[SOLVED] using str_replace to replace email address to ascii

[AdRock]

I am trying to find an easier way to change email addresses into ascii to prevent email harvesters grabbing email address but i'm having problems getting it to work properly.

 

Here is the code

 

<?php

$email = "[email protected]";

$letters = array("a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "f", "g", "h", "i", "j", "k", "l", "m", "n", "o", "p", "q", "r", "s", "t", "u", "v", "w", "x", "y", "z", "0", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "@", ".", "-", "_");

$ascii = array("&98;", "&99;", "&100;", "&101;", "&102;", "&103;", "&104;", "&105;", "&106;", "&107;", "&108;", "&109;", "&110;", "&111;", "&112;", "&113;", "&114;", "&115;", "&116;", "&117;", "&118;", "&119;", "&120;", "&121;", "&122;", "&48;", "&49;", "&50;", "&51;", "&52;", "&53;", "&54;", "&55;", "&56;", "&57;", "&64;", "&46;", "&45;", "&95;");

$output  = str_replace($letters, $ascii, $email);

echo $output;

?>

 

and this is the output (nothing like it shouldlook)

 

&&&54;0;&&54;0;&56;;&&&54;0;&&&54;3;&64;;&&54;1;;&&&54;0;&&54;0;&55;;&&&54;0;&&54;0;&56;;&46;&&&54;0;&&&54;3;&64;;&&54;0;;&&&54;0;&&54;0;&&54;1;;&&&54;0;&&54;0;&&&54;3;&64;;;&&64;&57;;&&&54;0;&&&54;3;&64;;&55;;&&&54;0;&&54;0;&&54;0;;&45;&&&54;0;&&&54;3;&64;;&&&54;3;&64;;;&&&54;0;&&54;0;&&54;1;;&&&54;0;&&54;0;&&&54;3;&64;;;

 

I can see several @ signs in the output generated and what is with &&& ?

[AdRock]

I have narrowed it down to the ascii conversion of numbers causing the problems but still don't know why it's doing it