It might not be a surprise to you but to me it was, that a friend of mine
(who works for Microsoft) told me; "The email addresses are sold to people in Africa and around the world in bulk.

Those people, then misuse these email addresses as "SPAM" and for other "ID" thefts purposes".

As you know, every now and then, we keep getting and sending so many "FORWARDED" emails... to & from our beloved ones, family members, friends and well wishers in a chain reaction and some people can't help stopping that chain and some of our beloved ones & friends get trapped by cyber Spammers and Hackers.
When ever you forward any email(s) to your friends and family members, please make sure that you put every ones' email address in the "BCC:" field and NOT (repeated NOT) in the "TO:" or in the "CC:" fields. In the "TO:", you should put your own email address so that every one does not, unnecessarily get your friends and family members email addresses and their friends and friends of friends (in a chain), being irrelevant persons to you and your children and other family members. It takes one second to delete your email sent to you from your side but saves future problems.