[Bill V]

Spyware is one of the reasons you get so much spam. Some spyware collects info (including email addresses) from your computer and sends it back to its "master" who then in turn disseminates that info to interested parties. Have ya' ever wondered why you get offers for Viagra or Enlarge your you-know-what, or even Reduce your Debt in your email?
Spyware.
One other point of interest folks. Everyone is vulnerable to an attack by a hacker somewhere whenever they're attached to the internet, but this is particularly true if you are using high speed internet either via DSL or cable modem. If you don't have some firewall software running on your computer or are not situated behind a firewall, then your computer is being probed by hackers who can steal personal info from your computer and commit identity fraud or install a Trojan horse (rogue program) that can be used remotely by the hacker to do nasty things like launch denial of service attacks and such.
Make sure your systems are patched to the latest levels by visiting microsoft.com and clicking the windows update link.
And now I'll hop off of the soap box. It's just that the majority of people out there with computers are unaware of how vulnerable they are so I figured I'd use this opportunity to spread the word. I'm just paying it forward.