Random Gmail account creation

Affliction

Affliction

Affliction

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Joined
9 Jan 2009
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104
Location
Northants, UK
Hopefully someone here can clear this up for me, as Google's help page isn't all that helpful...

Basically, I randomly received an email this evening from '[email protected]', informing me my new account had been created. I haven't made a new account.
The email address associated with this new account is my email address with an extra period in the user name, i.e:
my address - [email protected]
'new' email address - [email protected]

Out of morbid curiosity, and spurred on by Gmail's help page (which assumes that any email like this is the result of human error in typing a recovery address), I send an email to this new address I apparently created... the weird thing is, the email I sent, appeared in my regular inbox!!

Anyone had experience of this, or have any idea what the hell's going on?

(I've already changed my password, before you all tell me to!:p)
 
Also, I have a Facebook account creation confirmation for an account I haven't created that arrived a few minutes after the Gmail account one... Changed that password too!!
 
What I find weird is why it still allows people to use them when creating accounts...

Edit: Wait, does this mean that the OP's email that he received from himself will also be received by someone else who created an account with the full stop?
 
i know, i am thinking of getting in touch with gmail tbh.

the mail i receive is really far to important to go to the wrong people, i do keep mailing the senders back saying that i am receiving them not the correct person, and that they could do with letting them know etc, but nothing comes of it.
 
you would get the mail at [email protected] thats exactly what happens to me =(

yet im guessing the other person can still get onto his email and send them fine. some of the things i get seem to be replies, but not sent using the "reply" button

i.e new mail, type the address then send
 
Thanks for the responses guys. Certainly a tad happier that it's not just me getting this.

However, surely this is one huge great big security flaw with gmail?? Especially when personal/sensitive contents are involved?
 
It doesn't let you create an account with dots in it if there is already one there without the dots.
Try it and see,
If I know [email protected] exists and I try to create a new account with [email protected] it doesn't even let you get past the "Choose your username" field on the new account form.

The other person you are getting emails for has given out the wrong email address. The probably reason you are getting replies are he's set up his email account to send as the wrong email address so the replyto is wrong.
 
nope, something is wrong here. definitely. i have seen his email address after it has been forwarded.

i.e hes sent an email to someone (and it comes from [email protected]) that contains minutes to a meeting, someone else has had a reply to it, so he forwarded the reply back to him, to the same email address that sent it ([email protected]) my address is just [email protected]

its only on occasion that i get them. quite often they are mid convo about things.
ive also had emails saying stuff like "thank you for verifying this this email address" (one was for ardbeg whiskey.

now usually the process to verify email addresses (correct me if im wrong) is to get an email with a link in it, then clicking the link and following the instructions after, they then send the same email a thankyou mail after.

why would i receive the last one but not the first one if it wasnt something to do with the mail addresses?

another thing to note, the guy i get the mail for made his account in new zealand, is in south africa a lot, but lives in England mostly. Maybe its because he made the account abroad?

also acme, the only thing i have that you want is a bay rez and i need that till after i49 :P
 
I have been receiving a dudes email from the US for almost a year. Most things are irrelevant but some I could have had a good play with.

Notably: car purchases, poker games, restaurant bookings etc. I think it's stupid that they have this . rule as it must happen to lots of people.
 
davido_labido said:
yup, i get the same.

i have [email protected]

someone has created [email protected]

i get his mail all the time.
Click to expand...

No he hasn't.

Your account is [email protected] AND [email protected] AND [email protected] AND [email protected]

Try logging in as any of them, with the same password as normal. It'll still work.

You're probably getting random emails because someone has created a similar account, but the sender has mistyped it. Emails are probably meant for [email protected], or [email protected], or similar typos.
 
^^ this mainly. When i check the full details of the email it's usually the replier that has put my email in instead of them checking what the actual receipients email is.

Most times I reply and say sorry this is [email protected] instead of your client, please remove me from your address book. In most cases I get a nice apology email
 
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