Most well-known businesses avoid spam, Mozena said. For consumers who don't want spam, choices seem limited, with some unappealing consequences. For example, if a consumer responds to a spam message, it can confirm the address with the spammer and lead to more. If the response angers the spammer, it could bring a flood of messages. If the spammer faked the return address, the response could go to some unsuspecting soul.
Spammers can get e-mail addresses from a variety of sources.
If people sign up for chat, news groups or other public forums, the e-mail address can be found with automatic searches. Some services, such as AOL, have membership lists where people can choose to be included. At PacketWorks in Clearwater, one employee in the six-staffer company spends half his time dealing with spam, according to Bret Woods. How much spam costs in a monthly bill is hard to calculate. The room was silent.