email address mix up?

bertha

My email address is fred.bloggs1@gmail.com but I get occasional messages that have been sent to fred.bloggs@gmail.com. Can anyone please tell me how and why this happens? Thanks!

tronator

bertha wrote: »

My email address is [EMAIL="fred.bloggs1@gmail.com"]fred.bloggs1@gmail.com[/EMAIL] but I get occasional messages that have been sent to [EMAIL="fred.bloggs@gmail.com"]fred.bloggs@gmail.com[/EMAIL]. Can anyone please tell me how and why this happens? Thanks!

Maybe someone sends the email with [EMAIL="fred.bloggs1@gmail.com"]fred.bloggs1@...[/EMAIL] in the BCC or the real [EMAIL="fred.bloggs@gmail.com"]fred.bloggs@...[/EMAIL] forwards his emails automatically to [EMAIL="fred.bloggs@gmail.com"]fred.bloggs1@...[/EMAIL]
by mistake or for whatever reason.

BTW: I wouldn't put my email address in a public forum. It's an invitation to spammers...

colin79666

You don't unless the message has been sent to both addresses.

However there are a couple of GMail specific tricks.
1. GMail ignores dots so abc.123@gmail.com and abc123@gmail.com are one account and will receive emails sent to either address.
2. GMail allows you to add keywords to the alias part of the address. e.g. abc+123@gmail.com. The account abc@gmail.com will get the email. This can be handy for filtering email from different sources but some websites won't accept a + character in an email address despite the fact that it is a valid character according to the SMTP RFC.

tronator wrote: »

BTW: I wouldn't put my email address in a public forum. It's an invitation to spammers...

I'm pretty sure the OP made up the example!

[Deleted User]

colin79666 wrote: »

I'm pretty sure the OP made up the example!

I'm betting it does actually belong to someone, although probably not the OP.

tronator

colin79666 wrote: »

I'm pretty sure the OP made up the example!

So somebody else will get more spam because of the OP? How is that better?

spud17

One day last year one of my Gmail accounts received 2 emails from an airline with cargo and flight details attached as pdfs.

My address is a short version of my Christian name joined with short version of surname.

Across the top of each email was 'DELETE after printing'.

After a bit of research I did email them, but not surprisingly never heard another thing, neither have I received any more.

bingo_bango

I have had the same issue (as have countless other people!).

The gmail answer is that they have simply used the wrong email address. Instead of using their address, they have incorrectly entered yours, which is likely very similar.

In my case, a girl in South Africa had joined a running site. They sent emails with her times etc, and I used to get these. I was able to log on to that site with her email address (guessed it) and unbelievably - NO password on the site login, just email.

I was also able to see her DoB on that site, so I sent her a message on Google circles to let her know that the wrong email address was entered and wishing her a happy birthday.

Unsurprisingly I have had no more messages from them.

There is a VERY long thread on the Google forums about the issue, but the answer is always the same.

bertha

Thanks, but when I click on the 'to' bit at the top of the email received, it shows the incorrect email address (ie without the 1 at the end of my name) so I have emails with the wrong address being received in my inbox. I know it shouldn't be possible but that is what is happening, honest!!!!!!

tyllwyd

Someone else posted just a week or two back with a similar problem
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5149461


I wonder if it is a glitch at gmail?

tronator

bertha wrote: »

Thanks, but when I click on the 'to' bit at the top of the email received, it shows the incorrect email address (ie without the 1 at the end of my name) so I have emails with the wrong address being received in my inbox. I know it shouldn't be possible but that is what is happening, honest!!!!!!

This is how "BCC" works. If I send an email

To: user1
BCC: user2,user3,user4,...

everyone will see user1 in the To: header. So it is possible and normal.