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Ask Slashdot: What To Do With Misdirected Email?

Posted by Soulskill on from the respond-in-character dept.

An anonymous reader writes "My Gmail account is of the form (first initial).(middle initial).(common last name)@gmail.com. I routinely receive emails clearly intended for someone else. These range from newsletters to personal and business emails. I've received email with various people's addresses, phone numbers and even financial information. A few years ago I started saving the more interesting ones, and now have an archive of hundreds of emails directed at no less than eight distinct individuals. I used to try replying to the personal ones with a form response, but it didn't seem to help. To make matters worse, I frequently find I can't use my email to create a new account at various sites because it's already been registered. Does anyone else have this problem? Is there any good way to handle this?"

68 of 388 comments (clear)

  1. Get a real mail account by Animats · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Get a real mail account and get off Gmail/Hotmail/other free service. You get what you pay for.

    1. Re: Get a real mail account by MarioMax · · Score: 4, Informative

      This. Domains are cheap, and hosting/forwarding is cheap. Plus you get some level of personalization.

      Also easier to remember. bobsmith@bobsmith.com is catchy while bobsmith@gmail.com is generic and easily forgotten.

    2. Re: Get a real mail account by Nerdfest · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Exactly. This also covers the case where your ISP or Microsoft or Google does something that you can't abide by. It decouples you from your provider. You can move to a different email hosting service or even run your own without much inconvenience. It also looks a little more professional than having a HotMail account.

    3. Re:Get a real mail account by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      FWIW, you can't (any longer) use GMail with a custom domain for free. Free Google Apps was withdrawn for new signups last year and the for-pay version is fairly expensive.

    4. Re:Get a real mail account by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Nah, that's not a real solution. Not when you've had gmail since it's inception.

      What I'd do is...

      Where anytime the email has already been registered, reset it and take ownership of it.
      Mark any email sent to you that you don't want as spam. Even if you save it. In theory Gmail will start marking all emails sent from those email addresses as spam or contact the domain of the sender.

      If it's your email, who gives a crap. A classic dox'ing of annoying, obnoxious and stupid people is what 4chan does. If you feel that the emails you are receiving contain sensitive info, maybe start posting best stuff on pastebin if you're feeling malicious. Otherwise just ignore it with the spam filtering.

    5. Re:Get a real mail account by Tool+Man · · Score: 3, Informative

      Bah. This cranky old guy (with a *four* digit ID) agrees with Animats. Get your own domain, and control your own online presence, with as much or little mucking about as you like.

    6. Re: Get a real mail account by PlusFiveTroll · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Never use a catchall. And I repeat, never use a catchall. It's better to use a hosting service that allows you to control alias accounts easily and quickly. If someone types a non-existent address they are suppose to get a bounce email.

      Catchalls also create some unique bad situations. A number of years ago I had a small client who had a domain similar to a large university. They had just a few accounts on the domain and in general received around 20 emails a day and ran a catchall to get mistyped addresses. When they came in to the office and had over 35,000 emails in the inbox we new something was wrong. A spammer was 'confused', or something and thought the domain was part of the university and was sending mail from a@domain to zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz@domain and every possibly name and combination in between. It was coming from thousands of different IP addresses and hundreds of connections per minute.

      We had to turn off catchall and implement a SMTP policy of instant disconnect in the RCPT TO: header to stop the flood. After around a week the barrage stopped.

    7. Re: Get a real mail account by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 3, Informative

      Exactly. This also covers the case where your ISP or Microsoft or Google does something that you can't abide by. It decouples you from your provider. You can move to a different email hosting service or even run your own without much inconvenience. It also looks a little more professional than having a HotMail account.

      You don't need to run your own mail server to decouple your email address from your current email provider - even if you want to use gmail. In my case, I've used my alumni email address as my constant email address for many, many years, even though I've changed the back end provider multiple times and am currently on gmail.

      People don't generally send email to my gmail address, and when I send mail it doesn't show as coming from my gmail address.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    8. Re: Get a real mail account by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Backscatter only counts if you send bounces after the email is fully received. If you reject the email between SMTP HELO or EHLO and DATA, you're good.

    9. Re: Get a real mail account by egcagrac0 · · Score: 4, Informative

      All nouns can be verbed.

