I agree with Petey and Rob. I have nothing to hide and will remain accessible for all as long as I can. I can block individual email senders with my software if I wish. I also have a long list of specific, restricted, words that automatically deposit many emails in the spam folder (like loans, mortgage, vitamins, drugs, supplements, viagra, etc.). I also block emails that are sent as image files (so that the word filters don't work). These bastards are clever.

It is an individual choice to list your personal email publicly or not. I prefer direct email so as to lighten the load on the OCF server.

My software detected a legitimate phishing attempt of my PayPal account last week (verified by them and reported to the FBI).

Keep your antivirus, phishing, spam filters and internet security up to date. If you have broadband, turn off your computer or router when you are not using it. There are many ways to protect yourself from unwanted and unsolicited emails. Also I recommend Ad-Aware and Spybot (freeware) run these weekly as well as a full system scan along with your antivirus software. You will be amazed at what you find!

I also use Registry Mechanic to clean up the Windows register of dead links and find it of value also.

It's important to not over react to this as well. The guy was exploiting our personal information and essentially making "cold calls". Not much different then the girl scouts showing up on your door to sell cookies. Except that commercial exploitation is not allowed here.

It's very hard to completely hide your email address. All you have to do is send one email to someone you know with no, little or outdated security in place (and their are lots of them out there) and your email address can be hijacked.

I also recommend being familiar with sites like Hoaxbusters, Quackwatch and other sites for detecting hoaxes and other deceptions which are all too commonplace. One clue is ANY forward that requests you to send it to 10 other people (even if it guarantees you of a cure for cancer if you do this or some other BS promise) is a fake and don't do it. Take the time to research the forwards you get for authenticity before you pass them along.

One other thing, many of you double post. And I spend a lot of time removing these. The reason this happens is because of net congestion and/or the slowness of the upload to your internet service provider. There is typically a small status window on the lower right hand of the screen that indicates your upload to the site (little green bars). Plus the site will automatically take you back to your response after it's fully received on the forum. Do not be impatient - WAIT for this to happen. Hitting the "Add Reply" button more than once will cause the double, or in some cases multiple, duplicate posts.