Gmail bug?

Monbo Jumbo

Hates the crockpot
Lifetime Member
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Dec 5, 2003
25,231
the other Athens
Gmail seems to be screwing up.
 
For years I'd occasionally get a piece of email intended for someone else. It was clear their address was close to mine, and sometimes people missed whatever character they were supposed to enter. But I never knew what their address was supposed to be.
 
Starting yesterday, I'm getting A LOT of this persons mail. When I look at the address it's sent to, it's my address, with the addition of a single period within the address.  Google seems to now be stripping out this period, which turns their address into mine.   I tested this by sending an email to that address with the period, and sure enough, it came right to me.
 
Thoughts?  What to do?
 

Hambone

will post for drinks
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
2,822
That's actually a feature of gmail. You get your email address as well as any combination of your address and a mixed in period or two. It makes it easier to filter certain emails if you like. 
 
For instance hambone@gmail.com gives you ham.bone@gmail.com or h.a.m.b.o.n.e@gmail.com. I use it for banking stuff where I filter all emails to h.ambone@gmail.com to go to a certain folder vs cluttering my inbox. Makes it easy to search for them too.
 
 
 
 
 
Here are two different ways you can modify your Gmail address and still get your mail:
  • Append a plus ("+") sign and any combination of words or numbers after your email address. For example, if your name was hikingfan@gmail.com, you could send mail to hikingfan+friends@gmail.com or hikingfan+mailinglists@gmail.com.
  • Insert one or several dots (".") anywhere in your email address. Gmail doesn't recognize periods as characters in addresses -- we just ignore them. For example, you could tell people your address was hikingfan@gmail.com, hiking.fan@gmail.com or hi.kin.g.fan@gmail.com. (We understand that there has beensome confusion about this in the past, but to settle it once and for all, you can indeed receive mail at all the variations with dots.)
http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/2-hidden-ways-to-get-more-from-your.html
 
So it seems that person's friends are just getting dumber.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2004
24,483
The 718
Monbo Jumbo said:
Gmail seems to be screwing up.
 
For years I'd occasionally get a piece of email intended for someone else. It was clear their address was close to mine, and sometimes people missed whatever character they were supposed to enter. But I never knew what their address was supposed to be.
 
Starting yesterday, I'm getting A LOT of this persons mail. When I look at the address it's sent to, it's my address, with the addition of a single period within the address.  Google seems to now be stripping out this period, which turns their address into mine.   I tested this by sending an email to that address with the period, and sure enough, it came right to me.
 
Thoughts?  What to do?
 
I was thinking about starting the same thread.  The exact same thing is happening to me.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
gmail does not recognize the period within an email address.
 
Brian.smith@gmail.com is the same as briansmith@gmail.com. Those are not 2 separate addresses. If your email is the first one (which mine is similar to) you will get email from anyone that enters the second. gmail is not stripping out the period. It simply doesn't recognize those as different. 
 
Someone put the wrong email address on a list somewhere.
 

mascho

Kane is Able
SoSH Member
Nov 30, 2007
14,952
Silver Spring, Maryland
It is a strange gmail flaw. Mobile so I can't find the article, but gmail doesn't recognize periods in email addresses. If, like me, your email address is "firstname.lastname@gmail.com," you can get mail sent to "firstnamelastname@gmail.com."

I have gotten emails designated to a pastor in Michigan, a KFC franchisee in Rhode Island, and most recently a defense contractor who seems unhappy stateside and was offered $91K to work six months in Afghanistan.

EDIT: Or, what DrewDawg said.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
Like h.ambone said though, someone is still giving out an email address that they never signed up for or the email is actually at yahoo.com or something and people aren't paying attention.
 

bostonbeerbelly

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 26, 2008
2,224
San Fran
I have also been getting more increasingly incorrect emails.  These include loan applications, DHS retirement benefit packets, store receipts, and personal emails. I have a fairly common name, but I now have a lot of social security numbers of people with the same name.
 

lars10

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2007
11,612
DrewDawg said:
Like h.ambone said though, someone is still giving out an email address that they never signed up for or the email is actually at yahoo.com or something and people aren't paying attention.
Is this true though?  My dad gets mail from someone with the same name as his and both of them are valid email addresses, but for two different people.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
I get emails for someone on a LDS mailing list, info about a medical conference I was invited to speak at, and some notes about the team I had joined in a volleyball league in NYC.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
lars10 said:
Is this true though?  My dad gets mail from someone with the same name as his and both of them are valid email addresses, but for two different people.
 
Yes it's true. 
 
