Reply With QuoteGmail ignores . in the address, so johnsmith@gmail.com and john.smith@gmail.com are the same
Hello,
Please can someone help.
I have a relatively uncommon name - for the purposes of this thread, lets just say it's John Smith.
My Email address is johnsmith@gmail.com
I have recently been receiving emails from Uber (I have never ever used them), but addressed TO john.smith@gmail.com - note the "." between my names.
But, I have been receiving these even though it's not my email address, so gmail must accept this variation??
I called Uber concerned and they say coincidentally someone with the same name as me who's email address is john.smith@gmail.com has signed up with them and is trying to set up a driver account. They arent at all concerned and wont do anything futher, saying the other guy is legit.
This all seems really odd to me.
Any advice?
Gmail ignores . in the address, so johnsmith@gmail.com and john.smith@gmail.com are the same
I can confirm this is true, we discovered it at work recently.
The “.” In the email address are not used.
John.smith@gmail.com is the same as johnsmith@gmail.com you can obviously test this yourself if yo have access to another email account
You could I assume reply to the emails and request they stop or if you a worried about identity fraud under gdrp issue a subject access request and use that to stop the process.
Does google really not recognise the '.'? Surely this should have meant the Uber driver couldn't have set up the email of the same name then?
Login to the Uber account and delete it.
Absolutely do this. If this Uber driver does something questionable you want to be sure it does not come back to your doorstep.Originally Posted by Kingstepper
Fas est ab hoste doceri
How though?
I don't have an uber account. When I try to do a password reset to 'hack into' the account, it just says a SMS has been sent with a code - not my phone!
So, someone has used john.smith@gmail.com to create an account - Uber say it's legit and there's nothing I can do, but Im getting all his Uber emails.
But, if this were really the case, surely gmail wouldnt have let him create the john.smith account if they ignore the "."
And surely I'd be getting all his other emails?
It feels odd and Uber arent interested.
This email address dot ignoring is not my experience. Say my name is Fred Bloggs and my email is fbloggs at gmail etc. If I sign up to a service, I can tell if they have sold my email address by using
Fbloggs dot servicename at gmail dot com
The bit after the dot is ignored, and the mail comes to me with the service name still in the address.
Fred
Later... just tested my theory and it no longer works. I am sure that it did in the past.
Last edited by Templogin; 2nd May 2019 at 12:23. Reason: Spillong
Be aware that he could be getting all your emails too.
Pete
Is there a chance that the Uber driver is getting your emails?
How could this be remotely possible? Surely google secure againt this, otherwise anyone could sign up with the same username (adding a dot) and get your emails. So I doubt this could be possible.
I seem to be receiving emails as usual.
Maybe I will change my gmail password (again!).
Is there a google contact email address for reporting ?fraud where I can get a rapid reply?
"Dots dont matter in google account addresses";
https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7436150?hl=en
So Uber driver has given them the wrong email address? So he won't be getting any emails from Uber? So hopefully he'll work it out, check with Uber and give them the correct address?
That's what I'm hoping.
I have changed my gmail email add (though I dont think that's an issue, and I have all the two-factor authentications etc etc on it, and a unique very complex password).
I've done all I can do, but just all a bit weird. But maybe simply his error!
There are two other people in the UK with my name, according to google!
EDIT - sent an email to john.smith@gmail.com and it arrived in my normal johnsmith@gmail.com inbox
THANKS for all the advice guys.
Yes, you're right, can't be done. Although the 2 email addresses are the same to Google (and emails sent to either will go to you as owner of that email) he's signed up with the 'dot' variation and Uber might well see them as different.
Surprised that there was no email verification though which would have gone to you.
Doesn’t it say that no one can have john.smith@gmail.com if johnsmith@gmail.com has already taken?
My email address is lastname.firstname@gmail.com because
Firstnamelastname
Firstname.lastname
and
Lastnamefirstname were taken.
It might but that won’t necessarily stop someone using the variations as sign-on email at a third party site.
It’s just like a user name.
