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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?"

33 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 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.

    4. 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.

    5. 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
    6. 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.

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

      All nouns can be verbed.

      Example: all nouns can be verbed.

    8. 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.
    9. 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?"
    10. 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...

    11. 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.

  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 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.

    2. 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.

  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 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.

  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.
  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. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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.
  11. Relevant xkcd by Karganeth · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://xkcd.com/1279/

  12. 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"

  13. 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.

  14. 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.

  15. 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 .

  16. 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.