To not want my email address circulated to all and sundry?

[PlasticLentilWeaver]

I am sick of friends and relatives forwarding on spurious spam emails purporting to be about maintaining my safety, or 'amusing' photoshopped pictures.

Firstly, they never check the truth of the content, so perpetuating the vast quantity of circular emails, and causing unnecessary concern to those who take everything at face value.

And secondly, if they can't refrain from doing it, why can't they put the email addresses in the bcc box, so that I don't get replies from 45 people I have never heard of before? Or, they forward it on to another 45 people who also then have visibility of my email address. You wouldn't hand out your address and phone number to half the world, so why do people think it is ok to do it with email addresses?

AIBU to think this is ignorant and rude? Or am I just being grumpy because I've been awake since 5 ?

No - I am with you. So many of those types emails I receive are urban myths - men knocking you out with 'perfume', computer viruses that make all you clothes fall off and your house burn down. Those sort of things. I despair of people's hysteria and stupidity.

You are not being unreasonable at all!

I confess I don't know how to forward emails so others email addresses can't be seen - but I don't send emails around like this anyway. I don't like the ones that go around warning people about crime that is usually based on an urban myth. I had to reassure a friend in her 60's last night that an email she had received like this was based on an urban myth.

But tbh I don't feel the same about my email address as I do about my phone number and home address. I can easily change my email address if need be and delete unwanted emails.

lesley, you use the bcc(blind CC) field. If you can't see it on your email account, look for a more options/advanced options button.

YANBU I have a friend and former colleague who does this. I have told her infinity times (with links) that these things are hoaxes and total fiction. She is not thick by any means but she seems to have a blind spot about this kind of nonsense.

Why should I have to change my email address because others can't help themselves distributing liberally to spam merchants? I have had it done with my work email address too (by people who have had it legitimately), and I can't just change that.

manfrom yes, the blind spot. (bangs head off desk). I have that friend too! Seems to believe that the hoax email us more likely to be accurate than the links I have provided showing things not to be.