Gmail throw away addresses

[JTsyo]

Ok so it's not quite throw away but you can add +something@gmail.com to the end of your regular address and it'll still be delivered to your inbox. You can then sort e-mail with a certain "something" after the + to trash the ones that send spam. Interesting feature that I came across while reading about spam, didn't see it mentioned here before.

 

[Crusty]

While it's a valid email address according to the RFC standard LOTS of sites won't accept it because they either have shitty e-mail validation or they are purposely discarding the + to prevent this kind of abuse.

 

[Saint Nick]

Whoa...cool...I still don't understand it though. So for example, I could use bill.gates@gmail.com+steve.jobs@gmail.com? What is the point of that???

 

[ElFenix]

Whoa...cool...I still don't understand it though. So for example, I could use bill.gates@gmail.com+steve.jobs@gmail.com? What is the point of that???

you'd use saint.nick+buy@gmail.com for your buy.com email address and you can see if they're selling your address.

 

[purbeast0]

you can also put a . anywhere in your email and it will send to yours.

blahblah@gmail.com
b.lahblah@gmail.com
bl.ahblah@gmail.com
bla.hblah@gmail.com
blah.blah@gmail.com

all 5 of those will go to the same address.

 

[coxmaster]

Whoa...cool...I still don't understand it though. So for example, I could use bill.gates@gmail.com+steve.jobs@gmail.com? What is the point of that???

Yeah, you definitely dont understand it..

It works this way: YourCurrentEmail+WHATEVER@gmail.com

The whatever part is what you change and that is all you change

 

[trmiv]

While it's a valid email address according to the RFC standard LOTS of sites won't accept it because they either have shitty e-mail validation or they are purposely discarding the + to prevent this kind of abuse.

This has been my experience as well. A lot of sites just don't accept the +.

 

[Anubis]

if something doesnt actually need to be sent to you just mash keyboard @gmail.com

 

[MotionMan]

This has been my experience as well. A lot of sites just don't accept the +.

On my old e-mail system I could do something very similar with a "-":

motionman-WHATEVER@domain.com

It was a nice way to track where spam originated. I busted a few online retailers with it over the years. I was also able to block any future spam by creating a "real" "-" address in my system and trashing all the e-mail sent to that address.

Unfortunately, I had to change systems and lost that ability. I tried the gmail "+" method, but, as noted above, many (too many) sites simply do not recognize such addresses as valid and won't let you register with it.

Such a thing should be standard and universally recognized.

MotionMan

 

[CycloWizard]

you can also put a . anywhere in your email and it will send to yours.

blahblah@gmail.com
b.lahblah@gmail.com
bl.ahblah@gmail.com
bla.hblah@gmail.com
blah.blah@gmail.com

all 5 of those will go to the same address.

Problems arise with this one as I get someone else's e-mail all the time. I have firstname.lastname@gmail.com, and he has the same name and the address firstnamelastname@gmail.com. I have a lot of dirt on some Sacramento politicians that I got this way if anyone is interested.

 

[MotionMan]

Problems arise with this one as I get someone else's e-mail all the time. I have firstname.lastname@gmail.com, and he has the same name and the address firstnamelastname@gmail.com. I have a lot of dirt on some Sacramento politicians that I got this way if anyone is interested.

Ever wonder what he has on you?

MotionMan

 

[BeauJangles]

Problems arise with this one as I get someone else's e-mail all the time. I have firstname.lastname@gmail.com, and he has the same name and the address firstnamelastname@gmail.com. I have a lot of dirt on some Sacramento politicians that I got this way if anyone is interested.

That was only true for a short period of time when Gmail first launched. People could sign up for xx@gmail.com even if x.x@gmail.com was already taken. That is no longer the case. You can try it now. Go to Gmail and try to sign up for your email address either with or without periods in it. It won’t work.

 

[eits]

florence+themachine@gmail.com