How do I get my email?

How come these things (email - please refer below) get through my address? BEWARE...Paging Mr. Bill Gates...?

• Microsoft Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052 MICROSOFT TODAYS WINNERS OF GBP £2,000,000.00 This is to inform you that Microsoft Corporation is marking their Anniversary Today. From our Microsoft records we found that you are one of our selected winner in which your email address qualifies you to claim the amount of GBP £2,000,000.00 (Two Million, Pounds Sterling) in our Microsoft Central Computer Machine. After our selections and proper screenings today in our Microsoft Computer Machine your email address was successfully picked and selected among millions of email address in the World. We selected five (5) winners every month so as to show our gratitude to all email and Internet users across the world. Please endeavor to contact your assigned Microsoft Claim Director on how to direct you for the claim of your GBP £2,000,000.00 (Two Million, Pounds Sterling) MANAGER OFFICE FRONTIER FUNDS DELIVERY RICHARDS OWENS TEL:+44 703 1870 180 +44 703 1891 729 FAX:+44 870 9748 601 +44 870 4795 748 Email:[email protected] :[email protected] :[email protected] United Kingdom . Fill in the information below and send it to the Frontiers Funds Delivery Service with the following email:[email protected] WINNER'S VERIFICATION FORM 1.First Name: 2.Last Name: 3.Your Residential Address 4.Age: 5.Country & Nationality : 6.Telephone/Fax : 7.Occupation: 8.Marital Status: 9.Winning Email Address: If you have any further questions on this above subject matter please kindly table your request to the Microsoft Claim Director for more directives and concrete explanations on how to go about your fund(s) of GBP £2,000,000.00 (Two Million, Pounds Sterling). We appreciate your patronages as our Internet users and our Email Subscribers to Internet access. We congratulate you once again for qualifying for this lottery draws conducted. Specials Thanks to Microsoft Corporation and Bill Gates for such a wonderful opportunity. Congratulations!!!!!! Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052 © 2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved

• Answer:

  Spammers have all sorts of tricks they use to slip these things past anti-spam software, including constantly changing the "from" address, spoofing other domains, taking control of someone else's computer, etc. For those of you who aren't familiar with how these things work, this e-mail is a transparent attempt to collect addresses and other contact information to sell to other spammers and salesmen. Don't fall for anything that sounds too good to be true, because it probably is.