That works with the + sign Fbloggs+uber AT gmail.com will ignore the “Uber” part
Yes, you have helped me realise that I think this is exactly what's happened.
So, my gmail is safe, but im just slightly uneasy about the remarkable coincidence / choice of email used to sign up with uber by the mystery person.
Has he cloned other parts of my life, or just an innocent mistake?
I'm pretty tight on internet and identity security, for a 'lay person' - I'd say i'm more secure than 99% of the regular population, but I will be changing some passwords and monitoring my various accounts closely for a few weeks.
Do not forget to check if anyone follows you on your way back home or if any suspicious vehicles parked outside of your house. You can't be too careful these days.
Last edited by VDG; 2nd May 2019 at 14:30.
Fas est ab hoste doceri
I rarely use Uber, but if memory serves don't you have to link a bank account to use it? If that's the case then surely you've nothing to worry about, just block Uber messages and carry merrily on.
I take it Uber can’t use email addresses for anything important, or by the looks of it anything at all or his account would be inoperative. Strange situation.
You need to associate a credit or debit card. I've never been asked to provide my bank account details.
It's a handy way to filter email and figure out where spam may be comming from.
Sign up for stuff with fred.smith.amazon@gmail.com, fred.smith.sky@gmail.com, etc ...
I see where you're coming from but this just means you have a different email address for everything and I don't see how the dots are helping??
interesting thread.
I have a similarly uncommon name and have the Apple email (equivalent of johnsmith@me.com)
I am presently getting emails from the English Chess Federation intended for someone with (Im supposing) a ver similar email. Im not an ECF member, nor do I play chess - indeed I struggle with noughts & crosses.
I only seem to get some of the emails they send to my doppelgänger, so Im wondering how this can happen? I don't seem to get any of his emails from anyone else.
It works slightly different:
fred.smith+amazon@gmail.com and fred.smith+sky@gmail.com will both be delivered into your regular fred.smith@gmail.com email account.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
You're most certainly not the only one, as an early Gmail adopter; when Hotmail was still king, I was fortunate (or so I thought) to get my firstnamelastname@gmail.com email address.
Whilst it's convenient I've received all sorts over the years including emails from parents who aren't my parents, emails with very personal details, private medical correspondence, private financial correspondence.
Some notable favourites:
- Up until recently I was trapped in an email chain with a militant church group in the US who couldn't seem to understand why EVERY member needed to delete my email address in order for me not to be bombarded with their circulars every time someone sent a reply;
- A lady contacted me obviously thinking that she had emailed her Son. I politely responded explaining that she had sent it to the wrong address only for her to completely ignore it and continue on as though I was her Son;
- Various job offers;
- Various job requests;
- A request for rental agreement to be signed via E-signature for a rental agreement on a house;
- Mortgage acceptance emails;
- My personal favourite, E-boarding passes for flights all over the world; most recently Heathrow to Manilla.
Needless to say that sometimes there is a temptation to wreak absolute havoc
There's an interesting article about this issue (and the security implications!) on The Register - https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/0...ishing_vector/
I also have a "dotted" gmail address (which I very rarely use) and I get a fair amount of email intended for somebody who is trying to use the non-dotted form. And, of course, I have no way of contacting him/her.
You can create smart filters and move them out the inbox.
I know, I have been using it for many years. My point is that you need to use the "+" sign, not a "." as a limiter. Your example just created different email addresses all with their own seperate inboxes.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
I’ve never once in my life had an interesting incorrectly sent email... I’m jealous and looking for a bit of accidental-email fun!
You're most certainly not the only one, as an early Gmail adopter; when Hotmail was still king, I was fortunate (or so I thought) to get my firstnamelastname@gmail.com email address.
Whilst it's convenient I've received all sorts over the years including emails from parents who aren't my parents, emails with very personal details, private medical correspondence, private financial correspondence.
