GMail Bug - Receiving Other User's Mail

Gareth · 09-11-2005, 01:20

Thought I'd share a problem I'm having with my GMail account... Recently I've been receiving emails from someone with the same name as me, who also has a GMail account but whose email address differs ever so very slightly to mine. Briefly, my GMail address is of the format firstnamelastname@gmail.com whereas this other person's address is firstname.lastname@gmail.com.

I received a few of his mails and then noticed that not all of them were using my email address (ie, the version without the dot between 1st and 2nd names) but were in fact using the other person's correct address. I've just spent a few minutes browsing the GMail help section to investigate this further and found this message:

Quote:

Am I receiving someone else's email?
Gmail doesn't recognize dots (.) as characters within a username. This way, you can add and remove dots to your username for desired address variations. For example, messages sent to GoogleAmy@gmail.com and Google.Amy@gmail.com are delivered to the same inbox.

Followed by...

Quote:

Please note that to log in to Gmail, you must enter any dots that were originally defined as part of your Gmail username.

So, that explains why I'm getting emails about meeting up with people to play rugby tomorrow

It also means that, in my opinion, there's a fundamental flaw with the way Google are separating email addresses from login usernames. Assuming I know the address of someone I wish to impersonate, I can create a new account with a remarkably similar name that just has a dot somewhere in the name. I then change the Reply To address to match the address I'm impersonating, and I can email people whilst appearing to be someone else and yet still receive the replies (as opposed to simply spoofing the sender's address and not receiving any reply).

Does any of this make sense? Am I missing something (it is late and I need sleep!) or isn't this a big flaw with GMail?

ps - anyone interested in playing rugby with my new friends in London should drop me a PM

punky · 09-11-2005, 01:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gareth

ps - anyone interested in playing rugby with my new friends in London should drop me a PM

What about an e-mail?

Seriously, thanx for the tip matey. I have a dot in myGmail addy.

Graham M · 09-11-2005, 01:30

Gareth, it could be that there isnt such an email address as the one similar to yours and that google wont actually register two similar addresses only with a dot or 2, at least thats the way it reads. Try registering yourself a Gmail account with a random dot in the Address (anywhere in it) and see if it lets you create the account. Could be this person mistyped.

09-11-2005, 08:11

I also have this problem. I'm receiving someone elses emails because they have the same GMail as me, but without the . inbetween the first and last name

Gareth · 09-11-2005, 10:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeph

Gareth, it could be that there isnt such an email address as the one similar to yours and that google wont actually register two similar addresses only with a dot or 2, at least thats the way it reads. Try registering yourself a Gmail account with a random dot in the Address (anywhere in it) and see if it lets you create the account. Could be this person mistyped.

I see your point, but this other person's account does exist. I've been in touch with both the user and his friends. Like Electrolyte, the difference between the 2 accounts is that there is a dot between the first and second names on one of the accounts.

gazzae · 09-11-2005, 10:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gareth

I see your point, but this other person's account does exist. I've been in touch with both the user and his friends. Like Electrolyte, the difference between the 2 accounts is that there is a dot between the first and second names on one of the accounts.

Thats weird. My username is my full name with no dots. I tried to sign up a new account by putting a dot in my name but it wouldn't let me do it.

Tezcatlipoca · 10-11-2005, 21:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by gazzae

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gareth

I see your point, but this other person's account does exist. I've been in touch with both the user and his friends. Like Electrolyte, the difference between the 2 accounts is that there is a dot between the first and second names on one of the accounts.

Thats weird. My username is my full name with no dots. I tried to sign up a new account by putting a dot in my name but it wouldn't let me do it.

My username has a dot in the middle. Just tried signing up with no dot at all, & also with one dot in various places within the name, & gmail said none of them were available.

Gareth · 10-11-2005, 22:58

I guess they've fixed that then, so new accounts can't be created that are the same as another user's minus any dots. Guess Electrolyte and myself were unlucky as we were early adopters, as were our namesakes

Hom3r · 10-11-2005, 23:26

reregister your name

instead of typing JoeBloggs@gmail.com

try jbloggs@gmail.com

Gareth · 11-11-2005, 00:26

I've already given my address to all my contacts, and can't be arsed going through all that again... especially to just change to another GMail account. It was bad enough going from Yahoo to GMail, and took everyone ages

so don't think I'll risk it.

Plus, I got my account first, so hopefully my namesake will change his account instead