fan (since '83) and that I would defend them. I also wanted to ask here if anyone has experienced anything like I described. Sometimes mentioning something here gets people thinking: "Hmm, I did notice some spam since my purchase.".

It's very black and white to her, because once her MBP was set up and home, days later the spam flowed. It's just a strange coincidence. I keep telling her she needs to visit each site and get off of the mailing list and that will help.

 

[Yaboze]

I hate to bring this up again, but I got my Late 2011 MBP a week ago and since giving my email address to the employee there for my receipt, I have been getting spam! It's not too heavy, but there's no way I signed up for these emails I am getting.

So far I got a spam email from Magic Jack, Journey's Store, Fingerhut, GenieBra (lol) and a few others. I *never* got an email from these before.

WTF is going on?

 

[tys]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but.....
I had to get my new iPhone replaced at the local  store a couple days ago. I noticed they still had my old email on file, so I updated it with my current address and am now getting TONS of random spam.
Perhaps coincidence, but I don't think I've given out my address to anyone else lately.

 

[Alrescha]

No

I use an Apple-specific email address for all my Apple correspondence, and I never get spam at that address. It would be immediately obvious if Apple (or any other company I deal with regularly) were to sell my email address.

A.