Some notable favourites:
- Up until recently I was trapped in an email chain with a militant church group in the US who couldn't seem to understand why EVERY member needed to delete my email address in order for me not to be bombarded with their circulars every time someone sent a reply;
- A lady contacted me obviously thinking that she had emailed her Son. I politely responded explaining that she had sent it to the wrong address only for her to completely ignore it and continue on as though I was her Son;
- Various job offers;
- Various job requests;
- A request for rental agreement to be signed via E-signature for a rental agreement on a house;
- Mortgage acceptance emails;
- My personal favourite, E-boarding passes for flights all over the world; most recently Heathrow to Manilla.
Needless to say that sometimes there is a temptation to wreak absolute havoc
Interesting!
Seems Google are very much 'close enough' when sending mails.
I have a first name. Last name @googlemail.com account and get all sorts intended for first name last name@gmail.com
My doppleganger is quite active in the church in America and I'm often tempted to have a little fun with responses to their circular emails. I just ignore it now though, but do wonder how much of my (not so church friendly) mail he gets...
I regularly get some american namesake from Dacula High School in Georgia signing me up to stuff on my gmail account. Really annoying but not concerning.
Just make sure you’ve got two-factor authentication and I wouldn’t worry about the security aspect.
I’ve also had this with some old woman from America who kept using my email address for her internet shopping. I got fed up so found her on facebook and kept messaging her with details about her internet orders until she stopped using my email address.
Last edited by Christian; 2nd May 2019 at 21:52.
Count yourself lucky, scammers used my address on spam emails. I was only aware when some of the emails started to get returned as the addresses were not being used/don’t exist/blocked etc. Over a 48hr period i was receiving a returns email listing around 20 emails every few seconds. After a few hours my inbox was completely bunged up! Fortunately i pay a hosting email company and they helped sort my problem and inbox out. But it was time consuming and a complete pain. Amusingly i received a very angry series of emails from a person telling me to stop spamming him.
I have a nurse in New Zealand who shares my initial and surname and forgets that I have the .com version of our email.
Recipes are her latest thing, I get sent new ones daily, some tasty sounding, others not so much. I've also closely followed her career and hope that she is more detail driven working in ICU than she is when trying to get a job in one.
That's the one! Thanks for putting me right.
I'd use the uber account and let the person who's account it is sort it out :D
You mean the OP should buy Prius and drive 8 hour shifts ferrying around local drunks?
Fas est ab hoste doceri
Doesn't seem to be a problem but I wouldn't be happy with it either.
If uber won't sort it directly then the only solution I see is to keep resetting the uber account until the driver changes the email.
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Had a first name last name @ Gmail for years and only in the last coupe have I started to get others someone has the dot between is actively seeking a partner on various low quality dating sights and has a liking for weatherspoons in Cambridge as I get emailed receipts
Another isn't getting paid as he didn't turn up to a meeting this week, although I knew about the meeting and his bosses displeasure I hope he does soon.
And then there's the chap in South Africa who had just got a large mortgage.
Sent from my VOG-L29 using Tapatalk
He's now just signed up for a membership at the London Aquatics Centre, by DD. I have all the details by email confirmation!
FFS, I dont even have a way to contact the guy!
(PS his DD bank details aren't mine, so I think he's legit and is just 'accidentally' using the same email as mine?!)
Last edited by ach5; 28th June 2019 at 13:11.
Just hang out at the Aquatics Centre for a few weeks?
Couldn't you contact the Aquatics centre and see if they're anymore helpful?
I don't understand why Uber aren't concerned that you're now receiving their customer's private data? Maybe a word with their data protection/information governance person/dept or the Information Commissioner might be helpful. https://ico.org.uk/
I did an online chat with the Aquatics Centre, explianed everything and they said (paraphrasing) "OK, before we can help, please provide the postcode and DOB you used when signing up" ??? No matter how much I explained ITS NOT ME they didn't seem to get it. So I have his direct debit details, temporarily password and various other links to activities he's booked there, all today! I assume he's not receiving any of these emails. In the emails, they all say John.Smith@gmail.com* (where mine is Johnsmith@gmail.com)
*made up name
Just block the address. How often do you send emails to yourself?
Posting Permissions