Okay, geeks and geekettes, here's a question I don't know if any of you would be able to answer, but I figured I'd throw it out there anyway.

I have SmarterMail 3.3.2439 (Professional Edition) installed on my dedicated box.

I added a domain via the web-based admin, and added a domain admin to the account. We'll call the domain testdomain.com .

testdomain.com is presently in use on another server, and is to be transferred over to mine. But...I have not yet edited the DNS, nor has anyone else (since I'm the only person who knows both the domain login/password AND the new DNS settings.) So...no DNS change.

I logged out of SmarterMail as the admin, and logged in as the domain admin. We'll call the account bob@testdomain.com .

Now, here's the weird part: when I logged in, there were two spam messages waiting for me!!!

So, how does an email account for a domain that isn't even pointing to the server receive spam messages?

I will gladly give TP to anyone who can even come CLOSE to an answer for this (and by close, I mean "at least point me in the right direction"). I've asked my host too, though.

You host "won't know".

The sad and sorry truth is that some hosts make a little on the side dumping SPAM into the system. And in this case I think you caught them.

Don't ask me where or how I came to know of this.

Do you mean hosts make money on letting the third party spam their clients???

No, actually they did know, colby. I asked them too since it was really weird. My host also has a strict no-spam policy primarily because their bandwidth provider is Savvis and Savvis is EXTREMELY cautious about that sort of thing. I know, because a former client almost ran afoul of it once and it was for an automated renewal email that was completely legit.

Anyway, here's the situation.

bob@testdomain.com accepts mail forwards from sally@anotherdomain.com , which is also on my dedicated server.

Because anotherdomain.com mail forwards to testdomain.com, which is on the same server, no DNS lookup is performed to forward the email to where it's actually supposed to go.

So...that's why it happened.

Weird is the right word.

I learned my new item for the day.

You and me both, dude.