      Example: all nouns can be verbed.

    10. Re: Get a real mail account by beelsebob · · Score: 2

      You can do that with gmail too. your.name+anything@gmail.com gets redirected to your.name@gmail.com.

    11. Re: Get a real mail account by Culture20 · · Score: 2

      And for sites that disallow plus signs in email fields, y..o.ur...nam....e@gmail.com resolves to yourname@gmail.com too. A little bookkeeping, and you can keep track just as with the +. Of course the companies can sanitize the dots or pluses when they buy or sell, thus the utility of your own mail server.

    12. Re:Get a real mail account by FatLittleMonkey · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I don't personally know anyone who has lost their GMail account,

      I have. It also locked up every google-owned service, such as blogger/blogspot, (and presumably any 3rd party site that uses a google-account for login.)

      Sent in the official challenge-form via another email account, next day the block was lifted. Still have no idea what I was actually meant to have done. The only thing I can think of was logging in from someone else's computer (I was at their place when I was blocked) which is surely the whole fucking point of having webmail.

      --
      Science is all about firing a drunk pig out of a cannon just to see what happens.
    13. Re: Get a real mail account by SQLGuru · · Score: 2

      I don't bother setting up on-off e-mails. I just set up a catch all for spam. Then I have non-catch all e-mails for my real accounts. So slashdot@mydomain.com goes to catch-all, but I can still identify who sells my e-mail.

    14. Re: Get a real mail account by Dan541 · · Score: 3, Informative

      I have found that an effective solution for catchall is to run it on a subdomain. So I have.

      user@domain.tld for my email address and wildcard@catchall.domain.tld for anytime I need to supply a unique email address.

      --
      An SQL query goes to a bar, walks up to a table and asks, "Mind if I join you?"
    15. Re: Get a real mail account by gwolf · · Score: 4, Informative

      I defend that same point, and of course, my mail address is gwolf@gwolf.org (hey, no point in hiding it, have had it for too long for spambots not to notice!). People's perception is *not* IMO what you say: When I repeat my name after the '@', the most common answer is, "come again?". Some people have even tried to correct me explaining my name can *not* be part of the domain.

      Of course, I'm better off not receiving mails from those people...

    16. Re: Get a real mail account by CaptQuark · · Score: 2

      So, isn't it obvious this is the problem he is running into? If his email address is F.M.Last(at)gmail, he will receive FMLast, F.MLast, FM.Last, FML.ast, etc.

      I'm a little surprised Gmail will allow a new email account that has dotted username if they already have a user that receives all related dotted username variations.

      ~~

    17. Re: Get a real mail account by Great+Big+Bird · · Score: 2

      I just started using microsoft's domain stuff on mine. Rather handy.

    18. Re: Get a real mail account by foofish · · Score: 2

      They don't. If you register a username, you also get all dotted variations of that user name.

    19. Re: Get a real mail account by Lumpy · · Score: 2

      Running a email server is NOT cheap. so still use gmail but with your own domain. Low cost and you get the absolute best spam filtering on the planet.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    20. Re: Get a real mail account by kmoser · · Score: 2

      Uh...GMail *is* a client.

    21. Re: Get a real mail account by nine-times · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I think you're misunderstanding the discussion. If I send an email to a non-existent email on your domain, your email might accept the email transmission and then send a bounce in return, which will notify me, the sender, that the message didn't go through. However, this setup will unfortunately produce backscatter-- i.e. in cases where spammers are spoofing real email addresses, the owner of the spoofed email address will receive non-delivery reports for emails they didn't send. If, on the other hand, your domain has a catch-all account, then your server will accept the message fully, and not send a non-delivery report. This eliminates backscatter, but now I, a legitimate sender, will not receive a notification that their emails didn't go through.

      However, if you reject the email during the SMTP transmission, then my mail server, being legitimate, will notify me that the message was not transmitted. However, your mail server will not actively be sending non-delivery reports, so there will be no backscatter. The only downside to this configuration is that it creates a potential for directory harvesting-- i.e. spammers can attempt to email every permutation of email addresses and take note of the email addresses that do not cause the connection to be terminated, thereby determining which email addresses on your domain are valid.

