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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Massive increase in spam emails lately, since M&S leak - anyone else?

76 replies

Whatwaswrongwiththatusername · 28/06/2025 09:40

Not an actual AIBU, but wanted to see if - and how many - of you have noticed this as well.

Basically the above. I have recently had a massive increase in spam in my junk mail folder. This is an email address that I’ve had 25 years now, so obviously a certain amount is to be expected. However, overall there wasn’t really much - certainly didn’t outnumber “normal” mail that lands in my funk folder, not very many at all really.

But recently I suddenly started getting a ridiculously large volume of spam now - multiples of many of them. They now outnumber, by far, the rest of the mail (these are usually the regular subscribed stuff, sites used for shopping etc etc). The only thing I can think of that has happened was the M&S cyber attack, assuming now my emails been sold all over the place. It’s driving me potty! I have to block and then delete each one in turn, but it just doesn’t stop them coming back, especially the multiples - as I assume they run some kind of random email addresses from their server (or however it works), so I still continue to get the same ones over and over again, as they seem to just keep sending from different emails so the blocking is rarely successful.

Has anyone else noticed this, or have any idea why, if you think it’s not the leak?

Not sure how to change the poll, but;
IABU = no, you’ve seen no change yourself
IANBU = yes, you’ve noticed it as well
Thank you.

OP posts:
Wowzel · 28/06/2025 09:41

I haven't noticed this at all, just went to check! (And i have a m&s account)

Footyfandango · 28/06/2025 09:42

Yes I have been inundated with them since the M and S issue

bohemianblasphemy · 28/06/2025 09:43

I have too - also job scam texts which I'd never had before.

Whatwaswrongwiththatusername · 28/06/2025 09:43

Wowzel · 28/06/2025 09:41

I haven't noticed this at all, just went to check! (And i have a m&s account)

Yeah, it’s such a massive increase I think you’d have noticed it. If it isn’t that I really have no idea how/why this has started so suddenly the last few weeks.

OP posts:
Whatwaswrongwiththatusername · 28/06/2025 09:45

@bohemianblasphemy @Footyfandango you too? When did you notice it starting? And did you think it was because of the M&S thing?

OP posts:
Ilovelowry · 28/06/2025 09:45

Yes absolutely inundated.
Never got spam emails before! Have to 'report spam' 5 times a day at least.

WoahThreeAces · 28/06/2025 09:46

I have had loads - all about updating cloud storage or virus scanning software. It's so annoying, I'm getting three in a day some days.

I hadn't made the association with M&S to be honest. I recently signed up to a paid survey app and had thought maybe it was that.

Ilovelowry · 28/06/2025 09:46

Started about two weeks ago for me.

Nodlikeyouwerelistening · 28/06/2025 09:46

I go through periods where I get loads of spam emails or texts, then a week or two later I’ll get an email from a company that’s had a breach and it clicks. Been getting loads of those fake job texts recently so I know some data has been leaked somewhere. Could be M&S, could be any number of companies.

Whatwaswrongwiththatusername · 28/06/2025 09:50

Yes, I’m getting some similar ones to the cloud storage, virus updating crap, literally everything! So far it’s 8/10 on the poll, that’s a lot.
The blocking and deleting just isn’t doing anything. I can’t mark as spam on the email app so may start using the outlook app to see if I can do it on there, but the only thing is I’ll still likely continue getting them because of the random email addresses they keep generating.

What can be done in this kind of situation, where you can block/mark as spam till the cows come home but they just continue from different emails?

OP posts:
Whatwaswrongwiththatusername · 28/06/2025 09:52

This morning I deleted about 25! And that’s since I last checked late yesterday!

OP posts:
Whatwaswrongwiththatusername · 28/06/2025 09:54

Nodlikeyouwerelistening · 28/06/2025 09:46

I go through periods where I get loads of spam emails or texts, then a week or two later I’ll get an email from a company that’s had a breach and it clicks. Been getting loads of those fake job texts recently so I know some data has been leaked somewhere. Could be M&S, could be any number of companies.

Yeah, I was trying to think what breach it could’ve been if it wasn’t M&S but with most of the ones that were in the news recently it’s mainly M&S I used. I know there was the co-op, I don’t have an account with them. I can’t remember any others, do any of you recall what other companies were struck recently as well as those two?

