[LINK] Question re mail addressing

[rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au]

Linkers,

A question has arisen on another list which I think is answerable by 
savvy Linkers:

> [deleted for author's privacy] complaining about his ISP allowing 
> through spam emails that are not specifically addressed to him.
>
> Eg his email address is joe.bloggs at myisp.com <mailto:joe.bloggs at myisp.com>
>
> But he is receiving spam addressed to joebloggs51 at myisp.com 
> <mailto:joebloggs51 at myisp.com> or joesblogg at myisp.com 
> <mailto:joesblogg at myisp.com> etc
>
> The ISP describes it as dictionary spam where the spammer uses every 
> possible variation of a name in the hope of getting a hit and they 
> just let them through while filtering other spam.
>
So the question is: how can the message arrive at my inbox if it doesn't 
have my address in the To: field? A mail server so badly configured that 
it delivers stuff to "nearby" addresses is hard to credit, so I am 
assuming that the spammer is obfuscating the To: field - is that possible?

( I suspect the ISP's call centre has no idea and is just giving 
whatever answer seems plausible )

Cheers,
Richard C