    22. Re: Get a real mail account by demonlapin · · Score: 2
      It's English. You can't out-weird English. As James Nicoll said,

      The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.

  2. The only plausible solution... by XPeter · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is to change your name

    --
    "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits" - Albert Einstein
    1. Re:The only plausible solution... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Change it to Albert Qaeda , or Al for short.
      Then all that NSA snooping will pay off as everyone who emails you will get sent on holiday to Guantanamo.

  3. Well, for your second problem... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Reset password, follow emailed link, and the account is now yours. And, bonus if it's already been paid for.

    1. Re:Well, for your second problem... by CBravo · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I call that abuse... It is illegal in my country (having a password does not authorize you to enter, similar to finding a key on the street). Second: It is unnice to other people who make a mistake.

      Would you do that to someone you know?

      --
      nosig today
    2. Re:Well, for your second problem... by lxs · · Score: 4, Funny

      It has always been a teenage girl.

      Well it's your own fault for choosing numberonebieberfan@gmail.com for an email address.

    3. Re:Well, for your second problem... by vux984 · · Score: 2

      To make an analogy, its the same as if they were signing up to magazine subscriptions etc and using your mailing address.

      Is there any reason you can think of that suggests you shouldn't be allowed to cancel or modify the subscription if you don't want the magazines.

      If they want an account they should sign up for it with their own email address, not mine.

      That said I agree with you to the point that oen shouldn't just be malicious and nasty and steal or deface their content etc. But if they registered accounts in your name, with your address, you should absolutely be allowed to cancel them to the extent that you can.

    4. Re:Well, for your second problem... by sd1248 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'll also add that the real problem is the number of sites that allow accounts to be created without verifying the email. I find that I get a lot more emails announcing that I am now the owner of an account that I did not create compared to the number of emails asking me to verify my email. And yes facebook is one of those sites. I ended up having to create an empty facebook account linked to my gmail address to stop the cycle of other people signing up with my email and then I have to delete the account to stop the spam.

    5. Re:Well, for your second problem... by tlhIngan · · Score: 2

      Reset password, follow emailed link, and the account is now yours. And, bonus if it's already been paid for.

      Funny enough, I had it happen to me with British Telecom and apparently some university in Colorado.

      But for both of them, I couldn't use the password reset link - each time I tried, it gave me "email address is not recognized" which when I look at the headers, no it's not. No + addressing or anything - I just copied and pasted the email address from the header.

      One of the ironies is that BT is sending me personal details about their account - I know they have a moderate DSL link, a couple of phone lines, they are a business, etc., and I was even given their real mailing address! And after all the EU nonsense about privacy! They're just emailing all the details to me in the clear, to a US routed e-mail server! (My domain is hosted in the US).

      The Colorado university one I didn't understand - they were sending me all sorts of notices and such, but I certainly couldn't log in or recover password. Oddly, I could unsubscribe just fine.

      And my domain isn't the sort that I'd expect people would accidentally enter (being a .net to begin with and while only 4 characters, is still unrelated to any subject I could think of, so it's not like people would accidentally make a typo or something).

      And those were two of the more notable ones.

      All I know is, apparently a mining engineer and a business in the UK are probably wondering where their email is.

      Unfortunately, I can't be bothered to do anything but mark it as spam.

  4. No problems by mysidia · · Score: 5, Informative

    Just ignore them, or block the sender.

    To make matters worse, I frequently find I can't use my email to create a new account at various sites because it's already been registered.

    In that case, use an e-mail based password reset, set a new password, and done, as far as having registered for the site, or contact the site's support.

    1. Re:No problems by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 2

      Didn't Yahoo just reissue some email accounts that were "inactive"? Never assume that email addresses will always belong to one person for ever and ever. For that matter never assume that an email address even corresponds with a person. It could be a group or even nobody. Or a person could give it to their friend (not good when the account is based on a persons' name). Yes, in the case originally brought up it is a single person. But it doesn't mean that there is a one to one relationship between people and accounts.

    2. Re:No problems by mysidia · · Score: 2

      I wonder what the legal implications of this is...

      There's not any legal recourse you are going to be able to pursue against them for entering your email address by honest mistake.

      They were negligent in making a typographic error, but they do not have a duty of care towards you in that regard. You need evidence of intentional malice.