OP posts:
Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 28/06/2025 09:54

I think there might be something else afoot. I've had a massive increase in spam texts rather than emails, but I don't have an M&S account.

Whatwaswrongwiththatusername · 28/06/2025 09:55

Wowzel · 28/06/2025 09:41

I haven't noticed this at all, just went to check! (And i have a m&s account)

Fingers crossed for you!!

OP posts:
Abitlosttoday · 28/06/2025 09:56

WoahThreeAces · 28/06/2025 09:46

I have had loads - all about updating cloud storage or virus scanning software. It's so annoying, I'm getting three in a day some days.

I hadn't made the association with M&S to be honest. I recently signed up to a paid survey app and had thought maybe it was that.

I have had the same. I have bought things from M&S online, but not sure whether I have an account.

SunD0wn · 28/06/2025 09:57

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 28/06/2025 09:54

I think there might be something else afoot. I've had a massive increase in spam texts rather than emails, but I don't have an M&S account.

Me too but scam texts re CVs, parking fines….

MyCyanReader · 28/06/2025 09:58

The email I use for online shopping has no extra spam/junk.

My personal email oddly does recently have far more spam so I'd say it could be a coincidence or being spammed by something else?

They're easy to block so doesn't take long to get rid of them.

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 28/06/2025 10:02

SunD0wn · 28/06/2025 09:57

Me too but scam texts re CVs, parking fines….

Yes, mine were parking fines and I forget the other thing because I just block and delete automatically now.

jellycat · 28/06/2025 10:02

What I’ve noticed particularly is not so much more spam e-mails but an increase in spam texts and calls from unknown numbers (I let them go to voicemail but if I search the number they nearly always come back as numbers that have been reported for scams). It definitely started during the M&S cyber attack, so I have assumed it was linked.

Whatwaswrongwiththatusername · 28/06/2025 10:03

Can I ask, those of you “reporting spam” are you accessing your emails via (in my case iPhone) email app, the specific email app (I have Hotmail), or are you doing it in the browser? As there’s no option to report on the apple email app, couldn’t see it on the outlook app last time I looked, but haven’t used a browser for my emails in years.

OP posts:
Ilovelowry · 28/06/2025 10:05

Mine is gmail. So I right click and press 'report spam' without opening the email.

Whatwaswrongwiththatusername · 28/06/2025 10:06

MyCyanReader · 28/06/2025 09:58

The email I use for online shopping has no extra spam/junk.

My personal email oddly does recently have far more spam so I'd say it could be a coincidence or being spammed by something else?

They're easy to block so doesn't take long to get rid of them.

I’ve been blocking every single one, but I’ll still get another ten from the same place the next day, it seems they generate random emails so none of them will actually come from the same one. There’s the odd ones that I can block, but it’s the ones that just send several in one block, even if I’ve blocked every single one of them previously. God know how many times I’ll need to do that before they run out of emails!

OP posts:
Whatwaswrongwiththatusername · 28/06/2025 10:08

Btw, do forgive me if I disappear as I’ve not slept and am desperately trying to have a nana nap! I shall be back. Thank you to those of you who have replied so far, I’ll have a proper read through and see if there’s anything that’s suggested that I’ve not tried yet.

OP posts:
Nodlikeyouwerelistening · 28/06/2025 10:11

Whatwaswrongwiththatusername · 28/06/2025 09:54

Yeah, I was trying to think what breach it could’ve been if it wasn’t M&S but with most of the ones that were in the news recently it’s mainly M&S I used. I know there was the co-op, I don’t have an account with them. I can’t remember any others, do any of you recall what other companies were struck recently as well as those two?

Well unfortunately I think there are a lot more hacks than we are aware of. Companies are supposed to report serious data breaches but these hackers often hold companies to ransom (like the case with M&S). M&S did the right thing and refused to pay the ransom but it’s cost them absolutely millions as a result. For smaller businesses or charitable organisations that wouldn’t survive the costs to recover from such an attack a lot are probably paying the ransom. At which point does that guarantee the hackers don’t still release some or all of the data they’ve retrieved? I don’t know but I think the ones we hear of are the tip of the iceberg. The companies big enough to survive the financial and reputational impact, or large enough that they can’t hide it from that many employees.

66babe · 28/06/2025 10:11

I’m getting loads of spam emails .. ones that when you click “ unsubscribe “ it takes you to more crap
I don’t know if it’s anything to do with Marks but it’s doing my head in