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I just came across a top tip on the Microsoft website to stop spammers from verifying your e-mail address using a read/delivery receipt.
Basically, it involves enabling the tracking option to “ask me before sending a response”. That way you can tell when someone has attempted to validate your e-mail address – I had thought that sending a fake non-delivery report (NDR) would be enough but it seems without this setting I could also have been sending a read receipt without realising it when I deleted the spam.