    3. Re:No problems by slashdotjunker · · Score: 5, Interesting

      In that case, use an e-mail based password reset, set a new password, and done, as far as having registered for the site, or contact the site's support.

      This is bad advice. Do not interact with an unknown account opened with your email address.

      A successful login from your IP address may be construed as assuming ownership of the account. They might try to collect money from you. Or, the account may have been used for illegal activities which are now linked to your IP address.

      Never assume ownership of an unknown account. All communications (if any) with the account management should clearly state that you are not the account holder and are not responsible for the account. In particular, do not ask for the account to be closed. Asking the company to take action on the account may also be construed as assuming ownership of the account.

      At best you can send an email stating you are not the account holder. Then put them on your block list. Do not get more involved than that.

  5. gmail plus sign postfix by watermark · · Score: 5, Informative

    Well, I have a solution to your "email has already been registered" issue. Gmail will treat yourname+blah@gmail.com as the same address as yourname@gmail.com, both will go into the yourname@gmail.com account. Give the site an email address with a plus sign postfix like that and it should detect it as a new unique address. Some sites don't allow the plus symbol in email addresses (even though it's a valid character), so mileage may vary.

    1. Re:gmail plus sign postfix by whoever57 · · Score: 2

      MANY sites don't allow the plus symbol in email addresses (even though it's a valid character), so mileage may vary.

      FTFY.

      Seriously, having used "plus-addressing" for many years, I can attest to the fact that many websites won't accept it.

      I know of one site where I did register years ago, but their de-registration page won't accept the "plus-address" that I used to register (rakuten.com, I'm looking at you).

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    2. Re:gmail plus sign postfix by Shados · · Score: 2

      Additionally, some of the bigger names in the industry of mass mailing are in on it, and for gmail specifically, if you use the + notation, they automatically use the real address under the hood. So it wouldn't help.

  6. Yes by chill · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes, I have this exact same problem. However, I do not keep other people's e-mail.

    I have been able to track down the correct people to whom the e-mails belong. In two cases, the people are lawyers and the e-mails contained either personal or confidential information. Another case is a general contractor, and I've received quotes from subcontractors, blueprints and general correspondence. In one case it was a confirmation of tickets for a theme park. (I debated showing up as soon as the park opened and claiming the tickets, but ethics got the better of me.)

    These people now reside in my address book. I forward the e-mail in question over to them, and CC a copy to the sender.

    One guy kept signing up for things using MY e-mail address instead of his. (name@isp.com vs name@gmail.com) He finally got the hint when *I* got the login information for his match.com account. (Ethics was still distracted by the theme park tickets case and lost.) Considering he was a single lawyer in San Francisco, I think my updates indicating he was gay, submissive, into BDSM and wealthy might've paid off. He seems to be extra careful in which e-mail address he uses now.

    --
    Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
    1. Re:Yes by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 2

      Yes, I have this exact same problem. However, I do not keep other people's e-mail.

      I have been able to track down the correct people to whom the e-mails belong. In two cases, the people are lawyers and the e-mails contained either personal or confidential information. Another case is a general contractor, and I've received quotes from subcontractors, blueprints and general correspondence. In one case it was a confirmation of tickets for a theme park. (I debated showing up as soon as the park opened and claiming the tickets, but ethics got the better of me.)

      These people now reside in my address book. I forward the e-mail in question over to them, and CC a copy to the sender.

      One guy kept signing up for things using MY e-mail address instead of his. (name@isp.com vs name@gmail.com) He finally got the hint when *I* got the login information for his match.com account. (Ethics was still distracted by the theme park tickets case and lost.) Considering he was a single lawyer in San Francisco, I think my updates indicating he was gay, submissive, into BDSM and wealthy might've paid off. He seems to be extra careful in which e-mail address he uses now.

      I generally do what you do. Most of the folks, when contacted, are appreciative. I generally simply ignore activation emails or simply cancel accounts.

      I've only had a few problems. One is some sites don't realize gmail properly ignores periods in address names and will let someone signup with my address either without periods or with one in an odd place. Gmail, of course, directs all emails to me and I can cancel the account or ignore activation emails.

