Now you know. If you open it, he'll keep sending it. If you buy from an unsolicited email, you're part of the problem.

MIKE WENDLAND: Spam king lives large off others' e-mail troubles

Ralsky has other ways to monitor the success of his campaigns. Buried in every e-mail he sends is a hidden code that sends back a message every time the e-mail is opened. About three-quarters of 1 percent of all the messages are opened by their recipients, he said. The rest are deleted.