How to Catch Companies Selling Your Email

Have you ever signed up for a service and suddenly started receiving spam from companies you've never heard of? Someone sold your email address. Here's how to catch them.

The technique is simple: use a unique email alias for every service you sign up with. When spam arrives at that alias, you know exactly who sold or leaked your data.

Step 1: Create a descriptive alias for each service. For example, use 'shopify-store@ghostrelay.me' for your Shopify account and 'newsletter-xyz@ghostrelay.me' for that newsletter you subscribed to.

Step 2: Monitor your aliases. When you start receiving unexpected emails to a specific alias, you've identified the source of the leak.

Step 3: Take action. You can disable the compromised alias, report the company for violating their privacy policy, or even take legal action under GDPR or CCPA.

Under GDPR, companies face fines of up to €20 million or 4% of global revenue for unauthorized data sharing. Under CCPA, California residents can claim $100–$750 per incident in statutory damages.

This approach transforms you from a passive victim of data selling into an active investigator. You'll be surprised how quickly you can identify the worst offenders in your digital life.