      I had one person who insisted the email address was correct even after I explained I was getting emails for a parent of one of their students. The idiot sys admin went so far as to suggest I change my gmail account. I simply said, fine, any further emails about xx will be considered my property and that I have no duty to keep them confidential. I resisted the urge to email various teachers with a "I don't care about the kid, he isn't mine anyway and I have no idea who the father really is, stop e-mailing me..."when they contacted me about problems at the school and just dumped the emails to spam. I figured sooner or later the parents would miss an important email and all hell would break loose. After a while the emails stopped. Problem solved.

      I had another case where someone signed me up to their mailing list. After repeated nice attempts to get off the list were unsuccessful, i started flamewars (it was a political list) by correcting each and very misstatement, sending cartoons of the opposite persuasion, questioning the basic intelligence of the list members, etc. Basic flamewar 101 with a bit of AFU advanced trolling thrown in. Eventually, I get an angry email from the exasperated list owner, accusing me of all kinds of things. I responded with a note saying I had requested nicely several tines to be removed but you were obviously too clueless to figure out who to do which necessitated my using a clue by four to get his attention and get my name off of his mailing list. As much fun as the flamewars and trolling was I really didn't need his stuff clogging up my in basket.

      --
      I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
  7. I have the same problem by hawguy · · Score: 4, Funny

    I use my first initial+last name as my email address and get mail destined for a half dozen people. One person is an elderly gentleman in the midwest, I've given up any hope of getting him to stop giving out my email address. I only get a half dozen or so a month so it's not too bad.

    I usually send a form letter to emails where it looks like a person might read the response (as opposed to newsletters, etc). For those emails where I don't think a human will read the response, I usually just hit the Spam button, unless there's a quick and easy to find unsubscribe link.

    Sometimes when an email has a signature that says that if I receive a copy of the email in error I must delete all copies, in my reply, I ask whether they want to work on a time and materials basis or a fixed price $500 contract for me to track down and delete the email from all devices that it may have been delivered to (having emails go to a phone, tablet, several computers, imap download + backup means a fair amount of work to find and delete it everywhere). So far none have been willing to pay. I wonder if I could accept their demand to delete all copies of the email as implicit authorization to do the work and then bill them for the work.

  8. Re:Don't make an email account with your name in i by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    yes... resumes where your email is "XxLegolaslover81xX@gmail.com" present a far more professional impression than something like "Steven.Alderson@gmail.com"

  9. Here's how I handle it... by KennyLB · · Score: 5, Funny

    from: lauren
    to: Ken
    date: Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 10:15 AM
    subject: Information About Loose Mansion: Ken REMOVED

    12/18/2009

    Hi Ken and Stephanie!

    Thank you for your interest in Loose Mansion! We would love to host your wedding ceremony and reception, or possibly just your ceremony! As I mentioned, we'll have to wait until closer to your date before knowing if we can accomodate your afternoon ceremony on November 6, 2010. We are also available Saturday evenings, October 2 and 30, and November 13 and 20, 2010! Please know Loose Mansion is perfect for your group size!

    Attached is general pricing and policy information. I will put together a more specific estimate for you now that I know more about your plans, and will send that in a separate email shortly!

    In case you haven't had a chance to fully explore our website, please know that it contains a wealth of information about our events, including slide videos, photo galleries, guest comments, and answers to frequently asked questions.

    We're proud to say that the Kansas City community recently voted Loose Mansion, "Best Venue in Kansas City" on the KMBC TV A-List Website! To see reviews and photos on the A-List Website, please visit: REMOVED.

    We know that planning a wedding event can be overwhelming to many people...but, not to us! Our expert staff will ensure you have an amazing event, and we'll make planning simple and fun!

    Warm Regards,

    Lauren REMOVED
    Event Manager

    My response....

    date: Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 2:09 PM
    subject: Re: Information About Loose Mansion: Ken REMOVED

    Lauren,

    Thank you very much for your information about the Loose Mansion. While the information was rather intriguing, I'm afraid that I do not know this Stephanie who you are hooking me up with? I'm very surprised to hear that I am getting married as well, and this was quite a shock to my current wife.

    Also, Kansas City seems a rather long drive from my current residence in Maryland. I'm afraid that while Loose Mansion sounds wonderful, and I'm sure this will be an excellent event, I don't believe I will be able to attend.

