This is for people who you expect an answer from but the email has fallen through the cracks. Maybe it's starred, maybe they opened it on mobile and forgot to save as new. Your concern is definitely one we are keeping an eye out for but haven't seen it yet.
Not if the spammers use a botnet to change the email's source for each retry. Anyone who thinks spam originates from a fixed server name and IP is living in the past. More here:
http://www.arachnoid.com/lutusp/antispam.html
http://www.arachnoid.com/anti_spam/pic2_crop_small_trans.gif
Also, an easy way for a legitimate sender to be redefined as a spammer is for them to send copies of an e-mail until they get a reply.
> Your concern is definitely one we are keeping an eye out for but haven't seen it yet.
Like Bitcoin thefts, you won't see any sign of it until it's too late.
This idea violates the most basic civilized e-mail rule -- if you don't get a reply, don't badger the recipient. Spammers, of course, don't care about civilized behavior and will find this idea very appealing.
Will definitely read up on those concerns. Thank you so much for the resources and for preventing us from getting sleep at night from now on.
;-)
Yes, and that's exactly what spammers do. They know better than to send the same message more than once, but they certainly won't abandon an address they know to be valid (no bounce).
The first might say, "Our automated analysis tool has detected that your computer has been infected. Click this link for a repair."
The second might say, "We're sorry -- your bank has reported a hacking attempt and we need you to change your password. Please enter your login ID and your old and new password."
The third might say, "Is your wife no longer happy? Try our miracle ..." (use your imagination)
Spammers might be intellectually challenged people, but they're not perfectly stupid, on the ground that nothing is perfect.