Update: I think the problem is fixed now.

The Gmail user you are trying to contact is receiving mail at a rate that prevents additional messages from being delivered. Please resend your message at a later time; if the user is able to receive mail at that time, your message will be delivered.

So why am I receiving so many emails? Well, I received over a thousand emails yesterday along these lines:

From: Mail Delivery Subsystem AndrewcaiRodriguez@amptoons.com
Date: Aug 16, 2006 3:03 PM
Subject: Returned mail: see transcript for details

—– The following addresses had permanent fatal errors —–
(saket @mehr.sharif.edu)
(reason: User unknown)

You have been chosen to participate in an invitation only limited time event! Are you currently paying over 3% for your mortgage? STOP! We can help you lower that today! Answer only a few questions and we can give you an approval in under 30 seconds it is that simple!

Of course, there is no such email address as “AndrewcaiRodriguez@amptoons.com”. Spammers just make up fake email “amptoons.com” email addresses, which they use as return addresses for spam they send out.

Why do they do this? I have no idea. I hate spammers.

Anyhow, I’ve contacted my host about getting rid of the global forwarding I’ve got set up for “amptoons.com,” and instead only forwarding email that’s actually addressed to a valid email address. Until they get that set up, however, I won’t be able to receive email.

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