    To Mark, Brett, and Seth, whom I have CC'd on this email. Please guys, NO MORE BLIND WEDDING DATES. My wife does not appreciate it.

    Thanks,

    Ken

    PS: Lauren, you may want to try to get in contact with the OTHER Ken, who is actually getting married. Sorry, I have no idea who he is.

    --
    ~Ken
    1. Re:Here's how I handle it... by shess · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I was getting some emails about an event of this type from a gal who thought I was her son. I gave a sarcastic response like this, saying that while I'm sure would be enjoyable, my wife and kids weren't really interested in traveling to Arkansas for my wedding, etc. She politely explained things again, so I suspect that the real son involved probably must also respond sarcastically, and I think she was kind of offended that I was making light of this important event. I switched into the mode I'd use to explain such an issue to my actual mom, it worked a lot better. I hope things worked out for them. *sniff*.

      In the end, crafting the witty response was a fine idea the first half-dozen times, but after awhile I just got tired of it. It's not like there's any payback, generally these people aren't early-adopters who get a laugh out of it, they're already confused by all this technology, so my comebacks are basically just mean. It's not my job to fix things for these various people who don't know their own email addresses, so mostly I just filter the emails away and move on.

      -scott

    2. Re:Here's how I handle it... by mkiwi · · Score: 2

      Well, that's certainly quite the experience.

      I had a girlfriend from Australia for an entire year before she figured out that my email address was NOT her boyfriend's. I used to just bounce the emails from my inbox, but they kept coming. For awhile, I was "georgie baby" to some kind of computer illiterate girl. The girl was always talking about picnics and outdoor activities.

      I guess a part of me wanted to become "georgie baby," but pulling a Cyrano de Bergerac was more effort than I wanted to go to.

      I have to admit, it was very tempting to say, "if you write 'hey georgie baby' one more time, I'm going to f^cking break up with you," but I'm nice like that. :-)

  10. Re:Don't make an email account with your name in i by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    from here it looks as if you might have to take your counting skills off your CV

  11. Re:Name? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Just send a CV with an e-mail address like these:
    it.does.not.come.easy@gmail.com
    fucking.master.of.the.universe@gmail.com
    sexybunny1990@gmail.com
    fuckalot@gmail.com

    These examples say something about you that you might not want to transmit on your CV.

  12. Send yourself a password reset by wiredlogic · · Score: 3, Informative

    If your e-mail address has been registered by someone else just have a password reset request sent to the address so you can take control of the account. I did this when someone registered a Facebook account with my email address and I got tired of the FB spam and friend request notices.

    --
    I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
  13. Relevant xkcd by Karganeth · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://xkcd.com/1279/

  14. Happens to me a lot with my own domain by weave · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I own a very short domain name where the first part of the name is the same as many organization's name.

    e.g., if it was example.com then others have example.co.uk or exampleinc.com etc and I get a LOT of their email because I wildcard my domain for email and people just assume that example.com will work

    As I get them, I add a postfix rule to reject that specific username but I still get stuff, including very confidential stuff.

    I haven't advised these organizations because I fear they'll just turn around and try to dispute to get my domain or accuse me of criminal interception or whatever. So I just delete them and they can wonder why they never got a reply.

    Rule #1: "Email is not a guaranteed service."

    Rule #2: "Email is not secure. Stop sending confidential stuff through it"

    1. Re:Happens to me a lot with my own domain by volmtech · · Score: 2

      Your would think a physical air courier service would be secure. I once found a large mailing envelope from "Emery" air freight in the middle of a potato field miles from any paved road. It contained contracts for a land development in Orlando, Fl. I am 90 miles north of Orlando. How they managed to lose a package out of an aircraft is beyond me. I resealed it and dropped in one of their collection boxes in a nearby town.

  15. Re:Had this issue by mdenham · · Score: 2

    For what it's worth, GMail treats all e-mail addresses that are identical other than dots as the same e-mail address internally, so j.dunce@gmail.com, jdunce@gmail.com, jd.unce@gmail.com, and j.d.u.n.c.e@gmail.com are all going to be the same account.

    I've noticed that forum spammers like to use that trick to get around "each account must have a unique e-mail" settings on certain types of forum software.

  16. bah, you guys are no fun by Garin · · Score: 2

    Y'all are missing out on a good time.