From google:
 
Sometimes you may receive a message sent to an address that looks like yours but has a different number or arrangement of periods. While we know it might be unnerving if you think someone else's mail is being routed to your account, don't worry: both of these addresses are yours.
Gmail doesn't recognize dots as characters within usernames, you can add or remove the dots from a Gmail address without changing the actual destination address; they'll all go to your inbox, and only yours. In short:
  • homerjsimpson@gmail.com = hom.er.j.sim.ps.on@gmail.com
  • homerjsimpson@gmail.com = HOMERJSIMPSON@gmail.com
  • homerjsimpson@gmail.com = Homer.J.Simpson@gmail.com
 
All these addresses belong to the same person. You can see this if you try to sign in with your username, but adding or removing a dot from it. You'll still go to your account.
If you get mail that seems to be intended for someone else, it's likely that the sender entered the wrong address, just like if you've ever dialed a wrong phone number for someone. In these cases, we suggest contacting the original sender or website when possible to alert them to the mistake.
 
 

canderson

Mr. Brightside
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
39,433
Harrisburg, Pa.
My gmail addy is very simple as I was an eaaaarly beta user and I get TONS of wrong emai. Divorce settlements, tax returns, naked pics, financial transactions, etc. I've seen it all.

It's annoying, but I have like 10,000 filters that keep most of it out of my inbox now.
 

Monbo Jumbo

Hates the crockpot
Lifetime Member
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Dec 5, 2003
25,231
the other Athens
Interesting - thanks all.
 
I think this person hadn't used their email in a while - and forgot their address -and now misremembered it.  They signed up for a ton of sweepstakes Friday night. Then it looks like they used to address to register an account of a debit card they have. Now they're repeatedly trying to change the password for that account. I'm setting up a filter to shove all of their stuff into a separate box. 
 

Monbo Jumbo

Hates the crockpot
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 5, 2003
25,231
the other Athens
Monbo Jumbo said:
Interesting - thanks all.
 
I think this person hadn't used their email in a while - and forgot their address -and now misremembered it.  They signed up for a ton of sweepstakes Friday night. Then it looks like they used that address to register an account of a debit card they have. Now they're repeatedly trying to change the password for that account. I'm setting up a filter to shove all of their stuff into a separate box. 
 

epraz

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 15, 2002
6,176
I get misdirected email all the time.  I put the best ones on a tumblr. My favorite:
 
 
 peachXXXXXX@yahoo.com 12:41 PM
 
Hi how have you been? I moved to Phoenix in August and I got an analyst job at the AZ Department of Economic Security. People here are different; they are not as liberal or socially active as the District. My birthday is coming up in 2 weeks and I will celebrate it like a rock star in Las Vegas. It is my first time I’m so excited :)

It has been a while we have not talked and it was so weird that I had a random dream about you last night. I dreamed that we ran into each other at a bar and there were so much to catch up. Our conversation still continued while we walked to your house. In your couch, we ran out of what to talk about, instead we ecstatically kissed each other and passionately made love!! It was so emotional and surreal that I woke up and still feel that tinkling all over my body.

Anyhow, I had a random thought of you and hope you are well my love.
Peach
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
 

AlNipper49

Huge Member
Dope
SoSH Member
Apr 3, 2001
44,855
Mtigawi
I'm going on three years being part of a condo association e-mail chain.  I've responded to a number of things over the years, and I usually include some light flirting if the name I'm responding to is female-sounding.  
 

FL4WL3SS

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
14,913
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
AlNipper49 said:
I'm going on three years being part of a condo association e-mail chain.  I've responded to a number of things over the years, and I usually include some light flirting if the name I'm responding to is female-sounding.
Holy shit, please post this exchange sometime.
 

canderson

Mr. Brightside
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
39,433
Harrisburg, Pa.
I got this one yesterday.
 
 
Hi, I am a wildlife rehabilitator. I would be happy to take the mouse
and care for it. I work in Delmar. I get out at 4:30 and live in
Schenectady. Does the mouse have fur or eyes open?
 
I wrote back and thanked her, because this email reminded me to clean out my computer mouse (too much lint and dust in there). She never responded.
 

mascho

Kane is Able
SoSH Member
Nov 30, 2007
14,952
Silver Spring, Maryland
Just got this one.  First, I thought it was the Small Council, not the High Council.  Second, I'm not sure if I'm the Hand or the Master of Coin.
 
 
Hi Brother mascho,
 
To get you started, attached is a document which outlines some of the basics of serving on the High Council.
 
If you have any questions or if I can be of any help, please don't hesitate to contact me.
 
I have yet to read the attachment.  But apparently the version of me living in Michigan is moving up his church's food chain.