The dots do matter: how to scam a Gmail user

Re:The dots do matter: how to scam a Gmail user by esdott on Saturday April 07, 2018 @10:10PM (#16784202)

The real kicker here though is that it IS possible to have registered a separate email address in gmail with a dot. My wife has been dealing with this in the opposite, she has a valid first.last@gmail and another person has a separate firstlast@gmail. She has the dot but frequently gets emails for the non dot address. We’ve gotten to know the person over like 10 years. If we’re victims of some sort of con game, then they’re certainly in it for the long haul...

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Re:The dots do matter: how to scam a Gmail user by zargon on Saturday April 07, 2018 @11:35PM (#16784470)

You should realize that there is no additional gmail account registered with no dots. Just your wife's account. And somebody simply signs up for things using your wife's address, because they feel like it should be theirs. This is a very common thing. https://xkcd.com/1279/

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Re:The dots do matter: how to scam a Gmail user by Gigablah on Saturday April 07, 2018 @11:17PM (#16784436)

But how do you know that the other person registered a gmail account, as opposed to, say, them registering the wrong email address with the email senders?

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Re:The dots do matter: how to scam a Gmail user by astura on Saturday April 07, 2018 @11:50PM (#16784512)

Send an email and see if that email shows up in your inbox?

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Re:The dots do matter: how to scam a Gmail user by Gigablah on Sunday April 08, 2018 @06:34AM (#16785508)

If gmail ignores dots in the email address, of course that email is going to show up in your inbox.

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Re:The dots do matter: how to scam a Gmail user by astura on Sunday April 08, 2018 @02:21PM (#16787438)

And if it shows up it someone else's inbox then you know that the other person registered a gmail account with the dots, which was the question.

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Re:The dots do matter: how to scam a Gmail user by Gigablah on Wednesday April 11, 2018 @02:51AM (#16808665)

Which goes back to my question; how did he know that there is another inbox? Unless he happens to know the other person... well, in person.

And if he knows them in person, why hasn't either of them switched email addresses already (within the last 10 years)? Something doesn't add up here.

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