    I have a gmail account with the first name dot last name set up. As you can imagine I get quite a few messages for people who forget to tell their friends about their middle initial. However from context, I can often tell which of my name-sharing buddies the email was intended for. Over the years I have actually gotten to know a couple of them, which is fun.

    I don't bother trying to tell the senders about the mistakes, they usually do nothing, oddly. The recipient, however, tends to get on it effectively.

    It's quite interesting do talk to them. What's in a name?

    --
    In any field, find the strangest thing and then explore it. -John Archibald Wheeler
  17. This happens to me a lot, too by ShaunC · · Score: 2

    A few months back, I received an email on my Gmail from the agent of an NFL player. The agent was apparently looking to help his client negotiate a contract, and conveniently attached a draft of said contract. I went and updated the NFL player's Wikipedia entry stating that he was going into free agency and looking for a gig. Hey, I could have done a lot worse, like placing bets using inside info or something.

    Many, many years ago, I had the screen name "File" on AOL. There was some sort of ancient productivity suite (maybe Notes, or 123, or something) where you would cc a message to "file" in order to keep a local copy, and many AOL users presumed their email service worked the same way. Oh sweet Christ, the things that landed in my inbox there over the years...

    --
    Thanks to the War on Drugs, it's easier to buy meth than it is to buy cold medicine!
  18. Haven't had this issue with GMail, but with other by lamber45 · · Score: 2

    My GMail (and Yahoo! as well) username is (first name)(middle name)(last name), all fairly common [in fact at my current employer there are multiple matches of (first name)(last name), and my father has the same (first name)(last name) as well], and I have not had this problem with either service. Perhaps using initials instead of full names is part of it; or your last-name may have different demographic connotations.

    I did, however, recently have that problem with a Comcast account. When the tech visited our home for installation, he created an account (first name)(last name) @comcast.net . I didn't actually give it out anywhere, yet within a few months it was filled with a hundred or so messages for someone in another state. I did try responding to one item that seemed moderately important, and whoever got the response [the help-desk of some organization] didn't seem to grasp that I had no connection with the intended recipient. Since I hadn't advertised it anywhere, it was easy to change the username, to (my first initial)(wife's first initial)(my last initial)(wife's last initial)(string of digits) @comcast.net. While this address appears to have been reused, apparently Comcast no longer allows address reuse; I tried using a previous ID that I had used a long time ago, and it was not available.

    Since you ask for advice, I recommend two courses of action:

    • 1. As long as you still have access to that address, when you receive anything that is clearly misdirected and potentially of high value, deal with it politely. Don't use a "form response", instead personalize the response to the content of the message. CC the intended recipient on the response, if you are able to divine who it is. Once you've dealt with the matter, delete the whole thread. For newsletters, try following an "unsubscribe" action, if that's not available mark as spam.
    • 2. Consider an exit strategy from your current e-mail address, no matter how much is attached to it. See the Google help posting "Change your username". For the new address, try a long nickname or full first name instead of first initial; or maybe add a string of numbers, a city your contacts will recognize, or a title. Give your important contacts plenty of advance notice, post the new address with the reasons you're switching [perhaps with a list of the confusing other identities as well] on your "old" Google+ profile. After a reasonable time (say six months or a year), delete your old account. Make sure you change your address at all the "various sites" you've registered at before doing so, in case you need to use a password reset function.
  19. Re:Abandon Your Real Name by mhotchin · · Score: 2

    If only the parent had *specifically* addressed this, and pointed out the major shortfalls with this method...

  20. This happens to me way too often... by enderwiggen · · Score: 3, Funny

    I run into this all the time... I don't have a particularly common last name, so I have @gmail.com, however, if you take the first letter off my last name, you apparently get a somewhat more common last name, so everyone with that last name whose first initial is the same as the first letter as my last name thinks that my gmail account is theirs.

    I'm surprised by the number of companies that do not require validation to create an account. Most times I unsubscribe them. Some times I contact the vendor when they keep sending me stuff. Some times I just take over the accounts. It's very frustrating... I have had people try to open bank accounts with my email address. I had 3 different people buy cars using my email address this summer (and the car dealers do not remove you no matter how many times you call). My favorite one though is a woman in Nebraska who orders from Victoria's Secret once a month or so... I've contacted her and asked her if she needs to consider a diet since I've noticed her sizes are going up based on her purchase history. She wasn't too happy about it, but refuses to stop putting my email address in.

  21. Notify the Sender by nuckfuts · · Score: 2

    I don't see what the big mystery is here. Misdirected (non-spam) e-mails should be sent back to the sender, as has long been done with physical mail.

    I routinely reply to such e-mails with something along the lines of...
    "It appears that you have e-mailed me by mistake. I am not the person addressed in this e-mail."

    The sender can then track down the correct recipient or not, but at least they're aware it didn't reach the person intended. It's the considerate thing to do.

  22. Would you do that to someone you know? by tlambert · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I call that abuse... It is illegal in my country (having a password does not authorize you to enter, similar to finding a key on the street). Second: It is unnice to other people who make a mistake.

    Would you do that to someone you know?

    In a heartbeat, if it meant they quit registering for crap and giving my email address isntead of their own email address.

    1. Re:Would you do that to someone you know? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      This. It's my damn email address, and I get all the shitty spam from accounts where people use my email.
      Don't want me to delete your shit? Use your own email address.

  23. Favorite AOL Profile by Chewbacon · · Score: 2

    Don't pick on me for using AOL. We were all new to the internet once and had to start somewhere. Anyway, John@aol.com had the quote in his profile "I get a lot of wrong-number email."

    --
    Chewbacon
    The Bible is like Wikipedia: written by a bunch of people and verifiable by questionable sources.
  24. Re:Use your full name by qbast · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's perfect use case for GUIDs! From now on, you will be known as b91c9121-0a17-4b26-a09d-d5980eb532db .

  25. Lawyers. Who needs 'em by sedmonds · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Quite a few years ago I had an e-mail account with my ISP, and it received an e-mail from a lawyer to their client, which contained some personal information. I replied, to let them know that it hadn't reached the intended recipient. Shortly thereafter, that e-mail account stopped working for me.

    I hadn't used the account for anything even remotely important, so I didn't bother trying to get it back.

  26. Re:Shitcan it by stderr_dk · · Score: 2

    sudo mod parent up

    Anonymous Coward is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.

    --
    alias sudo="echo make it yourself #" ; # https://pipedot.org/~stderr & http://soylentnews.org/~stderr
  27. Same Issue by HiChris! · · Score: 2

    I usually do the courteous thing and reply to the sender - there have been 3 that I have gotten off an on for a few years. I usually reply and copy the likely intended recipient if I can figure it out. One time the sender replied back (to both of us) and was rather snippy saying it wasn't her fault. I found the info on a facebook page that she said used, turned out she was wrong - so I pointed it out kindly along with a link back and wished them luck at the event they were planning. The intended recipient was so thankful that she sent me a $10 starbucks e-gift card. So do good and you might occasionally get rewarded.

  28. Re:Same last name by mjwx · · Score: 2

    There's some cow in Oklahoma who shares the same last name and first initial as me, but yet manages to give MY gmail address to all of these various opt-in mailings. Consistently. Spanning years. Not sure how someone can be consistently wrong.

    Have you ever tried typing with hooves?

    --
    Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  29. Re:Name? by technos · · Score: 2

    One fellow did this to me three times in the same week. The first two times I merely changed the password and deactivated the account with a quickness. When it happened a third time, I figured I'd teach him a lesson. I let him add all his high-school friends, family and co-workers at the ice-cream parlor over the next week or two, then changed the password, Goatse'd his profile, and sent notices out to all of them. "If little Johnny Junior would like a Facebook account, tell him to get his own. This one is attached to my email address.". I let it sink in for a couple days before putting the kibosh on it.

    Johnny's dad was amused and sent me an apology. It seems that Johnny Senior had signed up for a super-spammy dating site with my email address some years ago and I'd Goatse'd his profile in response.

    --
    .sig: Now legally binding!
  30. Be a freakin' human! by Phreakiture · · Score: 2

    It appears nobody has considered this marvellously simple approach:

    Hit "reply". Type four words: "This is not me." Hit send.

    This extends the courtesy to the misdirector of the email of letting them know that they've got bad info.

    --
    www.wavefront-av.com